On the turntable this Sunday...Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on March 3, 1986 by Elektra Records. Recorded at the Sweet Silence Studios with producer Flemming Rasmussen, it was the first Metallica album released on a major label. It was the band's last album to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a bus crash during the album's promotional tour. The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and became the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum. It was certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2003 for shipping six million copies in the US. 

Master of Puppets was released to critical acclaim and has been included in several publications' best album lists. Its driving, virtuosic music and angry, political lyrics drew praise from critics outside of the metal community. The album is considered the band's strongest effort of the period, and is one of the most influential heavy metal albums. Many bands from all genres of heavy metal have covered the album's songs, including tribute albums.

The cover was designed by Metallica and Peter Mensch and painted by Don Brautigam. It depicts a cemetery field of white crosses tethered to strings, manipulated by a pair of hands in a blood-red sky. Metallica embarked on a five-month tour supporting Ozzy Osbourne in the United States. 

The European leg was canceled after Burton's death in September, and the band returned home to audition a new bassist. Metallica honored the album's twentieth anniversary in 2006 by playing it in its entirety.

Master of Puppets has appeared in several publications' best album lists. It was ranked number 167 on Rolling Stone '​s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.   Time included the album in its list of the 100 best albums of all time. According to the magazine's Josh Tyrangiel, Master of Puppets reinforced the velocity of playing in heavy metal and diminished some of its clichés.  Slant Magazine placed the album at number 90 on its list of the best albums of the 1980s, saying Master of Puppets is not only Metallica's best recording, but also their most sincere. The album featured in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.