Metallica: Death Magnetic
Metallica release album nine Death Magnetic this week
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By inthenews. |  |
Friday, 12, Sep 2008 06:24
Mercury, out September 12th.
In a nutshell.
Fast, fierce and thrash - the metal kings are back.
What's it all about?
Death Magnetic, Metallica's ninth studio album, sees the foursome - founder members James Hetfield (vocals) and Lars Ulrich (drums), guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo - working with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin and preparing for its release with stunning shows at Reading and Leeds.
Who's it by?
Now some 27 years into their career, Metallica have sold 90 million albums, won seven Grammys, endured death, drink and drug problems and accusations of selling out, as well as losing the faith of their fans through attacking Napster and producing the most disappointing album of their career in the midst of internal strife and therapy sessions.
After the thrash of Kill 'Em All (1983) and Ride the Lightning (1984) came the era-defining might of Master of Puppets (1986) and the commercial power of Metallica (1991) before the country-flavoured alt-rock of Load (1996) and Reload (1997) was followed by the underdone garage feel of St Anger (2003).
Now comes Death Magnetic, their ninth studio album and an end to their 15-year relationship with Bob Rock.
As an example.
"Drop the hourglass of time/Still its end you will not find/As we gather here today/The blizzard ends/The slave becomes the master." - The End of the Line
"How can I be lost/If I've got nowhere to go?/Search for seas of gold/How come it's got so cold?" - The Unforgiven III
"Watched your towers hit the ground/Lured your children, never found/Helped your kings abuse their crown." - The Judas Kiss
The Day That Never Comes - the video:
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Certain. The faithful will snatch this from the shelves on release day, Metallica are famous enough to intrigue the uninitiated and it'll dominate the rock categories at the Grammys, as well as the genre specific occasions held by Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and the like.
What the others say
"St Anger was a misguided attempt to recapture the band's mojo by sounding 'raw' - but Death Magnetic manages to sound huge, polished and tough. The musicianship feels thrillingly live throughout, and nimble new bassist Robert Trujillo helps, even though he's mostly heard as a distant, ominous rumble." - Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone
"There's self-indulgence by the shovelful, particularly on the Led Zeppelin-esque ten-minute instrumental, Suicide & Redemption. Though the whole thing could have been shorter, it's still the best metal album of the millennium so far." - Andrew Perry, Daily Telegraph
So is it any good?
It's not hard to be sceptical about a Metallica album. After 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster revealed the band to be little more than needy, squabbling children and St Anger left a thoroughly underwhelming taste in fans' and critics' mouths with its 'raw' feel - ie, hackneyed songs, no solos and dodgy drums - a comeback might have seemed off the cards for the metalheads.
But returned they have, and with vigour. From the heartbeat opening of That Was Just Your Life, anticipation is amped almost unfairly high but met with interest as Ulrich's drums are full and fiery while a shredding spiralling solo leaves a goofy grin on your face.
The same smile returns during Broken, Beat & Scarred, a foot-tapping tale of redemption with thunderstorm drums and Hammett and Hetfield taking charge on a monolithic middle eight and bruising solos while All Nightmare Long is a devilish masterpiece.
It kicks off with a swampy low-slung intro like something out of a David Lynch western, before turning undeniably thrash - commence headbanging now - including a guttural cry of "one, two!" from Hetfield, an amazing chorus and a heartstopping drop in the seventh minute.
Lead single The Day That Never Comes contains Hammett's finest soloing in years while The Unforgiven III, with its piano and string opening, leaves you wondering: "am I listening to Metallica?", before revealing itself as a stunning, beautiful companion to its two antecedents.
It's certainly not without its flaws, with second track The End of the Line failing to lift off while midway through Cyanide Ulrich goes a bit mental mid-song and you worry he's forgotten where he is before a centre-section enters, sounding scarily reminiscent of weak moments from St Anger.
It's also apparent throughout that Rubin has indulged his charges to the full. They seem utterly unaware of when to end a song, and while heavy, complex and eight-minute plus songs will delight the converted they'll almost certainly alienate the curious.
Penultimate track Suicide & Redemption encapsulates Death Magnetic's sticking point - it builds moodily and is their heaviest work since Master of Puppets, while the hummable Reload-esque riff from Hammett riff lilts magically. There's a problem though - this is an instrumental and a sludgy one at that, smacking of an extended jam as both guitarists mess around for nearly ten minutes. Which is frankly Meat Loaf territory, but without his homespun lyrics.
Thankfully, My Apocalypse restores order at the close, a punk punch in the face to end the album.
This is metal at its intense, indulgent best, feeling like the devil's music as rollicking rifts erupt from the speakers. It's almost frightening on numerous occasions and the quarter seem intent on blowing you back into your seat like Marty McFly expelled by the massive amp in Back to the Future.
After the career suicide of the Napster debacle, and the St Anger-Some Kind of Monster slips, Metallica are redeemed.
7.5/10
Lewis Bazley
"Heard album already, sorry, bit of old Metallica there, tracks too long, too much stop start stuff, Lars still sounds like he is banging away and not really bothered.
Kirk is playing better stuff than of late.
James sounding good though !
5 out of 10 for quality of music!
10 out of 10 for dragging album length out !
In general disapointed.
Dave Lombardo Rules etc !!!!!" -Alec Wilson
"Take it from my new theory: Metallica's Death Magnetic are goin to f****n' rock." - Albert Einstein
"I've heard 60% of the album so far. It's incredible... References to the Load/Reload era and St. Anger are bothersome. Can Metallica do anything other than a rerelease of Master of Puppets or And Justice for All to make some people happy? Despite criticisms there is something to be gained from any of Metallica's works and this album seems to encapsulate it all. They dug deep with this one, not just going back to the past but bringing it all together. This is musicianship at its finest. Lars beats the crap out of the drums, Kirk rips the guitar to shreds, James intrigues and scares us, and Rob brings the bass to Metallica in a way that hasn't been done for a while. The quality of the music is top notch. Songs too long? Not at all, anything less would have left me wanting more. A triumph in every way!" - Dan Queck
"Metallica has returned to an acceptable form. The songs are long but never boring, although they don't seem to know when to end a song. In contrast to earlier albums, Death Magnetic only reaches its strength towards the end, with the second half of the album being way stronger than the first. But all in all a great return by my favourite band. Only thing that worries me is how the founding members of 'tallica are going to pull this off live: James voice has become fragile and Lars usually nowadays is the weakest link on stage with mediocre drumming at best. But he pulled of the break in the midpart of Cyanide, which I find one of the highlights of the album." - Danimal Van Hoven
"P**s off doubters. This album is intense and if you want music where people don't take chances and create s**t go listen to Britney Spears you chodes. Metallica rules, always have alwayswill. They are uncompromising and have changed always refusing to follow trends even set up by their own music. True artists. Death Magnetic is exactly what I needed." - Erin Last name not needed
"AAAHHHH!!! I can breathe again... This is the first "Metallica" album since "Justice" and I love it!! After twenty years of mediocre s**t, the guys have finally done something that they can be proud of... The songs are long but never boring and anything less would've just left me wanting more... To all you asses who think that old Metallica is stale then you never knew them at all... This band is the reason I picked up a guitar back in '86 and I'm damn proud that I can once again crank them up without feeling cheated.. This album is a must have for anyone who likes it heavy!! Welcome back Metallica, the "once again" kings of metal!!" - Mike Watkins