“Maiden and the Monster” was inspired by one progression that just came to me. I sat down in front of some old movie posters with a guitar and this progression and started thinking of the old classic horror films; Phantom of the Opera, Nosferatu, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, up to Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, while concentrating on the mood of those films. I filtered that through my own musical psyche, and this song is the result of that.

If I was to write a soundtrack for these movies, in that era collectively, that is what “Maiden and the Monster” represents. I’m seeking to create a silent black and white horror movie made from music. The song plays out in scenes rather than a traditional musical arrangement, like the way those classic films did.

A lot of those early 30’s horror films used classical pieces to accentuate the film. Like Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” in Dracul and The Mummy. The Black Cat and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde used the “Fugue in D Minor” by Bach, so “Maiden and the Monster” harkens back to those films, those baroque moods, but with a modern take because I wanted to bring in the musical sensibilities of today. I also wanted to bring in a flow with the songs; not just in sound, but in time and mood as well. “Maiden and the Monster”, inspired by the horror films of the 20’s and 30’s, ends on an upbeat, and doesn’t resolve. A sonic cliffhanger. This flows into “The Jinn”, which sets up the vibe for the 50’s movie era.

—Kirk Hammett