some of the recent information (this review included) gives me some hope that Metallica has decided that what made them famous and good as metal pioneers is what they should be playing and producing, not some bullshiat, empty and imageless hackery that mocks their early work.

but I'll wait and see.


/wasn't old enough to experience them in the 80s, but has their 80s album collection on heavy rotation on my ipod.

FTA
"Death Magnetic marks the group's split with producer Bob Rock"

Well, I am quite forgiving of many things, but ... I'll pass.

Support actual metal bands with your hard earned cash folks, these guys have more than enough, and I have had enough of them.
Bands, great bands, like Judas Priest and whatever Black Sabbath with RJD are still playing.

I meant "whatever Black Sabbath is calling itself with RJD" . oops.
Ronnie James Frelling DIO rules.

CanadianCommie: /wasn't old enough to experience them in the 80s

You didn't miss much. It sounds much better now than it did then. If you want to hear some true musical genius and creativity, try The Black Album.

The Day That Never Comes (music video)

Cyanide (live at Ozzfest)

The Unforgiven III (music video) (all pops)

It's as good as their 80s stuff!

Feh. Too little, too late. I can't make myself care.

DarKrow: Feh. Too little, too late. I can't make myself care.

care enough to bother posting

why do people that claim to hate metallica bother posting at all? I mean if there's a link about Jay Z or some shiat like that I wouldnt even bother checking the posts, let alone adding my thoughts... I guess you are a bitter fan boy

I've found myself a leaked copy, good album.

I leaked it too. I like "Suicide & Redemption" the best because James voice isn't dating the hell out of the music.

King Something:

It's as good as their 80s stuff!

Nope.

The album is just ok. I guess if I had to describe it in one word, it would be "generic". There are some good riffs. I think the album won't get much replay from me due to two factors, the drums and lyrics. Lars was never the greatest of drummers, but he fits in with that generic label. His playing is so damn uninspired sounding. The album is definitely much better then St Anger, but how could it not be..

King Something:
The Unforgiven III (music video) (all pops)


D'oh! You got me and got me good :)

I have to say, the 'Day' video was the best song/video combo out of those guys since 'One'. I could watch that video over and over again (and prob will). I like 'Cyanide' a lot, too... and I'm actually starting to get a little pumped for this band again, I dunno. If the rest of the album is even a touch better than the stuff I'm hearing, then it could be pretty good.

As a big fan of metal in the 90s, I have to say the genre is pretty dead right now. The top bands in the derivative genres (Emperor, Six Feet Under, My Dying Bride, Tiamat) have either disbanded or lost much of their musical inspiration. Many other groups with few exceptions have created material when they weren't trying to sound like a more successful act in their genre.

I came here exclusively to biatch about the snare drum...

I've only heard what's been streamed online; I am having trouble not being distracted by the drums. Maybe it sounds better on the actual CD...

I heard "Last Caress" recently on the radio. Now that's a decent sounding snare drum. At least it's doesn't sound like it's killing everything else in the mix.

Link/youtube (new window)

"If you don't like Metallica, don't post! It's not like farkers would ever go into a topic to bring negative opinions, and all!"

This isn't that terrible. Crap lyrics, Lars sucks, so does part of the album, but the rest is listenable. Had to EQ a bit to make his snare less obnoxious. It's no (any of a hundred 80s thrash bands), it's no (any of another hundred 80s/90s heavy/thrash bands with power influence), but my expectations ain't all that high.

I remember when Rolling Stone said STP's "No. 4" would be the album to save Rock n' Roll.

It's Rolling Stone. Anyone who's old enough gets two to three stars more than they deserve. Dylan in particular could take a dump on a puppy and they'd give it five stars and a Nobel prize.

So this is probably a two-star album.

I always feel that if you are going to rag on a band or an album, you should post what it is that you DO like so that people can appreciate the quality of your taste.

Personally, I actually really like the album. Yes Lars does suck, but he's not so awful as to take away from the overall quality (he just doesn't add). Besides, I don't see how anyone can make a competent review of an album having listened to it once (I'm not referring to Rolling Stone, I'm referring to the armchair reviewers). I'm still trying to figure out precisely how much I like it. Any song that's over 3 minutes long needs several spins to actually digest (unless it sucks throughout).

/my taste: Recent albums I've liked: Opeth-watershed and Protest the Hero - Fortress.

Rolling Stone is about as relevant to real music as MTV is.

whizbangthedirtfarmer: As a big fan of metal in the 90s, I have to say the genre is pretty dead right now. The top bands in the derivative genres (Emperor, Six Feet Under, My Dying Bride, Tiamat) have either disbanded or lost much of their musical inspiration. Many other groups with few exceptions have created material when they weren't trying to sound like a more successful act in their genre.

Lamb of God, DevilDriver and Hatebreed still make good music. You can always listen to Slayer.

Does Lars still keep time on open hi-hats? On every goddamn song?

'Cause a ride cymbal or, hell, anything else just won't do!

got a leaked copy and listening to it right now
sounds awesome! riffs are heavy as hell, drums arent too bad interesting song progressions.
It sounds like classic Metallica some stuff reminds me of And justice for all some reminds me of ride the lightning.

i haven't listened to any of the tracks yet because, frankly, flash sucks for audio.

But... if that frickin' snare drum sounds like an ultra high frequency tom rather than a proper snare (read: put the shiat back on the bottom of the drum, Lars), i'll not be buying - or downloading for free - any of it.

commisioner: got a leaked copy and listening to it right now
sounds awesome! riffs are heavy as hell, drums arent too bad interesting song progressions.
It sounds like classic Metallica some stuff reminds me of And justice for all some reminds me of ride the lightning.

I'm diggin' it too. Good stuff. The Judas Kiss is brilliant IMO. Good stuff all over this one.

Lord of Allusions: I remember when Rolling Stone said STP's "No. 4" would be the album to save Rock n' Roll.

I cancelled my subscription to Rolling Stone because of St. Anger. The review said it was the best album since "Kill 'Em All" and I(stupid asshole that I am) believed them. farking idiots.

Everything I've heard from the new Metallica has sounded like a bar-band covering a Metallica song.

Will I listen to it when it's officially out? Yes, probably, I love listening to new albums from bands that I used to like. But will I listen to it more than once? Unlikely.

Gordie_Howe_Hat_Trick: Everything I've heard from the new Metallica has sounded like a bar-band covering a Metallica song.

Will I listen to it when it's officially out? Yes, probably, I love listening to new albums from bands that I used to like. But will I listen to it more than once? Unlikely.

This.

In my opinion it's nearly impossible for them to reach both the song and sound quality of the black album.

/waits for new rammstein

I want them to sound like the old Metallica.

But I don't want them to do so because I want it, I want them to want to do it on their own.

\Sarcasm

i cant believe you homos like metallica.

Every time I hear someone say "Metallica hasn't been good since the Black Album", I want to kill.

As far as I'm concerned, Metallica has 4 albums.

/not that it happened in this thread, but it's something I needed to say
//carry on

LSDemon: Every time I hear someone say "Metallica hasn't been good since the Black Album", I want to kill.

As far as I'm concerned, Metallica has 4 albums.

/not that it happened in this thread, but it's something I needed to say
//carry on

Couldn't agree more!!

And Justice For All was a masterpiece... they should stopped there.

I like what I've heard from Death magnetic but you gotta remember how Rolling Stone and all the other critics swung from St. Anger's nuts when it came out.

They're the same knuckleheads who put Michael Jackson in the R&R Hall of Fame....but not Black Sabbath. They're irrelevent.

bglove25: Lord of Allusions: I remember when Rolling Stone said STP's "No. 4" would be the album to save Rock n' Roll.

I cancelled my subscription to Rolling Stone because of St. Anger. The review said it was the best album since "Kill 'Em All" and I(stupid asshole that I am) believed them. farking idiots.

Holy cow... I don't see a reference to Kill 'Em All in the review I just read, but they did give St. Anger 4 stars!

I wonder if Rolling Stone is like Blender, i.e. afraid to give any album in existence fewer than 3 stars.

I am holding out hope for the first time in years that the album will be great. However..rolling stone? here's their st. anger review.

-----
Metallica released the best-selling album of their career, 1991's Black Album, in the middle of an identity crisis. That same year Nirvana released Nevermind, a disc that immediately made the previous decade's worth of metal seem kitschy and outdated. Even while outselling the albums on which Metallica built their fan base in the Eighties, the Bay Area quartet spent much of the last decade trying to rediscover how to rock -- fighting Napster, losing bassist Jason Newsted, watching singer James Hetfield go into rehab and alienating plenty of loyal fans along the way.

No wonder there's an authenticity to St. Anger's fury that none of the band's rap-metal followers can touch. Across seventy-five-plus minutes of savage but intricate structures that recall those pre-Black glory days, Metallica go back to their brutal essence. There's no radio-size, four-minute rock here, no pop-friendly choruses, no ballads, no solos, no wayward experimentation. Recorded with longtime producer Bob Rock on bass, this is loud, expansive, unrepentant Metallica.

Although it was written and recorded in the studio, St. Anger barely resembles a studio album. The raw sounds on the throttling opening cut, "Frantic," are essentially the same raw sounds that are heard throughout the next ten tracks, as if the band members focused solely on playing off one another, not the mixing board, and were too busy to notice that the snare drum annoyingly goes ping instead of snap. Rock's bass is mixed way down in a blare of guitar-and-drums midrange that recalls 1988's . . . And Justice for All -- over him, the band hammers out its signature staccato stops-and-starts and multiple tempo and key changes like three angry fingers on the same fist. It's a rush to be pummeled by this group again.

Despite the songwriting help from drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett, St. Anger chronicles Hetfield coping with recovery's ugly truths. He's still ornery, still defensive and still sometimes overselling his rage. On the final track, "All Within My Hands," he sings, "Love is control/I'll die if I let go," and the album ends with him screaming, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" seemingly unable to forgive himself or others as sobriety demands, stuck in the same dark childhood place he's always struggled to escape. It's a closing that puts an uneasy spin on the album's return-to-basics approach and makes it seem more of a masterful retreat than a fully victorious breakthrough into new territory.

Now that ex-Suicidal Tendencies bassist Rob Trujillo has completed the lineup for the band's upcoming tour, St. Anger already feels like a piece of Metallica's history, something they had to do in order to hold themselves together, bring back the old fans and prove their mettle to the kids. There's a happiness to its wrath, along with the fluency that comes with reclaiming old ground. If that's farked up and facile, then so be it.

gmoney101: DarKrow: Feh. Too little, too late. I can't make myself care.

care enough to bother posting

why do people that claim to hate metallica bother posting at all? I mean if there's a link about Jay Z or some shiat like that I wouldnt even bother checking the posts, let alone adding my thoughts... I guess you are a bitter fan boy

Jay Z hasn't made as much of a public ass of himself in the past decade or so as Metallica has. All of those years of statements and crusades against file sharing have led to a lot of built up anger towards the band, especially since Metallica was one of the most vocal opponents of the trend. Regardless of whether they were right or not, that didn't go over well with a lot of people.

STRYPERSWINE: I like what I've heard from Death magnetic but you gotta remember how Rolling Stone and all the other critics swung from St. Anger's nuts when it came out.

I was just about to point this out. I was pretty sure St. Anger garnered a 4-star review from RS. And while I don't think Load/Reload was that bad, RS also gave both of those 4 stars as well.

MmmBadEggs: Does Lars still keep time on open hi-hats? On every goddamn song?

'Cause a ride cymbal or, hell, anything else just won't do!

He ditched his ride cymbal.
Link (new window)
Although why anyone would do that is beyond me.

misery faded: MmmBadEggs: Does Lars still keep time on open hi-hats? On every goddamn song?

'Cause a ride cymbal or, hell, anything else just won't do!

He ditched his ride cymbal.
Link (new window)
Although why anyone would do that is beyond me.

I used to have the impression that Lars was a great drummer; I figured he was in the biggest metal band of all time, and his double-bass work was unquestionable (See "One.")

After listening to an f-ton of all eras of Metallica on XM51 for the past week I can say that Lars, at his best, keeps up with James' legendary rhythm guitar. Beyond that, there is nothing but an abused snare and broken sticks to his legacy. Compare his drumming to Tool or Avenged Sevenfold (although that guy could ease up on the rimshots, too)... Lars leaves nothing for a drummer to aspire to.

He is the weak spot. Kirk may talk and look like a giant sissy, but at his worst he just leans on his Satriani-taught fundamentals.

Beyond that, I really like Death Magnetic so far. Probably because I understand that a bunch of 40-y/o dudes aren't going to make a low-fi, pissed-at-the-world thrash album with Cliff Burton no matter how much you fanboys demand it.

The Supreme Court already ruled that "Puppets" has always been the best Metallica can ever do,And so it is the Law of the Land

factoryconnection: After listening to an f-ton of all eras of Metallica on XM51 for the past week I can say that Lars, at his best, keeps up with James' legendary rhythm guitar. Beyond that, there is nothing but an abused snare and broken sticks to his legacy. Compare his drumming to Tool or Avenged Sevenfold (although that guy could ease up on the rimshots, too)... Lars leaves nothing for a drummer to aspire to.

If your impression of a good drummer is the dude from Avenged Sevenfold you don't know metal. Check out guys like Dave Lombardo, Gene Holgan, and Richard Christy. Those guys are amazing.

As for Death Magnetic. I got a copy last night. I absolutely love it. Great riffs, fast, heavy, solos.

I spent most of last night listening to Death Magnetic. Definitely their best work since the 80's. It does not disappoint.

Rolling Stone is expensive toilet paper. If you're actually reading the articles and putting stock into their opinions about anything, you're doing it wrong.

Sergent D: If your impression of a good drummer is the dude from Avenged Sevenfold you don't know metal. Check out guys like Dave Lombardo, Gene Holgan, and Richard Christy. Those guys are amazing.

As for Death Magnetic. I got a copy last night. I absolutely love it. Great riffs, fast, heavy, solos.

I'm well aware of all of their prowess... I just thought of people off the top of my head. You aren't the first person to malign Avenged Sevenfold's musicianship to me. Am I missing something? Or is it just that they, while fast, flashy, and over-the-top, are tending more towards heavy arena-rock stylings than thrash a la Slayer? I'd buy that... too much major-scale and easy-on-the-ears choruses.

The musicianship impresses me regardless.

Lord of Allusions 2008-09-03 07:36:39 AM
I remember when Rolling Stone said STP's "No. 4" would be the album to save Rock n' Roll.

Yeah.

I remember when they panned U2's 'Joshua Tree'...

And when they ripped a Dylan album so bad that Jann Wenner had to re-review it an issue or two later.

The Joshua Tree sucked. The last good U2 record was The Unforgettable Fire.

whizbangthedirtfarmer: As a big fan of metal in the 90s, I have to say the genre is pretty dead right now. The top bands in the derivative genres (Emperor, Six Feet Under, My Dying Bride, Tiamat) have either disbanded or lost much of their musical inspiration. Many other groups with few exceptions have created material when they weren't trying to sound like a more successful act in their genre.

Well, it depends heavily on what subgenres you listen to, but I'm pretty happy with some of the latest symphonic, power, and prog metal offerings. Someone mentioned Opeth. I just ordered Watershed the other day -- that'll probably tide me over even if the new Metallica sucks.

Also, I've never been much of a thrash metal fan, so I can't really make an educated opinion on Metallica. I don't like their first album, and Ride is scattered. IMO their best album is Master followed by Justice and Black. From what I've heard of this new one, it sounds like paint-by-numbers Metallica and I'm not too stoked about it. I don't think I'll like it, but I'm not determined to hate it.

assegai: /waits for new rammstein

Jesus Christ, THIS. Can't wait to see them tour. Probably my favorite hard rock band. Rosenrot was a pile of turds though.

IMDWalrus: gmoney101: DarKrow: Feh. Too little, too late. I can't make myself care.

care enough to bother posting

why do people that claim to hate metallica bother posting at all? I mean if there's a link about Jay Z or some shiat like that I wouldnt even bother checking the posts, let alone adding my thoughts... I guess you are a bitter fan boy

Jay Z hasn't made as much of a public ass of himself in the past decade or so as Metallica has. All of those years of statements and crusades against file sharing have led to a lot of built up anger towards the band, especially since Metallica was one of the most vocal opponents of the trend. Regardless of whether they were right or not, that didn't go over well with a lot of people.

you mean didnt go over too well with ..... errr.... cheapskate wankers that think they have the "right" to freebie films, music and computer games??... yeah that makes sense...

Why can't they do awesome stuff like:

Dyer's Eve
Eye of the Beholder
Trapped Under Ice
Blitzkrieg(yeah, it's a cover)
Am I Evil?

\m/

Interesting to note that the basic throughline of this thread so far is that everyone who has actually listened to the album in its entirely really likes it.

I am to be counted amongst the supporters. And I should mention for the naysayers that I hated that first song they released and was unimpressed by the second. But put all together, and played at appropriate volume, it's really a very good Metallica album.

stingrza: And I should mention for the naysayers that I hated that first song they released and was unimpressed by the second. But put all together, and played at appropriate volume, it's really a very good Metallica album.

That's good. I had the same reaction for the 3 songs I've heard. Hopefully my opinion will change.

On the real album, are the drums mixed better?