To Live Is To Die

To Live Is To Die: The Life and Death of Metallica's Cliff Burton, by Joel McIver, takes a look at the legendary bassist whose life was tragically cut short after a tourbus crash on a Swedish highway. The book paints a picture of who Cliff really was: a headbanger and partier, yes, but also someone with a love for philosophy and classical music. McIver shows Burton's love for musical theory and how it made him and those around him better musicians. One of the more interesting aspects of this book is how McIver breaks down each individual album, song by song, that Burton played on before his death, and what his influence and impact was on each song. Much has been said and speculated as to what direction Metallica would have taken had Cliff not died so young. Many fans and critics are quick to say that albums such as the Black Album and Load and ReLoad would not have happened. However, McIver points out that Cliff, in his last interview before his death, had talked about the band taking a more mellow and melodic approach in the future. He loved his metal, but he had very wide-ranging tastes in music, expressing fondness for bands like Lynyrd Skynryd and R.E.M. Who knows what would have happened with Metallica if Cliff had survived? What we do know is that he helped turn a dirty garage band into the founders of thrash metal and eventually the biggest metal band in the world. His work on the band's first three albums continues to be viewed as iconic among bass players, and the albums to this day continue to sound as fresh as they did at the time of their releases. He is missed but his legacy lives on.