Released November 23, 1984 Length 6:36 | Genre Thrash metal | |
B-side "Am I Evil?"
"Blitzkrieg" Format CD single
cassette
vinyl Recorded February – March 1984
Sweet Silence Studios
(Copenhagen, Denmark) | ||
"Creeping Death" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released as the lead and only commercial single from their second studio album Ride the Lightning (1984) ("Fade to Black" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls", from the same album, were issued as promotional singles). Written from the perspective of the Angel of Death, it describes the Plague of the Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 12:29). One of Metallica's most frequently performed songs, it has been played live 1,413 times (second only to "Master of Puppets", at 1,467), and it has occasionally been used on various tours as the opening song of the band's set. It stands as a classic example of the band's thrash style, albeit slower than the material on their first album, Kill 'Em All. The song's middle section, with its ominous chants of "Die!" set to a phrygian mode chord progression, is a fan participation staple during Metallica shows.
Contents
The single was released through Music for Nations in the UK and France. The B-sides were the cover songs "Am I Evil?" (originally by Diamond Head) and "Blitzkrieg" (originally by Blitzkrieg). Together these covers were known as Garage Days Revisited, which set the stage for Metallica's next cover album, The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited EP.
The artwork was done by Alvin Petty. The logo and the song's title were added with a plastic layover to the existing artwork. Kirk Hammett had seen the picture hanging up at Petty's house and remarked that it would be perfect for the single and picture-disk that were about to be finished.
Inspiration
The band was inspired for the song by the second half of the film The Ten Commandments, which is based upon the Bible tale of the plagues which were bestowed upon the Egyptians. While watching a scene in which one of the plagues kills every Egyptian first-born child, Cliff Burton remarked "Whoa – it's like creeping death." The band liked the sound of "creeping death" and decided to write a song about the plagues, with the phrase as its title.
Live versions
There are a great deal of group-assisted vocals in "Creeping Death"; the song often requires more than one vocalist performing at a time. The song is also often played at a much higher tempo than the studio version. On live recordings made before his death, Burton can be heard "roaring" the backing vocals during the third chorus, as well as during the bridge. When Jason Newsted joined Metallica, he often sang the third chorus alone in live performances. When Newsted left the band and Robert Trujillo replaced him, the third chorus was usually sung by the crowd.
During the song's breakdown, audience members are encouraged to chant "Die!" to the rhythm of the song, and the band normally drops out until only the bass guitar and drums remain, this continues for a few bars, then James Hetfield sings the lyrics.
Previous iterations
The middle section of the "Creeping Death" was originally written by Hammett while he was in Exodus. The song was called "Die by His Hand" and had been part of the Exodus setlist for live shows, but was never used on any Exodus albums.
In popular culture
The song was featured in an episode of the MTV show Wildboyz.
"Creeping Death" is featured as a playable track in Guitar Hero: Metallica.
It ranked at #1 on the Guitar World top 100 greatest Metallica songs.
"Creeping Death" is the name of an ability performed by Mordekaiser in the game League of Legends.
It is also an assignment for the L96 in Battlefield 3.
The phrase "creeping death" is also used in the H.P. Lovecraft short story, The Lurking Fear, possibly being a partial influence for the title of the song.