Metallica, For Whom The Bell Tolls | Bangerz N Bopz 🔥

In the 62^nd edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2024), we highlight “For Whom The Bell Tolls” performed by Metallica. 

Bring on the bold, fierce songs! Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 serves up background info and insight into songs of various styles, especially songs that raise eyebrows and stir the pot.  Featured records can be classic or brand new. In the 62^nd edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2024), we break down “For Whom The Bell Tolls” performed by Metallica.

“For whom the bell tolls / Time marches on / For whom the bell tolls.” With “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, iconic, Grammy-winning metal band Metallica released one of the best and most beloved songs of their illustrious career.  The gold-certified “Bells” is the third track from the band’s sextuple platinum album, Ride The Lightning, released in 1984. The song is inspired by the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name.  The title dates back to a 17^th-century poem by John Donne. The theme and lyrics of the Metallica song are based on the Hemingway book, which is set in Spain and features the protagonist, American teacher, Robert Jordan.

The intro of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is distinct, thanks to chiming sounds and a chromatic ‘guitar-like’ riff.  The chiming sounds are Lars Ulrich playing an anvil 🤯.  The chromatic ‘guitar-like’ riff is not guitar but Cliff Burton on bass.  The lively introduction sets the tone for this epic joint. While James Hetfield guitars during the extended intro, his first vocals appear more than two minutes in. “For Whom The Bell Tolls” comprises two verses, two choruses, and instrumental sections.  The vocal performance is spirited, while the lyrics are poetic. “For a hill, men would kill – Why? They do not know / Stiffened wounds test their pride,” Hetfield sings in the first verse, concluding, “Men of five, still alive, through the raging glow / Gone insane from the pain that they surely know.” In the second, he sings, “Blackened roar, massive, roar, fills the crumbling sky / Shattered goals fills his soul with a ruthless cry.” Woo! Besides Hetfield’s high-flying vocals and engaging lyrics, the instrumental moments ‘kick ass and take names.’ Ultimately, on “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, Metallica gifts the listeners with five minutes-plus of unforgettable badass-ness 🤘.

Metallica // Ride The Lightning // Blackened Recordings // 1984

Metallica, For Whom The Bell Tolls: Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 No. 62 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Blackened Recordings; cottonbro studio, Harry Shelton, Kool Shooters, Lucas Pazeta, Mavluda Tashbaeva, Teddy Yang, Wesley Souza from Pexels]