Metallica first found commercial success with the release of its third album, Master of Puppets (1986), which is cited as one of the heaviest metal albums and the band's best work. The band's next album, ...And Justice for All (1988), gave Metallica its first Grammy Award nomination. Its self-titled fifth album, Metallica (1991), was the band's first not to root predominantly in thrash metal; it appealed to a more mainstream audience, achieving substantial commercial success and selling over 16 million copies in the United States to date, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. After experimenting with different genres and directions in subsequent releases, Metallica returned to its thrash metal roots with the release of its ninth album, Death Magnetic (2008), which drew similar praise to that of the band's earlier albums. This was followed by the band's 10th studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016), with its 11th album, 72 Seasons, releasing in 2023.
In 2000, Metallica led the case against the peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster, in which the band and several other artists filed lawsuits against the service for sharing their copyright-protected material without consent, eventually reaching a settlement. Metallica was the subject of the acclaimed 2004 documentary film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which documented the troubled production of the band's eighth album, St. Anger (2003), and the internal struggles within the band at the time. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band co-wrote the screenplay for and starred alongside Dane DeHaan in the 2013 concert film Metallica: Through the Never, in which the band performed live against a fictional thriller storyline.
Metallica has released 10 studio albums, four live albums (including two performances with the San Francisco Symphony), 12 video albums, a cover album, two extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band has won nine Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, and its last six studio albums (beginning with Metallica) have consecutively debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as Rolling Stone, which ranked the band No. 61 on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list. As of 2017, Metallica is the third-best-selling music artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, selling a total of 58 million albums in the United States.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica
Studio albums
Kill 'Em All (1983)
Ride the Lightning (1984)
Master of Puppets (1986)
...And Justice for All (1988)
Metallica (1991)
Load (1996)
Reload (1997)
St. Anger (2003)
Death Magnetic (2008)
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)
72 Seasons (2023)
Cyanide
Metallica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Death angel's kiss
Brings final bliss completely
Empty they say
Death, won't you let me stay?
Empty they say
Death, hear me call your name
Suicide, I've already died
You're just the funeral I've been waiting for
Cyanide, living dead inside
Break this empty shell forevermore
Wait, wait patiently
Your death black wings
Unfolding sleep
Spreading o'er me
Empty they say
Death, won't you let me stay?
Empty they say
Death, hear me call your name
Oh, call your name
Suicide, I've already died
You're just the funeral I've been waiting for
Cyanide, living dead inside
Break this empty shell forevermore
Say, is that rain or are they tears?
That stained your concrete face for years
The crying, weeping, shedding strife
Year after year, life after life
An air of freshly broken ground
A concrete angel laid right down
Upon the grave which swallows fast
It's peace at last, oh, peace at last
Empty they say
Death, won't you let me stay?
Empty they say
Death, hear me call your name
Call your name
Suicide, I've already died
You're just the funeral I've been waiting for
Cyanide, living dead inside
Break this empty shell forevermore
Forevermore, forevermore
It's just the funeral I've been waiting for
The song "Cyanide" by Metallica is a powerful and emotional song that touches on the themes of death, suicide, and the longing for release from the emptiness of life. The opening lines "Sleep and dream of this, Death angel's kiss, Brings final bliss, Don't believe it" paint a picture of someone who is contemplating suicide and sees death as their salvation. The person wants to be free from the emptiness they feel and believes that death will bring them eternal bliss.
Throughout the song, the person is calling out for death to come and take them away from their pain. They see suicide as the only way out and are willing to accept the consequences. However, they also acknowledge that suicide is not the end; it's just the beginning of the funeral they've been waiting for. The line "It's just the funeral I've been waiting for" suggests that the person has been suffering in life and is looking forward to finally finding peace in death.
The song ends with the person pleading for death to come and end their suffering, saying "Empty they say, Death, hear me call your name. Oh, call your name. Suicide, I've already died. It's just the funeral I've been waiting for. Cyanide, living dead inside. Break this empty shell forevermore." These lines express a deep sense of longing and desperation, as the person is begging for release from their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep and dream of this
Close your eyes, fall asleep and dream of what's about to come.
Death angel's kiss
The kiss of death from the angel that's about to come for you.
Brings final bliss
The kiss of death is going to bring you eternal peace and happiness.
Don't believe it
Don't believe that the kiss of death is going to bring you peace, it's not.
Empty are they
People who believe the myth about happiness after death are empty, they have nothing inside of them.
Death, won't you let me stay?
Asking death to let you stay in this world because you're not ready to leave yet.
Empty they say
People who believe in the myth about happiness after death are empty, they have nothing inside of them.
Death, won't you call your name?
Asking death to come and take you away.
Oh, call your name
Asking death to come and take you away.
Suicide, I've already died
The persona feels like they are dying inside and suicide won't make a difference.
It's just the funeral I've been waiting for
The persona feels like they've been waiting for death to come like it's a funeral.
Cyanide, living dead inside
The persona feels like they're living in a shell that is dead inside.
Break this empty shell forevermore
Asking for help in breaking out of the empty shell that they are currently living in.
Wait, wait patiently
Be patient and wait for death to come.
Your death-black wings
Referring to the wings of the angel of death as being black.
Unfolding sleep
Referring to the persona falling asleep and never waking up again.
Treading on me
Feeling like death is coming for them and is currently hovering over them.
Say, is that rain or are they tears?
Asking if it's raining outside or if they are tears.
That stained your concrete face for years
Referring to the statue of a concrete angel that has been wiped with rain and tears for years.
Crying, weeping, shedding strife
The persona is crying, weeping and shedding their pain and troubles.
Year after year, life after life
Referring to the eternal cycle of life and death.
A narrow freshly broken ground
Referring to a freshly dug grave.
A concrete angel laid right down
Referring to the statue of the concrete angel being laid down on top of the grave.
Upon the grave which swallows fast
The grave is swallowing the body quickly.
It's peace at last
The persona has finally found peace and happiness in death.
Forevermore
Eternally resting in peace.
It's the funeral I've been waiting for
The persona feels like they've been waiting for death to come like it's a funeral.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: James Alan Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk L. Hammett, Robert Augustine Trujillo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexracy9165
James is almost 60 and still sounds amazing. Not bad for an “old guy”
@chrisyrulz893
He's killing it here 👏👏👏
@DiegoSandovalLopez4579
My Respects for Mr. James H.
@modergav
I'm 30 and i WISH i'd be in a such a great shape as he is
@RickGrimesCoral
Oh yeah !!!!
@yourfriendlyneighbourhoods8202
He sounds decent, “amazing” is pushing it
@whitebunny7450
I don’t see an old guy. I see a heavy metal icon, the living legend, who still plays and sings great!
@jameskuhn432
Same! I always hate it when I see people say that they need to retire already. I think they sound better than ever!
@mdelposokim
totally agree 🤘❤
@efeozturk5253
They still got the weight these songs deserve tbf. I thin James's vocal tech is keeping his voice way too clean. I'm hearing he's doing the agressive voice but still sounds clean.