Creeping Death

Last updated

"Creeping Death"
Metallica - Creeping Death cover.jpg
Single by Metallica
from the album Ride the Lightning
B-side
ReleasedNovember 23, 1984 [1]
RecordedFebruary–March 1984
Studio Sweet Silence (Copenhagen)
Genre Thrash metal
Length6:36
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • James Hetfield
  • Kirk Hammett
Producer(s)
Metallica singles chronology
"Fade to Black"
(1984)		"Creeping Death"
(1984)		"For Whom the Bell Tolls"
(1985)
Audio sample
Creeping Death

"Creeping Death" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 23, 1984, as the lead and only commercial single from their album Ride the Lightning ("Fade to Black" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls", from the same album, were issued as promotional singles). Written from the perspective of the Angel of Death, "Creeping Death" describes the tenth plague of Egypt. It is often thought of as one of the band’s most popular songs and is currently the second-most-played song live by them.

Contents

Development

Kirk Hammett wrote the guitar riff for the bridge section when he was 16 years old. [2] The middle section, with its ominous chants of "Die!" set to a Phrygian mode chord progression, [3] was originally written by Hammett while he was in Exodus. [4] The song was called "Die by His Hand" and had been part of the Exodus setlist for live shows, but was never used on any Exodus albums. [5]

Metallica was inspired for the song by the second half of the film The Ten Commandments , which is based on the Bible tale of the Plagues of Egypt. While watching the scene of the final plague killing every Egyptian first-born child, Cliff Burton remarked "Whoa – it's like creeping death", as the plague was represented by a fog rolling into the Pharaoh's palace. The band liked the sound of "creeping death" and decided to write a song about the plagues, with the phrase as its title. [6] [5]

The single release's artwork was done by Alvin Petty. The logo and the song's title were added with a plastic layover to the existing artwork. Kirk Hammett had seen the picture hanging up at Petty's house and remarked that it would be perfect for the single and picture-disk that were about to be finished. [7]

Lyrics

The song is told from the perspective of the "Destroyer", the Angel of Death sent by God during the Tenth Plague of Egypt. Moses, through his older brother Aaron, insisted he was sent by God and repeatedly demanded that Pharaoh should set the Hebrew slaves free from Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. For the previous 400 years, the Hebrew people had lived as slaves in the Land of Goshen within Egypt. To punish Pharaoh for his obstinacy, God set ten plagues upon Egypt. The references to the plagues in the song include:

"To kill the first-born Pharaoh's son"The final plague of Egypt, during which the firstborn son of every non-Israelite, including the Pharaoh's son, is killed by the "Destroyer". This was done in response to the Pharaoh's order to throw every Israelite baby boy into the Nile River.
"Blood, Running red and strong, down the Nile"The first plague of Egypt, during which the water in the Nile River turned to blood.
"Plague!"A reference to any of the Ten Plagues.
"Darkness three days long"The ninth plague of Egypt, during which the sun was blotted out for three days and darkness fell over all of Egypt.
"Hail to fire"The seventh plague of Egypt, during which burning hail rained from the skies over Egypt.
"Blood, lamb's blood painted door; I shall pass"A reference to the forewarning given to the Israelites by God before the final plague; the Israelites were commanded to paint their doors with lamb's blood so that the Angel of Death would know to pass over their homes while reaping the souls of the firstborn. The Jewish holiday Passover is celebrated to commemorate the "passing over" of the Angel of Death.

Release

The single was released through Music for Nations in the UK and France. The B-sides were the cover songs "Am I Evil?" (originally by Diamond Head) and "Blitzkrieg" (originally by Blitzkrieg). These covers are called Garage Days Revisited on the back cover; the 1987 EP The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited is a reference to this title. The B-sides were later included on the compilation album Garage Inc. .

Reception

It is ranked at #1 on Guitar World 's 10 greatest Metallica songs of all time. [8] It was also voted by Rolling Stone readers in 2014 as the sixth greatest Metallica song in the poll "The 10 Best Metallica Songs". [9]

Track listing

International single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Creeping Death" James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton 6:36
2."Am I Evil?"Sean Harris, Brian Tatler 7:49
3."Blitzkrieg"Ian Jones, Jim Sirotto, Brian Ross3:35
Total length:18:03
Creeping Death/Jump in the Fire EP
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Creeping Death"James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton6:36
2."Am I Evil?"Sean Harris, Brian Tatler7:49
3."Blitzkrieg"Ian Jones, Jim Sirotto, Brian Ross3:35
4."Jump in the Fire"Hetfield, Ulrich, Dave Mustaine 4:41
5."Seek & Destroy" (Live)Hetfield, Ulrich7:04
6."Phantom Lord" (Live)Hetfield, Ulrich, Dave Mustaine4:52

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Ride The Lightning notes [10]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [11] Gold35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Hammett</span> American guitarist (born 1962)

Kirk Lee Hammett is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2003, Hammett, along with bandmate James Hetfield, was ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's list of Greatest Guitarists of All Time. In 2009, Hammett was ranked number 15 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.

<i>Master of Puppets</i> 1986 studio album by Metallica

Master of Puppets is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on March 3, 1986, by Elektra Records. Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark at Sweet Silence Studios with producer Flemming Rasmussen, it was the band's final album to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a bus accident in Sweden during the album's promotional tour.

<i>Ride the Lightning</i> 1984 studio album by Metallica

Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with the producer Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand, in which a character uses the phrase to refer to execution by electric chair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Burton</span> American bassist (1962–1986)

Clifford Lee Burton was an American musician who was the bassist for thrash metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He performed on the band's first three albums, Kill 'Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984), and Master of Puppets (1986). Burton also received a posthumous writing credit on ...And Justice for All (1988) for the song "To Live Is to Die".

<i>Kill Em All</i> 1983 studio album by Metallica

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hetfield</span> American musician (born 1963)

James Alan Hetfield is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionally performs lead guitar duties and solos both live and in studio. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering an advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler. Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released 11 studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays, and 24 singles. Hetfield is often regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal rhythm guitar players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fade to Black (Metallica song)</span> 1984 promotional single by Metallica

"Fade to Black" is a song and the first power ballad by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released as the first promotional single from their second studio album, Ride the Lightning (1984). The song was ranked as having the 24th best guitar solo ever by Guitar World readers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica song)</span> 1985 promotional single by Metallica

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was first released on their second studio album, Ride the Lightning (1984). Elektra Records also released it as a promotional single, with both edited and full-length versions. The song is generally regarded as one of Metallica's most popular; by March 2018, it ranked number five on their live performance count. Several live albums and video albums include the song. In March 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "For Whom the Bell Tolls" at number 39 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time" list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master of Puppets (song)</span> 1986 single by Metallica

"Master of Puppets" is a thrash metal song by American metal band Metallica, released on July 2, 1986, as the only single from the album of the same name. It was also issued as a promo single in the US by Elektra Records.

Damaged Justice was the fourth concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It began on September 11, 1988, and ended on October 8, 1989. The name is believed to be inspired either by the cover of its fourth studio album ...And Justice for All, or by the song "Damage, Inc." from the group's previous album, Master of Puppets. The single "One" was released during the tour.

"The God That Failed" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica from their 1991 self-titled album. The song was never released as a single, but was the first of the album's songs to be heard by the public. It is one of Metallica's first original releases to be tuned a half step down.

<i>The Metallica Collection</i> 2009 box set by Metallica

The Metallica Collection is a digital box set by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released to the iTunes Store on April 14, 2009. The box set features all of the band's studio albums and extra material from 1983 to 2008. The box set was later released to other digital music stores such Amazon MP3 and UOL Megastore.

The Damage, Inc. Tour was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of the band's third studio album, Master of Puppets. The name of the tour is taken from the last song on the album. It began on March 27, 1986, and ended on February 13, 1987.

The Shit Hits the Sheds was a concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica, which took place in 1994. The band played in 51 shows in North America, including a performance at Woodstock '94, which had an attendance of over 300,000 people.

"Seek & Destroy" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica and the ninth track from their debut studio album, Kill 'Em All (1983). It was also featured on the demo No Life 'Til Leather. It was the first song the band recorded in a studio. "Seek & Destroy" has been frequently performed at the group's concerts since its live debut in 1982 and had been Metallica's closing song from the Madly in Anger with the World Tour to the Metallica By Request Tour. It is the third-most performed song in the band's history, having been played 1,525 times as of October 2019, behind only "Creeping Death" (1,533) and "Master of Puppets" (1,670).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enter Sandman</span> 1991 single by Metallica

"Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist and guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child's nightmares.

<i>Limited-Edition Vinyl Box Set</i> 2004 box set by Metallica

Limited-Edition Vinyl Box Set is a vinyl box set by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 23, 2004.

The 2012 European Black Album Tour was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica. The Black Album, which was released in August 1991 was played entirely. The band confirmed that the tour would be a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the album. The tour headlined a few European festivals.

References

  1. ↑ "Creeping Death". Metallica. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Metallica's Kirk Hammett At Guitar Center". youtube.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  3. ↑ Pillsbury, Glenn (September 5, 2013). Damage Incorporated: Metallica and the Production of Musical Identity. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-136-09122-3.
  4. ↑ "Riffs That Shook The World #1: Metallica – Creeping Death". Metal Hammer Magazine. August 28, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "METALLICA - Encyclopedia Metallica - Song Info - Creeping Death". Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ↑ Metallica : from the pages of Guitar world magazine. Milwaukee, Wis.: Backbeat Books. 2010. p. 163. ISBN   978-0-87930-970-1. OCLC   489633802.
  7. ↑ Armstrong, Chuck (November 14, 2012). "'Creeping Death' – Story Behind the Song". Ultimate Metallica. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  8. ↑ "The 10 Greatest Metallica Songs of All Time". guitar World . September 2, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Metallica Songs". Rolling Stone . May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  10. ↑ Metallica (1984). Ride the Lightning (CD liner notes). Megaforce Records.
  11. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved March 8, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.