Master of Puppets

:Master of Puppets is also the name of a novel by Fredic Brown.

Interpretation

The album is almost a concept album in that the theme of people as puppets runs through most of the songs on the album. Many of the songs deal with a particular "master": anger in "Battery", addiction in "Master of Puppets", madness in "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", and religion in "Leper Messiah". In addition, the notion of soldiers as cannon fodder is explored in "Disposable Heroes" and, to stretch the point somewhat, even the reference to the Cthulhu Mythos in "The Thing That Should Not Be" brings to mind the followers of a cult; "Orion", the hunter of Greek myth, was killed by Artemis after he became her follower. "Damage Inc.", the album's final track, is a call of non-conformity, to cut the strings of the puppet master.

Related Topics:
Concept album - Cthulhu Mythos - Artemis

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The album's cover gives hint to some of the threads of the album. The cover shows a military cemetery with crosses as grave stones, bringing to mind both the dead soldiers of "Disposable Heroes" as well as the followers of the corrupt preacher of "Leper Messiah". The grave stones are attached by strings to a pair of controlling, puppet master-like, hands reaching down from above. Note that the leftmost cross in the front has a helmet hanging on it, and the dog tags on the cross in the middle. These are clearer references to "Disposable Heroes".

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