Metallica's Master of Puppets is one of the defining albums of metal and as the disc celebrates its 30th anniversary, Metallica are bringing the album back into the spotlight with the release of Metallica: Back to the Front, an in-depth book revisiting the making of the album. In coordination with the release of the book, Loudwire is co-premiering (along with Metallica.com) a new video featuring the band's members reflecting on late bassist Cliff Burton and talking about Burton's dad Ray, who has remained a father figure to the group.

The video opens with Robert Trujillo, the musician who currently holds the spot that Burton once held in the band. "Cliff Burton to me was such a unique player and really a huge influence, maybe a bit later in my career. I started to realize there's really something deep about this guy. He's special and I love to draw on players who are special," says Trujillo, who also relays an interesting story about the lead up to his audition for Metallica and how Burton was "watching over" him.

James Hetfield states, "I still miss Cliff, no doubt, and I'd really love to see him again at some point," while also relaying the role that Ray Burton, Cliff's dad, has played and continues to play with the band. Drummer Lars Ulrich also sings the praises of Ray Burton, but guitarist Kirk Hammett seems to be the most affected when it comes to speaking about Cliff and Ray.

"I respect Cliff's memory and I respect everything that he stood up for. It's what I try to stand up for," says a teary-eyed Hammett, who points to Burton's father as the source of his ideals. Watch the moving tribute to the Burton family in the video above.

And be on the lookout for the Metallica: Back to the Front book revisiting the Master of Puppets era coming on Sept. 13. The book includes exclusive new interviews with the band members and never-before-seen photos and is said to be the definitive account of Master of Puppets. The book, written by Matt Taylor, includes a foreword by James Hetfield and an afterword by Ray Burton. The hardcover book can be purchased at Amazon, with a super deluxe edition available via Moonrisemedia.net.

See Where Cliff Burton Ranks Among our Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Bassists of All Time

More From 106.3 The Buzz