METALLICA Unveils New Video for “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth” Featuring Rare Cliff Burton Photos

METALLICA has released a new music video for “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth,” the iconic bass solo by the late Cliff Burton from their debut album Kill ‘Em All. This new video features a collection of previously unseen photographs of Burton, captured shortly before his tragic death.

A Tribute to Cliff Burton

The band recently acquired a significant collection of photos taken by the late photographer Russ Marino during 1985 and 1986 in Detroit and Chicago. While some of these images were published in magazines in the ’80s, many are being shared publicly for the first time. “Clark Eddy, whose name you may recognize from the credits of several other METALLICA projects, edited the new video for ‘(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth,’ featuring some of the more electrifying moments and portraits,” METALLICA shared.

Fans can also explore “Orion: A Tribute To Cliff Burton” at the METALLICA Black Box on Metallica.com. This exhibit is dedicated to celebrating Burton’s life and legacy with photos, videos, and interviews, offering a deeper connection to the musician.

Cliff Burton’s Legacy

Cliff Burton joined METALLICA in 1982 after the band witnessed his performance with his previous group, TRAUMA. Despite initially hesitating to move to Los Angeles, METALLICA relocated to San Francisco to accommodate him. Burton’s contributions to the band were profound, as he played on their first three albums—Kill ‘Em All, Ride The Lightning, and Master Of Puppets—and co-wrote classics such as “Ride The Lightning,” “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” “Fade To Black,” “Creeping Death,” and “Master Of Puppets.”

Tragically, Burton’s life was cut short in a tour bus accident on September 27, 1986, in Sweden, when he was only 24 years old. His initial replacement was Jason Newsted, who remained with the band until 2001, and Robert Trujillo, who joined in 2003, continues to play with METALLICA today.

In honor of Burton, February 10, 2018, was proclaimed “Cliff Burton Day” by Alameda County supervisors. Though he would have turned 56 on that date, his influence endures through METALLICA’s music and tributes.

Reflecting on Burton’s Influence

In a 2016 interview, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about the profound impact of Burton’s loss, describing how the band initially struggled to cope with the tragedy. “We were so shocked and stunned that we didn’t know what hit us,” Ulrich said. “jumped into a bottle of vodka and stayed in there for quite some time.

We weren’t mature enough or seasoned in life enough to know how to deal with this other than just to sort of, basically, almost hide behind the alcohol and compartmentalize it.”

Frontman James Hetfield has also reflected on what Burton might have thought about METALLICA’s evolving sound and image over the years. Hetfield speculated that Burton would have had strong opinions on the band’s reinventions, particularly the more alternative styles seen on albums like Load, Reload, and St. Anger. “I think Cliff would have agreed that the imagery and the amount of songs written diluted the potency of METALLICA,” Hetfield noted.

Burton’s remarkable talent and enduring impact were further chronicled in Joel McIver’s 2009 book, To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica’s Cliff Burton, with a foreword by METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett.

For fans eager to connect with Cliff Burton’s legacy, the new video and the ongoing exhibit provide a poignant and powerful tribute to the influential bassist.

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