Death Magnetic by Metallica (CD, Sep-2008, Warner Bros.)

I remember when "Master of Puppets" was the new album, I had played my cassette of "Whiplash EP" to the point where it was worn and wobbled. I won't say "Master" wasn't awesome, but I was always partial to "Ride the Lightning." So when every new Metallica has come out in the last 22 years and people keep comparing them to "Master" I just say, chill out and let it stand on its merit.

What's hard is that Metallica will admit that "Load" "Re-Load" and "St. Anger" where not high-points in their career. Infighting, bickering, the firing / quitting of J. Newkid left the band "Broken, beaten and Scarred" Unfortunately with the exception of the exceptional "Symphony" disks and "Garage Inc." those three records represent in years, over half of Metallica's career. Is it any wonder then, that with Uber-Producer Rick Ruben at the helm "Death Magnetic" has become the single most anticipated Metallica Album ever?

As for the album, those of us who grew up with "Ride" "Master" and "Justice" will recognize the song pattern. While "Death Magnetic" has two more tracks (being it was recorded for 80min CD world, not the 45min vinyl one) the placement of the songs is very telling and familiar to those older records. The first track "That was just your life" starts quiet (heart beat, wobling guitar) and then suddenly burst in your face. The second track is about addiction and death (master = addiction, ride = death). The third track slows it down and is more grinding and heavy ("Bells" "Thing" Sad but True") and the fourth track is a ballad with a heavy second half ("Fade" "Sanitarium" "One") The second to last track is an instrumental ("Orion" "to live is to die") The last song is a ripper ("damage inc." "Dyers Eve").

Unlike "Load" and "Reload", "Death Magnetic" avoids the bluesy, dirty grinding songs, and unlike "St. Anger" this one aims for strong hooks, harmonies structure and flow.

"Death Magnetic" is not a new "Master" but rather a culmination of everything these guys have every done. While many songs will remind listeners of "Justice" "Broken, Beat and Scarred" is reminiscent of "St. Anger" with its chants of "what don't kill ya, makes ya more strong" and riffing rather than solos. "Unforgiven III" is far closer to "Unforgiven II" on re-load than the original. The Guitar has that same bluesy, flowing feel and the eastern influence that gave the original its greatest strengths are completely washed away by familiar metal riffing. Not to say the song isn't good, but without the late Michael Kamen the orchestration just doesn't life the song the way it should and the chorus builds and builds but doesn't crest, it keeps feeling like there should be more, some kind of heavy release that never comes. "My Apocalypse" closes the album by channeling "Slayer" as Metallica tries and fails to go back to "Kill `em All." Not that the song doesn't rock, it's heavy, fast and awesome closer, but the feel is forced and the song feels tacked on to a mostly mid to fast-mid tempo album.

The biggest shocker here may be the 10 min (and longest song) "Suicide and Redemption" the bands first instrumental in 20 years. This is the best they've done since "Ktulu", it's got more energy than "Orion" or "To live is to Die" but lacks the kind of expressionist solos you'd expect from such an epic. However, the ten minutes goes by fast! I had listened to the CD four or five times before I realized the song had n

Imagine yourself over a decade ago waiting for the quintisential American heavy metal metal band of all time to come back and kick you @$$ w/ a new album. Instead what you get is Load...then Reload, S&M, and St. Anger. This slap in the face to fans was exacerbated down the line w/ a new foud hyprocratic attitude embodied in an over agressive campaign to stop "bootlegging" of music downloads off of Napster (remember how Metallica's popularity rose in the first place? ...they encouraged fans to "bootleg" or copy their early demo tape and distribute it via trade through early 80's Metal fanzines...hmmmm, hypocracy? Sure sounds like it to me) an annoying DVD showcasing the band membere's mid-life crisises and near total breakdown of the band.

So now that I've gotten all this off my chest what about the album? To put it simply its GOOD. But what makes it good is that it is pretty much a return to form with a smattering of what Metallica embodied during the "Loads" and St. Anger. Riffs can be very groovy and blusey at times which was apart of the the "new" (see "End of the Line", and the instrumental "Suicide and Redemption") but those classic chugg-a-lug metal stomping thrash metal-esque Master/Justice sounds are back too (see "That was Just your Life", "All Nightmare Long", and "My Apocalypse"). And the ballads are back too..."The Day that Never Comes" is a mix of nearly all past ballads (think "Unforgiven I", "Fade to Black" and "One") but also something totally new as the piano driven "Unforgiven III" demonstrates.

Basically all this is what fans have wanted all along from Metallica: an album that has fresh moments and stays current but also one that holds true to Metallica's past.

Well its finally here but its kinda bummer that it took over 10 years to do so. Still Metallica probably had to do what it needed to find those new sounds over the years though it lead to many disappoiting albums (Slayer was more able to find "newer" sounds yet remain true to who they were so it still begs the question as to whether or not the "Loads" and "St. Anger" were really necessary). And there's still all the other things that Metallica did wrong over the years. So here it is: a new Metallica album with "new" sounds that isn't a complete and total dissapointment!

I'm a reader of BLABBERMOUTH.NET much like it's my daily newspaper. I've been a metal-head since 1980 and never looked back. Blabbermouth always keeps me in the know of what goes on in the world of hard-rock/metal, and that makes me happy, and oftentimes makes me laugh.

You can post comments on the threads and read them, and laugh a lot.

The one band that tends to always get the most replies is Metallica.

And now with the odd FRIDAY release date of Death Magnetic, the boards are rampant with opinions and assholes.

So here's my opinion.

I love Death Magnetic's first and last songs from production (except the snare could be a little bit quieter) to the song writing and everything about "This Was Just Your Life" and "My Apocalypse" are fucking jarring and kick ass - as far as the stuff between those two songs, there's some really good stuff in there, and there some kinda ok/boring stuff in there - but by no means did I expect Ride The Lightning or anything of that nature.

I love that James Hetfield sounds truly angry and not just "macho" for lack of a better term. His bark is much cooler than the yodeling yahoo guy who sounds like he's basically singing some really angry country music. It's more the Black album sounding James.

The riff/arrangements take you a little back to the ...And Justice For All days. Some of it is simply BADASS, and other bits are like "yeah... could have done without hearing that EIGHT times, maybe four would have been enough."

Someone went through and cut the album up and chopped out what they thought was the "excess fat" from the record and released a version called "Death Magnetic - Chopped, Shorter, Better" and there's actually some really good ideas behind some of those cuts. It makes the already brutal "My Apocalypse" more "Damage Inc." sounding which is waaay cool.

For a band that's been out of the game and basically going from being the supreme kings of THRASH METAL to being this ginormous "groove-rock" thing they were in the 90's, it's a nice balance of the two. Thankfully while we had Metallica-lite in the 90's we were fortunate enough to be blessed with the mighty Pantera during METALlica's absence.

However, as much as I hated Load & Re-Load in the past, because of this record, I revisited those albums and found good qualities about them - only with the mindset that this was not METALLICA that I grew up listening to, but a whole other group rocking out some pretty heavy grooves. With that mentality, I found I could actually listen to some of the songs and enjoy them.

I was still unable to do that on St. Anger though. Man... that's a tough record to like. That snare is so distracting!

Certainly nothing can and will ever revisit the glory days of the first 4 albums, but when you're nearly twice the age than you were when you wrote that material, it's incredibly difficult to relate to the same things, or keep writing the same things.

I'm in my 30's, and most of my very best writing material came from when I was in high-school through my early 20's because my experiences during that time in my life were so much more intense. And "feelings" as younger people trying to voice opinions are often much more "vehement" and "important" when you're 19 than when you're 36 or whatever.

It's nice to see the band try out an instrumental again. It's been forever since we've seen one of those from them.

Overall it's a very very good record that's worth the $10.00 that you'll spend here...

Although it is not Master Of Puppets or Ride the Lightning, Death Magnetic is much better than the last few albums Metallica did with producer Bob Rock. Nobody wants to own up to the fact that Bob Rock almost completely ruined Metallica's music style. Although I do give Rock credit for influencing Metallica's Black Album, and Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood album. The years that followed these two triumphant albums has shown Rock destroying more bands careers than enhancing them. Case in point--the new Offspring Album, the self titled Motley Crue album, Metallica's load, reload, St. Anger (Need I say more).


Death Magnetic shows a return to what made Metallica so great in their early years. 7 minute songs with assaulting Guitars and Drums. Robert Trujillo is a perfect bass player for Metallica. Do not know why people are griping about him. He may not be Cliff Burton, but he does play bass much much better than Jason Newstead.

Much of this is evident in "All Nightmare Long" which some are calling "Enter Sandman II". I cannot see this as being true, it reminds me more of "Disposable Heroes" from the Master Of Puppets album. About the only song that almost kept me from buying this album was "Cyanide" which sounds much like the junk from "Load & Reload" albums.

Also a much needed return for Metallica is a full-on instrumental "Suicide & Redemption". Featuring a style not heard since the days of the "Justice" album. But before everybody thinks the entire album is glamorous, think again.

One of my gripes against the new album is the track "Unforgiven 3". Wasn't "Unforgiven 2 enough of this title and style. THere are also a couple of other songs that show the signs of Bob Rock's influence over the years, but the majority is straight edge old school Metallica which is why this non-perfect album received a 5 star rating from me.

At least this is one Metallica Album, I am glad I bought, unlike Load & Reload.

This review is bittersweet. So please take note that I have been a HUGE Metallica fan for 25 years. I saw them live for the first time when I was 7 years old. I've seen them live 37 times, and have actually gotten to be in the same room with them a few times. They are a band that I respect VERY much, and I always will.

HOWEVER, this album sounds like garbage. The final mix for the album cut is brickwalled, and distorts, clips, and cannot be listened to for more than a few minutes at a time without causing actual aural discomfort.

That is why I am giving it an "Average" rating. The whole experience of the album is dampened because there is absolutely no decent dynamic range to be found.

A few songs can be tolerated somewhat if you REALLY tweak your EQ and don't turn the level past 4 or 5 on a decent stereo system. What's the point of owning a METALLICA COMEBACK album, if you can't crank it up and annoy the neighbors with it?

Now... I am not trashing the album content. The songs are AMAZING, and a VERY welcome change from the travesty of "St. Anger" (Guys I love ya, but St Anger sucked...).

A tear came to my eye when I first heard This album. I was so relieved when it actually sounded like METALLICA again. Rob's inception into the Metallica family is something that I consider a saving grace. His bass chops on all the songs on the album are BRUTAL and I dig it!

Kirk Hammet gets some time in the Solo sun! FINALLY! We missed ya man!

If you can get past the distortion (not the good kind) and the clipping caused by the sub par mix, the album is a joyride through the ages and the trials and tribulations of the Well oiled machine that is Metallica.

Every song on the album has a definite nod to other great songs by this band from every album they have given the world. It's good to hear tht, because it shows that they have really grown. It's good to hear James singing, but still getting that Hetfield Growl that we all love at the same time. Lars is back on the double bass drum engine, providing raw horsepower to the Metallica machine. However, the clipping, and distortion take a LOT away from the Dynamic feel to the beats.

The Guitars sound great, and it's good to see that James is still keeping it real with his rhythm guitar work, and even stepping into some lead work and soloing!

Kirk's Solo and lead work are as always amazing. Mr Satriani taught him well, and he has taken that knowledge and melded it into a style all his own.

Rob... FINGERSTYLE BASS! He brings something that was lacking back into the mix. Don't get me wrong. I loved Jason Newstead's style, and his sound was HUGE. But Rob brings back a little of the Old School "Burton years" Metallica feel. Cliff was an amazing bassist, and A LOT of his sound is translated well through Rob. In my opinion, Rob fits nicely into the Family, and I couldn't see anyone else taking up the Thunder better.

To the guys in Metallica: PLEASE REMASTER THIS ALBUM! Show us fans some love eh?

Can't wait to see ya in Indy on Sept 17th!