The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics

Irwin (philosophy, King’s Coll., PA; God Is a Question, Not an Answer) provides in-depth analyses of lyrics by Metallica lead vocalist and songwriter James Hetfield. Viewing the lyrics as manifestations of the musician’s psyche, passions, and frailties, and exploring them in thematic chapters on religion, addiction, death, war, freedom, and resilience, Irwin explicates a wealth of individual song texts from albums spanning from 1985 to the present. Irwin compares and contrasts Metallica’s songs to one another, and to songs by other musicians, highlighting similarities, differences, and ambiguities. He casts his net widely to encompass influences such as Dante, Shakespeare, Freud, classical ancients, and Metallica’s contemporaries. A self-described longtime fan, Irwin presents opinions that are securely grounded, with minimal pontificating or agenda-setting, although he has a tendency toward overstatement and repetition of lyric texts.