Description
Check exclusive video showing the LP for sale!
Check exclusive video showing the LP for sale!
Label: Music For Nations – 12 KUT 112
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, EP
Country: UK
Released: 23 Nov 1984
Style: Thrash, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal
A Creeping Death 6:36
Written-By – Burton*, Hetfield*, Hammett*, Ulrich*
B1 Am I Evil? 7:45
Written-By – Tatler*, Harris*
B2 Blitzkrieg 3:35
Written-By – Smith*, Jones*, Sirotto*
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Music For Nations
Copyright © – Music For Nations
Published By – Take Out Music
Published By – Zomba Music
Published By – Neat Music
Lacquer Cut At – CBS Studios, London
Pressed By – MPO
Lacquer Cut By – TimTom* (tracks: A), TY* (tracks: B1-B2)
Musician – Cliff Burton, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich
Photography By [Pic. By] – Ross Halfin
Producer [Assisted By] – Flemming Rasmussen (tracks: A), Mark Whitaker (tracks: A)
Producer [Produced By] – Mark Whitaker (tracks: B1, B2), Metallica
© 1984 Music For Nations
On label: Made in France (Manufacturing country)
On sleeve: Made in England
Track A: Published by Take Out MusicLtd ℗ 1984, taken from the album “Ride The Lightning” produced by Metallica, assisted by Flemming Rasmussen and Mark Whitaker.
Track B1: Published by Zomba Music ℗ 1982 originally from Diamond Head
Track B2: Published by Neat Music ℗ 1981 originally from Blitzkrieg
Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout Etched): MPO 12KUT 112 A¹ tim tom cbs
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout Etched): MPO 12KUT 112 B¹ TY
This pressing sounds amazing. It blows the OG Ride the Lighting away. Literally like you’re in the rehearsal studio listening to them play it. It’s like a punch in the face. I A/B’d this numerous times with the OG press and can’t get over the difference. It’s jaw dropping.
The two bonus tracks and the cover art make this vinyl a necessity for your collection.
“Creeping Death” is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 23, 1984, as the lead and only commercial single from their album Ride the Lightning (“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, “Creeping Death” describes the tenth plague of Egypt. It is often thought of as one of the band’s most popular songs and is currently the second-most-played song live by them.
Development
Kirk Hammett wrote the guitar riff for the bridge section when he was 16 years old. The middle section, with its ominous chants of “Die!” set to a Phrygian mode chord progression, 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.
Metallica was inspired for the song by the second half of the film The Ten Commandments, which is based on the Bible tale of the Plagues of Egypt. While watching the scene of the final plague killing every Egyptian first-born child, Cliff Burton remarked “Whoa – it’s like creeping death”, as the plague was represented by a fog rolling into the Pharaoh’s palace. The band liked the sound of “creeping death” and decided to write a song about the plagues, with the phrase as its title.
The single release’s 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.
Lyrics
Further information: Plagues of Egypt
The song is told from the perspective of the “Destroyer”, the Angel of Death sent by God during the Tenth Plague of Egypt. Moses, through his older brother Aaron, insisted he was sent by God and repeatedly demanded that Pharaoh should set the Hebrew slaves free from Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. For the previous 400 years, the Hebrew people had lived as slaves in the Land of Goshen within Egypt. To punish Pharaoh for his obstinacy, God set ten plagues upon Egypt. The references to the plagues in the song include:
“To kill the first-born Pharaoh’s son” The final plague of Egypt, during which the firstborn son of every non-Israelite, including the Pharaoh’s son, is killed by the “Destroyer”. This was done in response to the Pharaoh’s order to throw every Israelite baby boy into the Nile River.
“Blood, Running red and strong, down the Nile” The first plague of Egypt, during which the water in the Nile River turned to blood.
“Plague!” A reference to any of the Ten Plagues.
“Darkness three days long” The ninth plague of Egypt, during which the sun was blotted out for three days and darkness fell over all of Egypt.
“Hail to fire” The seventh plague of Egypt, during which burning hail rained from the skies over Egypt.
“Blood, lamb’s blood painted door; I shall pass” A reference to the forewarning given to the Israelites by God before the final plague; the Israelites were commanded to paint their doors with lamb’s blood so that the Angel of Death would know to pass over their homes while reaping the souls of the firstborn. The Jewish holiday Passover is celebrated to commemorate the “passing over” of the Angel of Death.
Release
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).
Reception
It is ranked at #1 on Guitar World’s 10 greatest Metallica songs of all time. It was also voted by Rolling Stone readers as the sixth greatest Metallica song in the poll “The 10 Best Metallica Songs”.
Track listing
1. “Creeping Death” James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton 6:36
2. “Am I Evil?” Sean Harris, Brian Tatler 7:49
3. “Blitzkrieg” Ian Jones, Jim Sirotto, Brian Ross 3:35
Total length: 18:03
TOTAL live Metallica PERFORMANCES of this song: 1582
FIRST PERFORMED LIVE OCTOBER: 31, 1983
LYRICS:
SLAVES
HEBREWS BORN TO SERVE, TO THE PHARAOH
HEED
TO HIS EVERY WORD, LIVE IN FEAR
FAITH
OF THE UNKNOWN ONE, THE DELIVERER
WAIT
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE, FOUR HUNDRED YEARS
SO LET IT BE WRITTEN
SO LET IT BE DONE
I’M SENT HERE BY THE CHOSEN ONE
SO LET IT BE WRITTEN
SO LET IT BE DONE
TO KILL THE FIRST BORN PHARAOH SON
I’M CREEPING DEATH
NOW
LET MY PEOPLE GO, LAND OF GOSHEN
GO
I WILL BE WITH THEE, BUSH OF FIRE
BLOOD
RUNNING RED AND STRONG, DOWN THE NILE
PLAGUE
DARKNESS THREE DAYS LONG, HAIL TO FIRE
SO LET IT BE WRITTEN
SO LET IT BE DONE
I’M SENT HERE BY THE CHOSEN ONE
SO LET IT BE WRITTEN
SO LET IT BE DONE
TO KILL THE FIRST BORN PHARAOH SON
I’M CREEPING DEATH
DIE BY MY HAND
I CREEP ACROSS THE LAND
KILLING FIRST-BORN MAN
DIE BY MY HAND
I CREEP ACROSS THE LAND
KILLING FIRST-BORN MAN
I
RULE THE MIDNIGHT AIR, THE DESTROYER
BORN
I SHALL SOON BE THERE, DEADLY MASS
I
CREEP THE STEPS AND FLOOR, FINAL DARKNESS
BLOOD
LAMB’S BLOOD, PAINTED DOOR, I SHALL PASS
SO LET IT BE WRITTEN
SO LET IT BE DONE
I’M SENT HERE BY THE CHOSEN ONE
SO LET IT BE WRITTEN
SO LET IT BE DONE
TO KILL THE FIRST BORN PHARAOH SON
I’M CREEPING DEATH
© 1984 CREEPING DEATH MUSIC (GLOBAL MUSIC RIGHTS)
