CD review: Death Magnetic - Metallica
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Oh, how the mighty have fallen. All it took was one brilliant doco - 2004's Some Kind of Monster - for the world to see just how far Metallica had come from their days as an unstoppable metal juggernaut.
As Monster showed, the band had become a bloated mess weighed down by their collective history, existing in a black hole of infighting, petty egos, private jets and - for singer James Hetfield - a stint in rehab for alcoholism.
It culminated with 2003's rubbish record St Anger, a timid album created under a psychiatrist's watchful eye which is almost universally unloved by the band's millions of fans. And rightfully so.
Five years on, Death Magnetic - their ninth studio album - is Metallica's last chance to reclaim their metal crown.
The good news is that it's an album of firsts - the first they've recorded with producer Rick Rubin, the first to feature bassist Robert Trujillo, and the first with a new record label.
They should be re-energised and Death Magnetic starts with intent, as the raw riffs of That Was Just Your Life blister the speakers in a way that St Anger failed to do - even if Hetfield, now 45, sounds like he's struggling to keep up with Lars Ulrich's frenetic drumming and Kirk Hammet's blistering riffs.
They keep the pace up with Broken, Beat & Scarred, All Nightmare Long and The Judas Kiss, tracks that fly by in a flurry of ridiculously fast riffs and guitar solos reminiscent of their classic 80s trilogy: 1984's Ride the Lightning, 1986's Master of Puppets and 1988's ... And Justice For All.
But that's the problem, and this is where the good news ends. Metallica sound so desperate to recapture past glories they've started sounding like a pastiche of themselves.
Just listen to The End of the Line. Do those riffs sound familiar? They should to any '80s Metallica fan.
Then there's The Unforgiven III, the culmination of a trilogy that began on the Black Album. Anyone who wants to hear Hetfield sing properly should play it immediately. Everyone else, hit the delete button.
It doesn't help that Hetfield's lyrics are all over the place, an incohesive mess supposedly based around the theme of death. They are at best forgettable, at worst cringe-worthy.
"Love is a four-letter word," he sings on first single The Day That Never Comes. Er, yes it is, James. What's your point?
And Broken, Beat & Scarred's hook of, "What don't kill ya make ya more strong" would have linguists throwing their pens in disgust.
Ironically, Death Magnetic's saving grace is Suicide & Redemption, a nine minute-plus instrumental in which Metallica sound like they're trying to cram an entire career's worth of riffs into one song.
It's urgent, vibrant, and Hetfield doesn't get the chance to ruin it with his poor rhyme schemes. Most importantly, it kicks serious ass.
Like Death Magnetic, it's a small reminder of what Metallica once did better than anyone.
You kept your copy of the Black Album, right?
* What do you think of Metallica's Death Magnetic? Post your comments below.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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WAAAAHHHH SOMEONE DIDNT LIKE THE NEW METALLICA ALBUM WAAAHHHHHH
Cmon foks, grow up, so ridiculous to get bent out of shape by one reviewer's opinion. I for one agree with pretty much everything Chris wrote. Mediocre album is mediocre. How can you still be slavishly dedicated to this has-been band when there's so many genuinely excellent metal music out there? Sad, really.
The only songs that remind me of the old good Metallica are probably This Was Just Your Life and My Apocolypse even though they sound a very half-hearted, the rest of the songs are just boring filler that go on for far too long than they should. The mixing of the album is downright disgraceful, the guitars don't pack any punch, the drums are TOO LOUD, I can't hear Trujillo's bass due to Lars' uninspiring boring drumming.
On an ipod or crappy computer speakers you probably can't tell the horrible mixing but on a decent stereo or PC speaker system with a good sound card you can definately hear all the instruments muffled and saturated with overblown loudness. I honestly can't imagine anybody listening to all 74 minutes of this boring album without it resulting in background music or just skipping a few tracks. Whoever claims this is a 'thrash metal' or 'back to roots' comeback is obviously not in touch with reality and is just another braindead Metallica yesman that will praise anything with Metallica's name on it.
Deary deary deary me! This is Metallica back to their best. It sounds like the reviewer thinks the "Black" album is their best work - it is not. Don't get me wrong, I have been a fan of Metallica's since 1989 and a member of their fan club since 1993 and think every album of theirs prior to 1989 is their best work. Metallica was accused of selling out when they produced the black album as it more mainstream compared to their previous albums. This reviewer obviously likes to conform to the norm. Death Magnetic is the best Metallica album since Justice and yes, Metallica IS back!
Ihave been a huge metallica fan for years and what people fail to realize is that you will never get master of puppets or ride the lightnng again because these guys were 20 years younger and sounded alot different at a younger age so to judge this album by that is stupid. I bought it and have listened to it alot and it sounds good since ST ANGER but it still shows metallica can still compete with the heavy metal world.
Erm, MCM, the lyrics ARE "love is a four letter word". Anyway, got the album on Friday and i personally love it and can't stop listening to it. It is defninitely a return to form combining elements of the first four albums as well as elements of 'new Metallica' as it is known. The lowest i could give this album is a 4, a 2.5 is an insult in all honesty!
GREAT ALBUM, THE BEST I HAVE HEARD IN YEARS, I THINK THAT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO PLAY LIKE THE BAD-ASS BAND THAT THEY ONCE WERE, THEY NEED TO SOUND LIKE THEY DID BEFORE, DON'T YOU THINK!!!!
Everyone calm down, it's basically just the Black Album with more palm mutes.
Chirs Schulz!!!!!you IDIOT!!!! In their song "The Day That Never Comes" they say "love is a fallen word" not "love is a four letter word"...i agree with many of the people who posted their comments...u R a very terrible reviewer and METTALICA's BACK BABY!!!!!
I agree. The hole thing sounds like they are trying to hard.
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You say he's bias but in the process of critising him for being one you are sounding like one.
Go back to slipknot you trashy bogan.