Today brings back old and very, very sad memories: Cliff Burton, the second bass player of Metallica, who co-written and played on three of their classic albums (and best, for some): Kill ‘Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984) and Master of Puppets (1986), died exactly 20 years ago – on September 27th, 1986.

Cliff Burton was a true driving force of the band, being very involved and pushing all the way, even though he was a shy and very secluded person. One night on the Damage Inc” European tour and while in Sweden, the Metallica tour bus flipped and tipped over a few times during a horrifying accident, throwing Burton out of the window and then crushing him to death. You can’t expect a more un-expected tragedy to ever happen, but sadly it did. The reason for the accident is still in the mist after all these years, while a lot of accusations are pointed at the tour bus driver being drunk. Another theory is that the bus hit an ice pond – a thin coating of glazed ice that surfaced the road.

Burton’s death left Metallica and their fans grieving and mourning until this day and probably forever. Enter Jason Newsted at the new bass player spot, question marks about the band’s musical direction had started to appear regularly, especially during and after the “Black Album” years. Some believe that this change could never have happened if Burton was still alive and active in the band. As we all know, the bass player spot is now taken by Robert Trujillo, and everybody are waiting to hear what the new and upcoming album, now produced by legendary producer Rick Rubin, will bring.

Cliff Burton was an important part of an amazing and oh so influential band, and a talented musician. His love for the Misfits, Samhayn and Glenn Danzig has left its mark on the entire band, exploding in the cover of “Die, Die My Darling” on their covers album, Garage Inc, from ‘98.

R.I.P Cliff, we all know you’re still rockin’ up there.