Metallica: Death Magnetic Review
I'll start of this post and admit that I'm a pretty hardcore Metallica fanboy. These were the guys that really got me into playing the guitar, and they're the ones that got me interested in aggressive rock and metal as a guitarist. Couple that with their guitar arrangements and awesome hooks, and I can pretty much enjoy any Metallica song on some level. That said, like most people, I was disappointed with St. Anger — but I don't have as much disdain for it as some people. I should also say, too, that I'm not such a fanboy as to think Metallica is the be all, end all — I just really like what they do, just like I enjoy Soundgarden, etc. I also don't feel Lars and Hammett are the best in the industry like some MetHeads do.
So, with the above stated, I thought I'd give my 2 cents on Metallica's newest album, Death Magnetic, which will be in stores this Friday (you can pre-order from Amazon for only $8.99)...
The whole album clocks-in at just under 1 hour and 15 minutes, and it sports 10 songs — the longest being the instrumental at 9 min 58 secs. Out of the ten, there's only one I don't really like, but we'll get to that later.
"That Was Just Your Life." This song reminds me of "Jump in the Fire" from Kill 'Em All, mainly because of the guitar riff. I'm somewhat impressed that Hetfield's 45 year old voice can still hit the notes he hits in this song. It's not my favorite track, but a decent first song.
"The End of the Line." This has major ...And Justice For All and Master of Puppets throwbacks for me. This is my favorite track on the album, and I think it does a great job of being "classic" Metallica with awesome guitar hooks and rhythm changes. I'm also enjoying the guitar tone they use on this track, as it's more open and thin as opposed to a deep, metal sound you'd expect. I like the bridge breakdowns and solo section a lot.
"Broken, Beat & Scarred." I'm not a fan of this intro, and I wish they would have just started at 40 seconds. That said, all is forgiven (temporarily) when the main riff begins at 1:00. SWEET! But, I kind of get tired of the song after a while — mainly because of the progression right before (and at the end of) the chorus, and I get tired of the monotonous double-bass. However, the verse guitar/vocal pair is awesome. Still, I can imagine myself skipping this song from time to time.
"The Day That Never Comes." I have mixed feelings about this song, but overall, I think I like it — I just hope it doesn't get overplayed. This track is a great example of a Metallica "ballad," and as formulaic as it is, the melody keeps things really interesting to me. Like many others, I'm no fan of the cliché "love is a four-letter word..." section before the solo, but oh well. The bridge and solo section sort of make up for it, though (think "One") — and it'll be a great section in the live show. I don't think I would have made this one of the singles to garner interest, however.
"All Nightmare Long." This is my third favorite song on the album, and I can't find much fault in it anywhere. I have fond Kill 'Em All flashbacks with this song, and the main rhythm is just fantastic. More classic Metallica — and the chorus is just awesome. This should have been one of the singles, in my opinion. GREAT SONG, all around. If I had to nitpick, I'd say that I'm not a huge fan of the guitar tone on this track, but that's a total nitpick.
"Cyanide." I just really don't like this song. I want to like it, but I just can't get over the cheesy vocals. The music isn't too great in my opinion, either. I DEFINITELY would have kept this under wraps and out of circulation. It's like they thought they had to write a song about death, and this is all they could come up with. Ugh. Skip.
"The Unforgiven III." I was scared to death when I saw this, because I feared it would be too much like the original, or "Unforgiven II." Thankfully, it wasn't. The intro is great (piano, strings, and horns), and sets the mood of the song perfectly. This is one of the better tracks on the album for me, and it has massive Black Album mojo. I particularly like the vocal melody, and how the strings support everything without being cheesy. I also like how they did the build-up to the solo section, which is anticipated based on the previous Unforgiven tracks. Hammett kills this solo, too — a perfect fit for the song.
"The Judas Kiss." This is another cool song. It's more repetitive than most of the tracks, and pretty basic — but the chorus is pretty cool, and reminds me of "Master of Puppets" and little of something you'd hear back in the Ride the Lightning days. I find my enjoyment of this song increases exponentially as I increase my stereo's volume — and it's a great driving song.
"Suicide & Redemption." The much anticipated instrumental, and it delivers to a degree. I hear a lot of Ride the Lightning in this track, and it sports a pretty catchy hook that'll get stuck in your head. There's not as much variety as I'd like, but it makes me curious so see what they'll do with this live — which is exactly what they want me to think. I like how it mellows like the mid section of "Orion," and it even has the harmonized lead-lines I was expecting to hear kick in. I'm not a fan of Hetfield's guitar tone in this track, and I think they could have easily cut some of the repeats to have the track give "more bang for the buck." I have a feeling this will be a great song live, and that it'll be twice as long — but I'm not a total fan of this track, personally.
"My Apocalypse." Another single, and a good choice at that. This is another classic Metallica song, and it's another favorite. The pre-chorus and chorus are great, and feel like Kill 'Em All and Master of Puppets. The bridge breakdown is dadgum AWESOME, and jumps into ...And Justice for All territory for a bit. All in all, this just an awesome song, and my second favorite. Plenty of guitar hooks, the vocals match perfectly, plenty of "aggression" in the mix. Rhythm twists only Metallica would come up with.
So there's my brief 2 cents on the new album, which I have a feeling will probably become one of my all-time favorite Metallica releases. Quirks? I liked both Load and ReLoad, and I was surprised that I didn't hear any influence from either album on Death Magnetic. I also didn't hear as much Black Album vibe as I expected, which is neither good nor bad. I think what I like so much about this release, is that it's just good old fashioned in-your-face Metallica. Almost every song is a punch in the face, kidney, or throat — and that's what Metallica meant when they said they were going back to their roots with this release.
Not too many albums come out that actually make me want to go see the band live, but this release has me counting down the days to the November show — and I have a feeling this tour will be one of the best (even though the guys average out to be 44.5 years old). Now go and pre-order this puppy.
Comments:
I’ll have to give it more time I guess—I just have to get over the silly vocals.
I hear a lot of “Ride the Lightning” in this album, the same way I heard snippets in “Master of Puppets” and “...and Justice for All.“ Thematically, it picks right up from “Ride” as well.
Where I hear “Load” and “Re-Load” is in some of the vocal styling during the verses (such as “The Day That Never Comes”) and in some of Hammett’s more buried-in-the-mix lead parts (during transitions and verses).
All-in-all, I don’t think you could have asked for an album that took parts of their entire catalog and still sounds this vibrant.
Someone asked me to describe “The Day…“. I think it’s summed up like this: the first four minutes are “Load/Re-Load” era. The last three and half are a little bit of everything before. I think that’s why it is the lead single, just to see if they can whet every era’s taste just a little bit.
My favorite part? The harmonized vocal at the beginning of “All Nightmare Long…“
Luck…runs…out… I’ve been mumbling that in a growled voice all day.
omg, how did you obtain an early copy?! Napster!? :D
This album definitely gets back to their roots and is much overdue! Definitely one of the best albums this decade!
Aage,
Blichers Big Band
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Cyanide grew on me. I didn’t care for the whole thing, at first, but after listening several times, I like it as much as any other track on the album. My favorite part is the fat, one-string riff that follows the vocal on the chorus . . . . . holy crap!