Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica,

released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After
forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles.
They recorded several demos to gain attention from club owners and eventually
relocated to San Francisco to secure the services of bassist Cliff Burton. The
group's No Life 'til Leather demo tape (1982) was noticed by Megaforce label
head Jon Zazula, who signed them and provided a budget of $15,000 (equivalent to
$48,835.49 in 2024) for recording. The album was recorded in May with producer
Paul Curcio at the Music America Studios in Rochester, New York. It was originally
intended to be titled Metal Up Your Ass, with cover art featuring a hand clutching a
dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. Zazula convinced the band to change the name
because distributors feared that releasing an album with such an offensive title and
artwork would diminish its chances of commercial success.

Metallica promoted the album on the two-month co-headlining Kill 'Em All for
One tour with English heavy metal band Raven in the US. The album also generated
two singles: "Whiplash" and "Jump in the Fire". Although the initial shipment was
15,000 copies in the US, the album sold 60,000 copies worldwide by the end of
Metallica's Seven Dates of Hell European tour in 1984. The album did not enter
the Billboard 200 until 1986, when it peaked at number 155, following Metallica's
commercial success with its third studio album, Master of Puppets; the
1988 Elektra reissue peaked at number 120. Kill 'Em All was critically praised at the
time of its release and has since been regarded as a groundbreaking album
for thrash metal, because of its "precise musicianship, which fused new wave of
British heavy metal riffs with hardcore punk tempos". It was also retrospectively
placed on a few publications' best album lists. The album's musical approach and
lyrics were markedly different from rock's mainstream of the early 1980s and inspired
a number of bands who followed in a similar manner. It was certified 3× Platinum by
the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999 for shipping three
million copies in the United States.

Background and recording

[edit]

Lars Ulrich (pictured in 2008) founded Metallica

through an advertisement in The Recycler. He picked the band's name from his friend Ron
Quintana's list of names for his upcoming magazine. Ulrich suggested Metal Mania, secretly
wanting to use Metallica as the band's name.[3]
Metallica was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by drummer Lars Ulrich and by
vocalist/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield. Before settling on a definitive lineup, Metal
Blade Records owner Brian Slagel asked Metallica to record a song for the first
edition of his Metal Massacre compilation. Hetfield and Ulrich chose "Hit the Lights"
from Hetfield's and his childhood friend Ron McGovney's previous band Leather
Charm, and recorded it with Hetfield on vocals, McGovney on bass, and temporary
guitarist Lloyd Grant. The band's first lineup featured Hetfield, Ulrich, McGovney, and
guitarist Dave Mustaine, who was acquired through a newspaper advertisement. The
band practiced in McGovney's garage and looked for gigs at local clubs. Metallica's
first show was on March 14, 1982, at the Radio City in Anaheim. The nine-song
setlist consisted of two originals ("Hit the Lights" and an unfinished version of "Jump
in the Fire" from Mustaine's earlier band Panic) and covers of new wave of British
heavy metal (NWOBHM) bands such as Diamond Head, Blitzkrieg, Savage,
and Sweet Savage. The gig did not go as well as planned, because Mustaine had
problems with the guitar distortion pedal, and broke a string during a song.
Metallica's second gig was on March 27, 1982, at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go,
opening for Saxon. Although Mötley Crüe was originally scheduled to open the show,
the group canceled because of its growing popularity. Metallica recorded a three-
song demo to persuade the venue's management to allow the band to open for
Saxon. Metallica's third concert was in April 1982, the first time "The Mechanix",
[4]
written by Mustaine during his tenure with Panic, was played.[5] Mustaine interacted
with the fans at Metallica's earliest shows because Hetfield was shy.[6]

To garner attention from club owners, Metallica recorded the Power Metal demo in
April 1982, which featured "Motorbreath" in addition to the already-performed
originals. The logo, displaying the band's name with the first and last letter drawn
larger with sharp serifs and italicized, was designed by Hetfield.[7] The No Life 'til
Leather demo was recorded in July 1982, and it created a buzz in the
underground tape trading circles.[8] No Life 'til Leather featured a re-recorded version
of "Hit the Lights", which appeared on the second pressing of Metal Massacre, in
addition to new songs such as "Phantom Lord", "Seek & Destroy", and "Metal
Militia". The recording and mastering were financed by Kenny Kane, owner of the
punk label High Velocity, and distributed by Ulrich and his friend Pat
Scott. [9] Because of tensions with Mustaine, McGovney left the band in December.
Ulrich was impressed by Cliff Burton's performance with Trauma at The
Troubadour in West Hollywood, and offered to let him join the band.[10] Burton joined
on the condition that Metallica would relocate to the San Francisco area.[11] Moving
to El Cerrito in February 1983, the band stayed and rehearsed
at Exodus manager Mark Whitaker's house, which they called the "Metallica
Mansion".[12] Metallica intended to record its debut in Los Angeles on Slagel's
independent label on an $8,000 budget ($24,722 in 2023). Slagel could not afford
the record, and Ulrich contacted Jon Zazula, a New Jersey record store owner and
promoter of heavy metal bands on the East Coast who had already heard No Life 'til
Leather. Metallica rented a U-Haul truck and drove to New Jersey in late March,
[12]
and upon arrival, allowed Zazula to sell copies of No Life 'til Leather to help him
found Megaforce Records because no label wanted to finance the album's recording.
[13]
 Dave Mustaine (pictured in 2005) was an early member of
Metallica, and co-wrote several songs on Kill 'Em All. His erratic and violent behavior led to
his expulsion from the band prior to recording the album.[14]
Hetfield and Ulrich fired Mustaine on the morning of April 11 after a gig in New York,
because of his drug and alcohol problems, overly aggressive behavior, and clashes
with bandmates.[15] On Whitaker's recommendation, Metallica recruited Kirk Hammett,
who played in Exodus and was a one-time student of Joe Satriani. Hammett learned
the songs on his flight to New York and started recording the album with Metallica
barely a month later. Metallica met producer Paul Curcio at Music America Studios
in Rochester, and recorded the album in two weeks.[16] Unable to afford a hotel during
the recording sessions, the band members stayed over in people's houses in
Rochester and at the Music Factory in Jamaica, Queens, where Anthrax held
rehearsals.[17] Curcio had set the studio equipment as if he were recording an
ordinary rock band. He thought the initial tapes sounded very distorted and tried to
compensate by turning down the knobs.[14] Metallica resented Curcio's involvement,
because he seemed uninterested, and had little impact on the sound.[18] Although
Zazula wanted Hammett to replicate Mustaine's solos, Hammett's guitar solos on the
album were partially based on Mustaine's original solos, with the first four bars of
most solos written by Mustaine before his departure.[19] Despite their differences,
Mustaine's contributions to the early years of Metallica were still acknowledged, and
he received four co-writing credits on Kill 'Em All.[20] Zazula was not pleased with the
initial mix because he thought that the drums were too loud, and the guitars were too
low in the mix. The remix was done by sound engineer Chris Bubacz, according to
Zazula's instructions.[14] The final cost for the record rounded to an estimated $15,000
($46,354 in 2023), which nearly caused Zazula to go bankrupt. "This was mortgage
money I'm spending, not something I've got put by I'm going to invest," he said later.
[21]
Zazula had a hard time finding a distributor for the record, but he eventually
convinced Relativity Records to distribute the album in the US and Canada,
and Music for Nations in Europe.[13]

The band intended to title the album Metal Up Your Ass with a cover featuring a
hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. However, Zazula convinced
them to change the title, because he thought that distributors would not stock it as it
was too explicit to display. The final cover featured the shadow of a hand letting go
of a bloodied hammer.[22] Burton was credited with coming up with the name Kill 'Em
All—referring to timid record distributors, saying, "Those record company fuckers ...
kill 'em all!"—as a response to the situation.[18] Ulrich thought Kill 'Em All was a good
name, and Zazula agreed.[21] Burton suggested to Gary L. Heard, also responsible for
the Metallica photograph on the back cover, to feature a bloodied hammer on the
album art. According to Hammett, "Cliff carried a hammer with him everywhere he
went. He always had a hammer in his luggage, and he would take it out occasionally
and start destroying things."[23] Even though the original title was unused, the band
did later release a "Metal Up Your Ass" T-shirt with the proposed artwork.[22] A
live bootleg recording of a 1982 performance at the Old Waldorf, titled Metal Up
Your Ass (Live), featured the original cover artwork.[12] Original pressings of the
album came with an inner sleeve that included pictures and lyrics as well as a silver
label on the vinyl. Subsequent pressings had a blank white sleeve and a standard
album label. The 1988 reissue re-introduced the lyrics and photos. The original
release can be distinguished by the silver labels with the track listing but without
track lengths. Every issue produced has had the phrase "Bang That Head That
Doesn't Bang". The phrase "Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang" was dedicated to
San Francisco fan Rich Burch, known for his headbanging at the band's early shows.
[21]

Music and lyrics

[edit]
"Kill 'Em All's lyrics created as much excitement as the band's music. Taken together, the words of the
songs on the album form a single theme. It is a concept album that heralds the breakthrough of a new
subgenre of metal, its fans, and its leader, Metallica. It is a celebration of metal. It is a call to arms to a new
generation of metalheads, many of whom were already armed and ready."
—Deena Weinstein, Essays on Debut Albums[7]

Kill 'Em All features intricate riffing reminiscent of the NWOBHM bands played at
high velocity. The album is considered crucial in thrash metal's genesis because it
introduced fast percussion, low-register chords, and shredding leads to the genre.
[24]
Hammett played some pentatonic patterns in addition to his breakneck solos.
[25]
Ulrich adopted a double time snare pattern that would become a mainstay on
Metallica's subsequent albums. Hetfield's vocals evolved from the melodic wail
on No Life 'til Leather to a rough-edged bark, and the entire band played faster and
more accurately on Kill 'Em All.[26] Author Joel McIver described Burton's and
Hetfield's performances as nearly virtuosic, highlighting Burton's smooth-sounding
bass and Hetfield's precise picking skills.[27] According to journalist Chuck Eddy, the
juvenile lyrical approach to topics such as warfare, violence and life on the road
gives the album a "naive charm".[28] The musical approach on Kill 'Em All was in
contrast to the glam metal bands who dominated the charts in the early 1980s.
[29]
Because of its rebellious nature and Metallica's street appearance, it appealed to
fans who were not into the mainstream of hard rock.[30]

"Hit the Lights" was based on an unfinished Leather Charm song written by Hetfield
and Hugh Tanner.[31] Hetfield had brought the majority of the song to Ulrich, and the
two worked out different arrangements. Performed at 160 beats per minute, "Hit the
Lights" opens with fade-in distorted guitars and a short shriek by Hetfield. The song
is driven by the 16th note repeated main riff and the continuous eighth note snare
drum hits. The lyrics celebrate heavy metal itself and are sung with short and high-
pitched vocals.[32] The song ends with several lengthy guitar solos by Hammett, who
performed cleaner and more melodic versions of Mustaine's leads.

"The Four Horsemen"

Duration: 28 seconds.0:28
"The Four Horsemen" is based on a galloping tremolo picked riff and double bass drum triplets.
Its multipart concept preceded the more complex song structures Metallica applied on
subsequent albums.[33]

Problems playing this file? See media help.

"The Four Horsemen" is a revamp of the Mustaine-penned "The Mechanix", which
originally had lyrics about having sex at a gas station.[5][34] A modified version of his
composition with the original lyrics appeared on Megadeth's debut Killing Is My
Business... and Business Is Good! (1985), named "Mechanix". Although Mustaine
told Metallica not to use any of his music, Hetfield wrote lyrics about the Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse and added a bridge and cleanly picked guitar solo in
the middle.[34] Mustaine said the bridge was inspired by the main riff in Lynyrd
Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".[9]

"Motorbreath" was written by Hetfield during his time in Leather Charm and tells
about life on the road. The song is based on a four-chord verse and a stop-and-start
chorus.[9] The most recognizable parts are Ulrich's drum rolls in each chorus and the
riff that accompanies Hammett's solos. Because of its speed, the song requires fast
picking by the bassist.[35]

"Jump in the Fire" was the first song ever[36] written by Mustaine, with lyrics about
teenage sexual experience.[4] Hetfield's revised lyrics for the album were written
from Satan's point of view, describing how the devil watches people killing each
other, and is sure they will go to hell for their actions.[37] "Jump in the Fire" was
released as a single in the UK in February 1984 to promote a UK tour with Venom.
[38]
The single featured "Phantom Lord" and "Seek & Destroy" as live tracks, although
they are actually studio recordings with fake crowd noise dubbed over them.[39] The
single's cover art features an oil painting titled The Devils of D-Day, created by
artist Les Edwards in 1978.[40]

"(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth" is a bass solo by Burton, accompanied on drums by

Ulrich. A staple of Burton's live performances since his high school days in the band
Agents of Misfortune,[41] the instrumental track featured Burton's distinctive "lead-
bass" style of playing, incorporating heavy distortion, use of wah-wah
pedal and tapping.[42] Bubacz introduces the track as "Bass solo, take one",
[21]
informing listeners that the song was recorded in one take.[43] "(Anesthesia)-Pulling
Teeth" was the bass solo that Burton was playing when Hetfield and Ulrich first saw
him at a gig.[44] Hetfield stated: "We heard this wild solo going on and thought, 'I don't
see any guitar player up there.' We were both counting the strings and I finally turned
to Lars and said, 'Dude, that's a bass!' Cliff was up there on stage with his band
Trauma with a wah-wah pedal and his huge mop of red hair. He didn't care whether
people were there. He was looking down at his bass, playing."[45] For the album
version, Cliff Burton insisted on recording this track alone in an empty room, while
the studio technicians were downstairs. He made this recording in one take, after
about twenty minutes of preparation.[46]

"Whiplash" was the album's first single, issued on August 8, 1983.[47] It features a
swift rhythm line of straight 16th notes played at about 200 beats per minute. Hetfield
and Burton performed with palm muted technique and precise metronomic control.
[48]
The lyrics celebrate crowd energy and headbanging.[49] Rock journalist Mick
Wall wrote that "Whiplash" signified the birth of thrash metal, stating: "If one wishes
to identify the very moment thrash metal arrived spitting and snarling into the world,
'Whiplash' is indisputably it."[21]

"Seek & Destroy"

Duration: 30 seconds.0:30
The song opens with thin, mid-register guitars. The last two sections (5:50 onward) feature palm
muted riff in low E. Since 2004, "Seek & Destroy" serves as the closer on Metallica's live set.[50]

Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Phantom Lord" is a lyrical nod to devilry. The song begins with a synthesized bass
drone and contains a middle section with clean, arpeggiated guitar chords. Written
by Mustaine, its central riff is in NWOBHM fashion.[48]

"No Remorse" is a mid-tempo song that suddenly accelerates its tempo in the fifth
minute.[51] The song is about not feeling any remorse or sense of repentance during
battle.

"Seek & Destroy" was inspired by Diamond Head's "Dead Reckoning"[5] and is the
first song Metallica recorded during the Kill 'Em All sessions.[30] Hetfield wrote the
main riff in his truck outside a Los Angeles sticker factory where he was working.
[5]
Because of its simple, one-line chorus, the song became a permanent setlist fixture
and a crowd singalong.[13]

"Metal Militia", one of the fastest songs on the album, is about heavy metal's way of
life and nonconformity. Mustaine composed the main riff, which emulates a marching
army. The song ends with tramping feet and bullet ricochet in a fade-out.[52]

Reception
[edit]

Professional ratings

Review scores

Source Rating

[53]
AllMusic

[2]
Chicago Tribune

Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 9/10[54]

[55]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music

The Guardian [56]

 [57]
Kerrang!

Metal Forces 10/10[58]

Pitchfork 8.6/10[59]

[60]
Q

[61]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

Kill 'Em All received widespread critical acclaim. Bernard Doe of Metal
Forces described Kill 'Em All as one of the fastest and heaviest albums ever
recorded, and remarked that the album is not for the faint-hearted.[58] Greg Kot of
the Chicago Tribune acknowledged it as the "speed metal prototype", but felt the
lyrical replication of Judas Priest and the Misfits kept the album short from becoming
a classic.[2] In a retrospective review, Billboard praised Kill 'Em All for changing the
face of popular music with its unique combination of punk and metal.[30] AllMusic's
Steve Huey called it "the true birth of thrash". He praised Hetfield's highly technical
rhythm guitar style and said that the band was "playing with tightly controlled fury
even at the most ridiculously fast tempos".[53] Rob Kemp, writing in The Rolling Stone
Album Guide, credited the album for consolidating the punk rock and heavy metal
scenes, but felt that apart from "Seek & Destroy" and "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth",
most of the album had the band "trying to look tough" over enthusiastic but
unfinished riff-based songs.[61]

Journalist Martin Popoff said Kill 'Em All differentiated from the debuts by
Metallica's Bay Area contemporaries because the fans could identify with Hetfield's
lyrics and the band's appearance.[25] Spin's Chuck Eddy considered Kill 'Em All the
inception of the "extreme metal mania" of the early 1980s. He noted the album did
not receive much critical praise at the time of its release but said it aged well and
opened the doors for the less commercially successful bands.[28] Although McIver
credits Venom's Welcome to Hell (1981) as the first thrash metal album, he
acknowledged Kill 'Em All as a major influence on the flourishing American heavy
metal scene.[62] Despite its "less-than-perfect" production, Loudwire's Jon Wiederhorn
said that Kill 'Em All sounds like an "influential slice of history" and stands on the
same level as classic albums by Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest.[63]

Kill 'Em All was released on July 25, 1983, by Megaforce with an initial pressing of
15,000 copies.[64] Because of the label's financial restrictions, the album was pressed
in batches of 500 copies.[65] Kill 'Em All had sold 17,000 copies in the US by the end
of the year.[24] Similarly to punk rock acts, Metallica promoted its material through the
tape trading network and independent music magazines such as Metal Forces in the
UK and Metal Mania in the US.[66] The album did not enter the Billboard 200 chart
until 1986, when it peaked at number 155 following Metallica's commercial success
with its third studio album Master of Puppets.[67] The 1988 re-issue on Elektra
Records also charted on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 120.[67] It was
certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in
1999 for shipping three million copies in the United States.[68] Despite being the
lowest selling Metallica studio album, it helped the band establish its image and build
a fanbase in its inaugural years.[7]

Kill 'Em All, as the first thrash metal album released in the US, had a substantial
impact on the emerging scene and inspired numerous bands with its aggression and
austere seriousness.[69] Guitarist Kerry King acknowledged Slayer was still finding its
sound while Metallica had already determined its image and musical identity.
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian was impressed by the album's heaviness and songwriting
and said it influenced him as much as the albums by Iron Maiden. Dream Theater's
drummer Mike Portnoy observed that Kill 'Em All surpassed the NWOBHM bands in
terms of sheer velocity and cited Burton's bass solo as the album's peak.[29] Guitarist
Ulf Cederlund of Swedish black metal band Morbid cited "Motorbreath" and "Metal
Militia" as songs that influenced him as a young musician.[70] Kill 'Em All was ranked
at number 35 on Rolling Stone's list of The 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s.
[71]
Additionally, the album placed at number 54 on "The 100 Best Debut Albums of All
Time"[72] and again at number 35 on "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time",[73] two
lists compiled by the same magazine. Kerrang! listed the album at number 29 among
the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".[74] In 2010, Consequence of
Sound ranked it number 94 among its "Top 100 Albums Ever".[citation needed]

Touring
[edit]
In late July 1983, Metallica embarked on the two-month Kill 'Em All for One tour with
British co-headliners Raven. The tour name melded the titles of the albums the two
bands were promoting: Metallica's Kill 'Em All and Raven's All for One, both released
on Megaforce. The two groups met in Zazula's home two days before the tour began
and traveled in the same vehicle throughout the tour with five roadies and sound
engineer Whitaker. The tour was set to conclude with three shows in San Francisco,
thus Hetfield painted "No Life 'til Frisco" on the Winnebago tour bus. The tour had a
few poorly attended gigs, such as a performance at the Cheers club in Babylon, New
York, attended by some 50 people. After the conclusion of Kill 'Em All for One in
early September, Metallica returned to El Cerrito to work on new material. Seven
weeks after the tour ended, Metallica booked a number of performances at Bay Area
clubs, the first a Halloween gig at the Keystone in Palo Alto. At the Country Club
in Reseda, the group debuted "Fight Fire with Fire" and "Creeping Death", along with
an early version of "The Call of Ktulu", then titled "When Hell Freezes Over". Three
days later, at a gig at The Stone in San Francisco, Metallica premiered "Ride the
Lightning", the title track from the upcoming album. In December, Metallica went on a
short tour in the Midwest and eastern United States with a three-man road crew:
Whitaker, guitar technician John Marshall, and drum technician Dave Marrs. The
concert of January 14, 1984, in Boston, was canceled because the band's equipment
was stolen the night before.[75]

In February, Metallica embarked on its first European trek with Twisted Sister,
supporting Venom's Seven Dates of Hell tour.[76] The tour was sponsored by
Metallica's UK distributor, Music for Nations, who released the "Jump in the Fire" EP
for that occasion. The first show was at the Volkshaus in Zurich on February 3.[77] At
the Aardschok Festival in Zwolle on February 11, Metallica played in front of 7,000
people, its largest audience at the time. The tour stretched through countries such as
Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium, culminating in two sold-out shows at
the Marquee Club in London.[78] After concluding the Seven Dates of Hell tour,
Metallica headed to Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen to record its sophomore
album Ride the Lightning.[79] By the end of the tour, Kill 'Em All had sold 60,000
copies worldwide and Metallica began to gain international recognition.[65] On June 8,
2013, at the Orion Festival, billed as the fictional band Dehaan, Metallica played the
album in its entirety for the first time ever to mark the 30 year anniversary of the
album.

Track listing
[edit]
Original release
[edit]
All lyrics written by James Hetfield, except where noted. The bonus tracks on the
1988 re-release were originally recorded as B-sides for the "Creeping Death" single
in 1984, later known as Garage Days Revisited, and would later appear on the
compilation album Garage Inc. (1998). The bonus tracks on the digital reissue was
recorded live at the Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, on August 29, 1989, and
also appeared on the live album Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993).

Side one
No. Title Music Length
1. "Hit the Lights"  Hetfield 4:17
 Lars Ulrich
2. "The Four Horsemen"  Hetfield 7:13
 Ulrich
 Dave Mustaine
3. "Motorbreath" Hetfield 3:08
4. "Jump in the Fire"  Hetfield 4:41
 Ulrich
 Mustaine
5. "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth" Cliff Burton[80] 4:14
6. "Whiplash"  Hetfield 4:08
 Ulrich
Side two
No. Title Music Length
7. "Phantom Lord"  Hetfield 5:01
 Ulrich
 Mustaine
8. "No Remorse"  Hetfield 6:26
 Ulrich
9. "Seek & Destroy"  Hetfield 6:54
 Ulrich
10. "Metal Militia"  Hetfield 5:11
 Ulrich
 Mustaine
 Total length: 51:20
Bonus tracks (1988 Elektra reissue) [81]

No. Title Lyrics Music Length

11. "Am I Evil?" (Diamond Sean Harris  Harris 7:50
Head cover)  Brian Tatler
12. "Blitzkrieg" (Blitzkrieg cover) Brian Ross  Ross 3:37
 Ian Jones
 Jim Sirotto
Total length: 62:47
Bonus tracks (digital reissue) [81]

No. Title Music Length

11. "The Four Horsemen" (live)  Mustaine
 Hetfield
 Ulrich
12. "Whiplash" (live)  Hetfield
 Ulrich
2016 deluxe edition
[edit]
In 2016, the album was remastered and reissued in a limited edition deluxe box set
with an expanded track listing and bonus content. The deluxe edition set includes the
original album on vinyl and CD, a picture disc with the original "Jump in the Fire"
single tracklist, four CDs of interviews, rough mixes, and live recordings recorded
from 1983 to 1984, and a DVD of a live concert in Chicago.[82]

Personnel
[edit]
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[20]

 James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar

 Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
 Cliff Burton – bass
 Lars Ulrich – drums
* Jason Newsted – bass, backing vocals on the digital reissue bonus tracks

Production

 Paul Curcio – production

 Jon Zazula – executive producer
 Chris Bubacz – engineer
 Andy Wroblewski – assistant engineer
 Jack Skinner – mastering
 Bob Ludwig – mastering (Elektra reissue)
 George Marino – 1995 remastering
 Howie Weinberg – 2016 remastering

 Metallica, Mark Whitaker – production on the Elektra reissue bonus tracks

  Jeffrey "Nik" Norman – engineer on the Elektra reissue bonus tracks
 Mike Gillies – mixing on the digital reissue bonus tracks
Artwork

 Gary L. Heard – front and back cover design photos

 Kevin Hodapp – inner sleeve photos
 Shari & Harold Risch – graphics, design, and layout
Charts
[edit]

Peak
Year Chart
position

1988 US Billboard 200[83] 120

1993 Australian Albums Chart[84] 55

Finnish Albums Chart[85] 19

2004 French Albums Chart[85] 149

Swedish Albums Chart[86] 28

2007 Finnish Albums Chart[85] 12

Spanish Albums Chart[85] 70

2008
Swiss Albums Chart[85] 65

2011 Swedish Albums Chart[86] 39

2012 French Albums Chart[85] 180

2016 German Albums Chart[87] 58

 Peak
Year Chart
position

Spanish Albums Chart[85] 82

US Billboard 200[83] 66

2017 Spanish Albums Chart[85] 47

2018 Spanish Albums Chart[85] 55

2019 French Albums Chart[88] 179

Polish Albums (ZPAV)[89] 13

2021
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[90] 18

2023 chart performance for Kill 'Em All

Peak
Chart (2023)
position

Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[91] 54

German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[92] 17

Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[93] 33

Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[94] 31

Certifications
[edit]
 Certified
Region Certification
units/sales

Argentina (CAPIF)[95] Platinum 60,000^

Australia (ARIA)[96] 2× Platinum 140,000‡

Canada (Music Canada)[97] Platinum 100,000^

Germany (BVMI)[98] Gold 250,000‡

Poland (ZPAV)[99] Platinum 20,000‡

United Kingdom (BPI)[100] Gold 100,000*

United States (RIAA)[102] 3× Platinum 4,500,000[101]

*
Sales figures based on certification alone.
^
Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.