http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=659nMRk-4To

Is it possible that they have redeemed themselves? God I hope so...

Heh. My brother-in-law and I got forced into going to this karaoke bar (friend's going-away party) and some drunk French girl got up to sing "Unforgiven II". We made a bunch of jokes (it's what you're supposed to do at a karaoke bar, right? :P), including how "totally awesome" it would be if Metallica did an "Unforgiven III".

Well lookie here.

yawn. Hetfield and Co. have such a long way to go before I buy into them again.

this sounds as expected. i'm still bitter.

there - there's a song for you to write james...i'm still bitter.

It certainly sounds a lot better than St Anger - Then again so does the Eurovision Song Contest.

Cheers for the link - I'll be interested to hear the full songs. I really would like to buy something by them again. They've been in a Creative slump for far too long now. I haven't bought anything since 1991. It would be nice to headbang without irony.

The quality of the music they make is always judged harshly. Coming from the original group of people buying the records back in the day - when Black came out it was kind of a A KNIFE IN THE BACK, AT LEAST WE HAD TUNES LIKE oF wOLF AND mAN...damn caps lock.

Then it just got worse for the hardcore fan, Load, Reload.....

It just demonstrates how different you become - I can't fault them for changing - but what they've become is NOT what they started out as. Too many years have passed for the Justice follow up to be released, they've lost the drive, the hunger.

I also remember reading Lars say how they wouldn't have a jet like Blow Job Jovi...or do any videos because they were not a mainstream band and had no desire to do that kind of stuff. Then the video for One, then the jet. My loyalties were fading fast then.

It is possible for a band to evolve while retaining the aspects of the music that got them going - look at Death, different genre I know - but listen to Denial of Life or Evil Dead and then follow it up with Flesh and the Power it Holds - still heavy as can be and yet far removed from the beginnings. Of course Schuldiner was a very very talented artist - beyond Hetfield any day of the week.

Hard to fault them for the path taken, yet even harder to feel like you weren't used as a stepping stone. Of course making moves to have previews removed from the web on the new stuff (because there was little good to say) just adds to the general distaste the old fanbase has for the band.

Well see though - let's just watch - my gut tells me their time has come and gone.

I think they just need to re-ignite the spark they had in the 80s. With changing trends they are never going to sound cutting edge again, but as the world's biggest metal band, they need to put out a release that fits that tag.

Whenever I hear the opening to Battery or the mid section to Orion, it is a truly massive sound that relies on anthemic melodies and a progressive edge. Some of those parts wouldn't sound out of place on Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells. When they decided to become more of a song-based rock band, they lost that melodic emphasis and replaced it with radio friendly singles, which was less interesting and less powerful.

I also thought S&M was a bit of a mis-fire, as the orchestral parts relied on brass sections too much and the arrangements were confused. Emphasis on string sections would have suited them more effectively - lots of cello and double bass to nail the epic heaviness of it all.

Many have commented that Cliff Burton's input was a key factor in the respected years. It could also be argued that Dave Mustaine had far more input in the band's classic material than he is given credit for. The guitar parts certainly have all the hallmarks of Mustaine's technique.

I would like that huge harmony lead sound to return with 10 minute instrumentals and a general disregard for the mainstream. Oddly, when they expressed contempt for mainstream music they were far more effective as writers, which is what made them so huge in the first place.

If they find that purist attitude again, they will at least sound like the world's biggest metal band.

100% agreed, however they aren't hungry like they were back in the day. Sometimes I look at the sleeve for Ride the Lightning and read the 'world domination' part in the thanks section....uh...who reads the thanks section anymore? I wonder if they in fact had not thought of beyond that, you know - sustaining the whole thing?

Interesting take on Mustaines influence on the music. I had never thought of that before. Maybe in the end they weren't being 'real' and instead emulating the original sounds and then decided it wasn't them after all. After they tread upon all the old fans, that makes me have less respect - let's not go there and I'll let Hetfield walk away with some credit - he IS the reason I picked up a guitar.

I'm all for a return to the roots, however if it happens I won't buy into it - we'll talk after 3 or so albums whence they return to the depths and write some shit worth calling home about.

Side note; I saw them 3 times live - starting with the end of the Justice tour, then on Load and Reload - each time they sounded progressively worse, I would not go to see them again.

The album has leaked. It's not as bad as I had thought it would be. It's really long - which surprised me. One of the songs is instrumental (Suicide something or other) and is probably the best one on it. Any time James is singing though, I kind of tuned out. The lyrics are utter tripe. I'd have to say the songs that have been leaked previously are not the best on the album either. Anyone hoping for a return to their 80's self will be disappointed.

I kinda got the feeling that for some of the songs they just put together as many different riffs as possible... while that worked to an extent on Ride the Lightning, as its been mentioned Cliff and Dave's influences are long gone.

The album leaked, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Rick Rubin did quite a number on it, and you can definitely feel his influence.

My personal favorite after my first few listens is All Nightmare Long, which is sort of a sequel to Enter Sandman.

My first impression was that the album was incredibly long (out of 10 songs, more than half are longer than 7 minutes), and this is both a good thing and a bad thing. As an album heard on the whole, 75 minutes of near-constant chugga-chugga riffage is too much to bear. But you could take any one of these songs and appreciate it by itself, for the 7+ minutes they usually last for.

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars, and from the first few reviews I've read, most people are giving it positive feedback. I'm expecting something close to 75 metacritic rating after the dust settles.

quote:

Originally posted by crob3888:
I'm expecting something close to 75 metacritic rating after the dust settles.

Judging by the MC scores for some of the other metal albums this year, I predict Death Magnetic will receive a 98!

quote:

Originally posted by ezatldude:
Judging by the MC scores for some of the other metal albums this year, I predict Death Magnetic will receive a 98!

What if it's good?

quote:

Originally posted by Duncan Black:

quote:

Originally posted by ezatldude:
Judging by the MC scores for some of the other metal albums this year, I predict Death Magnetic will receive a 98!

What if it's good?

11!

Metallica-Death_Magnetic-REPACK-2008-FJORTiSO

Yeah, it was leaked but apparently it's a 128kbps WMV rip but that's okay. Word on the street is that it's actually pretty good, and after 5 tracks I'd have to agree. I also think it will be between 70-80 on Metacritic after all is said and done but you have to find it funny that they're, sincere or not, doing a 180 when it comes to leaks or downloads of their album online:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7598617.stm

I listened to the preview and it all sounds OK; I'm not overly thrilled. One of my mates said it best with "Mehtallica."

I'll wait to reserve my final judgement until I pickup a copy of the album and pop it in my car.

I had a promo copy a couple of days ago, and to be honest I haven't stopped listening to it. It's not a return to the '80s Metallica, but it is fast, frantic, polished and a million miles from St Anger, and I'm really enjoying cranking it up at the moment. It's released tomorrow so check it out.

I've had the full 320kbps version of the album since the beginning of the week now (not a cheap bootleg either, album quality).

I must say, I was skeptical at first... and rightfully so seeing how they have changed their sounds drastically album-to-album in the last 17+ years. And let's face it... going from Re-Load to St. Anger was a downhill slide that seemed to just get worse.

But I was mistaken on this album... this album actually rocks. This is the first Metallica album in FOREVER that I can actually put in my CD player, press play, let the entire 75 minutes spin off, then press replay and start all over. After a few times of listening, these fast heavy-ass rifs just grow on you and get caught in your head, much like a lot of the Lightning/Puppets/Justice rifs did.

The drumming is probably a 6/10. I gave it a 6 because it is repetitive in some spots... but it is an obvious improvement from the trash-can sound Lars had in St. Anger. The drums now actually sound like... well, like drums. A lot of the songs are "stock" drum work, but there are a few areas where he cranks it up or does a nice metered roll across the set. The octuple-bass kick comes in when needed, but it's not overdone either. Nicely enough, Rick Ruben is the one that did the mixing/mastering I guess... the Metallica guys didn't. The gain on the drums is cranked way up... no subtle tom hits or kick drums, they come thundering in nice when they do happen.

The bass guitar is mixed with a nice low-band rumble. A lot of the songs, you really have to listen to the song to pick up on Rob's bass... some songs, he has some obvious parts, but others he follows the guitar rifs in step, so it's harder to pick up on. But it is there nonetheless... at least unlike AJFA, you can actually hear SOMETHING lol.

The lyrics are so-so. They are different, but much better than St. Anger lyrics. It is interesting... in songs when the guitars dies down a bit, the lyrics come on very strong. But when the guitars are hammering away in a magnificent rif, the lyrics are weak. So in a way, the music balances itself... it's wierd, because if you find a fault with the lyrics, it seems like it was balanced that way, and they played the music a lot harder, faster and heavier to make up for it... and in some songs like "Broken, Beatin, Scarred" it actually makes up for it... because it is just a heavy, heavy fast rif that NICELY distracts you. I could see it being an instant arena-necksnapping hit.

Everything here (except maybe Rob's bass... I would have liked to see him come out more) is an improvement... but the REAL improvement is the songs themselves. Most importantly, the guitar-work. No sloppy D-tuning here... the strings have been tightened back up, and most obviously, the playing has been sped up, and the rifs are mult-metered and actually flow nicely. The biggest burden in these songs falls on James and Kirk, hands-down. Some of the songs are so fast and riffy, and smart I might add... you wonder if these guys will be able to play this stuff in concert night after night.

Again, the guitar-work is the BIG attraction for me to this album. James' playing is much, much better than anything he has done in two decades. Remember, I am not a fan who will say anything, I already said what I feel about the Load and St Anger junk... and I am also saying that James' rifs, and massive sound is even better than the Black Album... this is probably the best guitar sound (and effort) on his part since Justice. The same goes for Kirk... there is probably more whaling solo time in this album for him than maybe any other Metallica album. And the multi-layered guitar sections sound great, when James and Kirk start dueling out rifs against each other at high speed... the guitar sound flies, and it rocks. Kirk's presence in these songs and James' following in sections is very nostalgic and welcome.

The overall production of the album is polished... it is obvious they took some time and effort putting this stuff together. The only song that does not fit at all is Unforgiven III... Realistically speaking it is not a BAD song, but it just does not fit with the rest of the album. Think of it as if they would have made Justice, and threw Nothing Else Matters on the album... one of those things. Good song, but style-wise it just doesn't fit on the album at all. You can't have 9 songs of heavy rifs, thought-out metal sections and whaling guitars, then just throw 1 song in their that starts off with a piano and a symphony... I am sure someone will like it, but it just doesn't blend with the other songs.

Bottom line, I have listened to this over and over and over... and it is a very, very playable album. Out of the 10 songs on the album, I see maybe a couple of them being radio hits. But most of them I do not... and the reason I say that is, because she stuff is too hard, fast, complicated, and too long for radio. Remember back to the first four Metallica albums... great music, but radio would not play most of it. It just would not fit on the radio inbetween Hinder and Doughtry... way too hard for that. These songs are not stripped-down and soft-polished like the Load or Black Album material was... these songs are more like a better-produced version of Lightning/Puppets/AJFA material... which means you won't be hearing a lot of it after your favorite Christina Aguilar hits on Top 40 radio, LOL.

And in case you are wondering how I think this stacks up to the other albums, here is my personal ratings, per album (and no, I don't count Garage Inc or S&M thank you very much but no thanks, they are not full original material albums)

ON A 0-10 SCALE:

7.0 - Kill 'Em All (agressive, raw metal coming to life)
8.0 - Lightning (musicianship began maturing, songs started progressing)
10 - Master of Puppets (this stuff will stand the metal test of time with near-perfect licks)
9 - Justice (the heaviest, and most progressive, a good benchmark sound for any band)
8 - Black (I only rate this high because of the sound quality/production, although not all metal)
5.5 - Load (the only "idea" I liked was the musicianship... but the buck stopped there)
4.5 - Re-Load (they struggled more with this than Load, which is even sadder)
2.0 - St Anger (bad production, not much effort put into anything, bad transitions, no solos, drums sucked, lyrics sucked. Harder playing than Load however)

8.5+ - Death Magnetic (the guitar-work is non stop, and when the licks are not original, they do remind us of the same exact sequencing and furocity (and sound) that came out of the Puppets and Justice albums, with hints of Lightning and Kill 'Em as well. There are other cues from the other albums as well, but on average as an album, the ferocious guitars all keep pounding you back to the 80's... where they should be).

So that's it. Just like Puppets/Justice, this album requires many replays to re-discover more and more to each song. There simply is so much going on with the guitars and sequences that it is a lot to absorb. The overall sound of this album is what the Black Album really should have sounded like in my opinion. So there ya go... just my opinions.

Oh and as far as James's voice... it comes across alright I suppose. It's not nearly as talented as it is in the first 5 albums... but then again, he blew out his voice during the BLack Album, and again touring on it. I have done the same thing myself, and can tell you my voice deepened even more and is no way the same as it sounded before that happened to me too... so personally, I cannot blame the guy for not doing something anymore with his voice that he literally probably cannot do (without doing more damage than he already has).

quote:

Originally posted by Duncan Black:

quote:

Originally posted by ezatldude:
Judging by the MC scores for some of the other metal albums this year, I predict Death Magnetic will receive a 98!

What if it's good?

Jesus H. Christ. I wasn't that far off, was I? It's got a 79 right now.

Finally heard it - someone sent me a copy today and suggested I listen.

I don't have a track listing yet, but it's a lot better than expected. First impressions of the songs (one by one) -

1) Some of the riffs sound like classic Anthrax. Good stuff.

2) This is probably my favourite track. Hints of Iron Maiden, 70s prog rock and even Voivod near the end. It does lapse into 'Load' territory in one of the many bridge sections, but it's a mercifully brief excursion.

3) Starts like a sped up 'Harvester of Sorrow', before grooving around in a Danzig stylee.

4) This track is a very mixed bag. It sounds suspiciously like a Spinal Tap B-side at the beginning (confirming my conspiracy theory that Metallica based their entire career on ST). It then turns into a bit of a boring ballad, but hold everything! The ending sounds like Tenacious D and that can only be a good thing. Interestingly, Kirk's guitar solo is almost entirely stolen from 'Am I evil?'

5) This is HEAVILY borrowed from Slayer. But it's very good none-the-less.

6) Very Motorhead-ish. Nice Asian scales and compound timings. Don't like the 'Load-isms' much but you can't have everything.

7) Pianos?!! This is one of two duff tracks on the record. A couple of nods to Megadeth don't save it from being very lame.

8) Nice and thrashy, but runs out of steam slightly. Perhaps a little too generic.

9) Good grief - a massive instrumental! Haven't seen one of these for a while! Nicely put together, sounds like everyone's having a lot of fun. Some fairly intricate writing going on here. Not quite on a par with Orion or Call of Cthulu, but then what is?

10) Slightly St Anger (oops!). The ending is a direct rip off of '502' by Megadeth. Duff track number 2!

Overall, sounds like they put a lot of effort into this. James Hetfield's voice doesn't quite do the things it used to, but the writing has improved massively and the guitars are most definitely BACK! (excusing a couple of Kirk's solos). They could even make some classic records again in the not-too-distant future.

I never thought I'd ever say that. Haven't enjoyed anything by Metallica since 1991.

Aside from debating the musical merits, what do you think of the production? I hear a lot of people complaining vociferously about how awful it is, in terms of being compressed. I'm not sure what everyone is comparing it to, but I thought it sounded pretty good (production-wise, mind you). Compared to the classic thrash albums of the 80's, the production seems top-notch to my ears.