The Thing That Should Not Be
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| "The Thing That Should Not Be" | ||
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| Cover of Master of Puppets | ||
| Song by Metallica | ||
| from the album Master of Puppets | ||
| Released | February 21, 1986 | |
| Recorded | Sweet Silence Studios Copenhagen, Denmark September-December, 1985 | |
| Genre | Thrash metal | |
| Length | 6:37 | |
| Label | Elektra Records | |
| Producer(s) | Metallica, Flemming Rasmussen | |
| Master of Puppets track listing | ||
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"The Thing That Should Not Be" is the third song from Metallica's 1986 album Master Of Puppets. It was composed by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. It is the first Metallica song written in an alternate guitar tuning; the fourth and the sixth strings are tuned down one step.
The song, like "The Call of Ktulu", was inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft, particularly the novella "The Shadow Over Innsmouth", on which the lyrics of "The Thing That Should Not Be" are predominantly based. Otherwise, the song borrows heavily from the general Cthulhu Mythos lore, including references to (Cthulhu) beneath the sea, the Crawling Chaos Nyarlathotep, and an adaptation of the mad Arab's couplet from the fictional Necronomicon ("Not dead which eternal lie/Stranger eons death may die").
"The Thing That Should Not Be" fits in with the theme of the album by having the person whom this song is about becoming one of "The Things That Should Not Be".
[edit] Covers
- This song was covered by the band The Sins of Thy Beloved for their Perpetual Desolation album.
- This song was covered by the band Mendeed for Kerrang!'s Master of Puppets: Remastered.
- This song was covered by the band Primus for their Rhinoplasty album.
- This song was mixed with a Beatles song by Beatallica and named "The Thing That Should Not Let It Be".
- This song was covered live by the band Deadsy.
- This song is the fifth song of Disc One on Metallica's live album S&M with the San Francisco Symphony. For an unknown reason, it has a stanza of the lyrics removed.
- This song was covered by the heavy/thrash metal band Diesel Machine, and was included in their album "Torture Test".
- This song was covered by John Garcia, Kurdt Vanderhoof, Jeff Pilson, and Jason Bonham for Metallic Assault: A Tribute to Metallica.
- Adema covered the song as a hidden track on their third album Planets, and released it on the album's first single: "Tornado".
| Metallica |
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| James Hetfield • Kirk Hammett • Robert Trujillo • Lars Ulrich
Cliff Burton • Dave Mustaine • Ron McGovney • Jason Newsted Albums and Extended Plays: No Life 'Til Leather • Kill 'Em All • Ride the Lightning • Master of Puppets • Garage Days Re-Revisited • ...And Justice for All • Metallica • Load • ReLoad • Garage Inc. • S&M • St. Anger • Some Kind of Monster • Ninth studio album DVDs and videos: Cliff 'em All • 2 of One • A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica • Live Shit: Binge & Purge • Cunning Stunts • S&M • Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album • Some Kind of Monster • The Videos 1989-2004 Related articles
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