I love the way that Orion fades in and fades out. Its like its an eternal song and this is just the 9 minutes we were graced with getting to hear.

What he's trying to say is that Orion is a metal symphony

Second part of Orion is basically a metal version of a waltz. It’s absolutely amazing.

As a kid confused and angry I would sit in my room and listen to Orion over and over. For me it got me through tough periods in my life . The best bands find a way to take you to other worlds and distant lands. This song does that

I’ve always felt “Master of Puppets” is one of the few perfect metal albums.

I love when classical trained folks give respect to the metal

My buddy is a bass player and he told me you dont “hear” bass you should “feel” it, but Cliff was one of the few exceptions where it’s both.

Cliff loved Bach. It is never more evident than in this composition. I bought this album in 87. I didn't get how truly great this track was until I got a little deeper into music in general. Now it is my fave track on Pupoets

I always loved how the middle section turns into a waltz.

Cliff was the soul of Metallica. They’ve made good music since his death but they never could be what they should’ve been. And the first Cliff Burton feature is that sound at the very beginning. It’s his bass making that sound.

As a metalhead and a studying musician, I absolutely love watching classically trained musicians react to the music I love

Burton taught Kirk and James much of what they know about guitar Harmonies. He also had the broadest musical tastes in the band at the time of his death.

what do you get when a metal bassist is trained in classical music. You get this masterpiece

If they don't play this at my funeral, I ain't turning up!!

Note for note, this piece has been burned into my brain for 35 years. I haven't really listened to it in 25+, so this was a joy.

The more I learn theory, the more convinced I am that Metal is just a genre of Classical music. Harmonic minor is a perfect example...

This song always makes me emotional. Makes me think of how much more Cliff would have evolved as a bassist. Consider him the best bassist of all time.

​"The brilliance of Orion lies in its architecture. It’s a masterclass in tension and release, built on a foundation of 'ordered chaos.' The way Burton utilized distortion and wah-pedals to create those vocal-like textures changed the game forever. It’s a 440-second journey from the grit of the earth to the cold void of space. If you want to know what it sounds like when a musician transcends their instrument, just hit play on Orion."


To listen to Orion is to witness a masterpiece of inter-instrumental warfare. This isn't just a band playing in a room; it is a four-way conversation between titans, where every instrument refuses to be 'subordinated' to the other.
​It begins with Lars Ulrich’s percussion—not just a beat, but a rigid, industrial framework that acts as the 'law' of the track. Upon this foundation, James Hetfield builds a monolithic wall of rhythm guitar, cutting through the air with surgical precision. But the true subversion comes from Cliff Burton. He treats the bass not as an anchor, but as a lead weapon, deconstructing Hetfield’s rigid riffs with fluid, distorted defiance.
​The climax is a symphonic collision. When the dual-guitar harmonies lock in with the bass, the 'struggle' transforms into a celestial union. It’s a sonic push-and-pull—a tug of war between the heavy, crushing earth and the ethereal, soaring sky. In Orion, Metallica proved that when every instrument is allowed to be a 'Lead,' the result isn't chaos; it’s a cosmic epic that defies every law of songwriting."

I read somewhere that when Cliff was arranging the harmonies for this song Lars or James said “It sounds like Thin Lizzy” and Cliff grinned and said “isn’t it great?”

And to think that they were barely in their 20's when this masterpiece was written!   Just shows that they were MEANT to do this with their lives!