Review of Death Magnetic by Metallica

It has been almost five years since Metallica released what is probably the most hated album of all by Metallica fans, hardcore and casual... St. Anger. The lyrics were awful and the vocals were whiny. They abandoned all the usual solos we get from Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield. Bob Rock just did very basic bass since Jason Newsted left them. Regardless, it would have still at least been listenable like Load & Reload if it weren't for Lars Ulrich's repeated use of the snare drum resulting in the constant "CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!" Metallica might seriously consider some day at least releasing St. Anger: Non-Snare Drum Edition.

Take that crappy album and compound it with the whole Napster debacle, Load/Reload also being earlier dissapointments, inner turmoil within the band, and bassist Jason Newsted departing. What you get is that Metallica has been through what has seemed to be a neverending slump.

Now, it is 2008. Metallica finally left producer Bob Rock behind (The man responsible for Black Album, Load, Reload, and St. Anger). Instead, they hired the very awesome Rick Rubin. This is the man responsible for producing such greatness as Slayer's Reign in Blood, Run-DMC's Raising Hell, Red Hot Chili Pepper's Blood Sugar Sex Magik and even Johnny Cash's wonderful American album series.

So now we enter... DEATH MAGNETIC!

Kirk Hammett is back in full form on lead guitars. After the departure of solos on their last effort, I am happy to say that they have returned in full force!

The drums are a dramatic improvement over St. Anger and are easily on par with anything from Kill 'Em All to the Black Album. In fact, some of it is just freaking insane, take the very end of "The Day That Never Comes," as my personal example.

This is Robert Trujillo's debut (Bob Rock did bass on St. Anger). Robert Trujillo's bass doesn't really pop out at you, but it is still very acceptable, and I would like to argue that he is a better bassist than Jason Newsted. Cliff Burton will always be the best, though.

The lowest point of this album is easily James Hetfield's vocals. While they are still very acceptable and there is some catchy stuff, it is just not on par when you compare it to the majority of their previous efforts. While I think they are better than any of the crap that he "sang" on St. Anger, it still lacks a little punch.

The lyrics are pretty good. Metallica tends to center their lyrical themes album around a theme.. This time, the lyrics are centered around the topic of death. My favorite, in terms of lyrics, is easily "Cyanide." This is Metallica and not Peter, Paul, and Mary. So, you get what you expect out of Metallica. They may not be the memorable lyrics from The Black Album, but its still good stuff.

Continuing with quick individual songs reviews, Cyanide is, by far, my favorite. It is catchy without risking any aggression. The Day That Never Comes is sort of a spiritual successor to "One" or "Sanitarium." My Apocalypse is another fantastic track, as is All Nightmare Long & The Judas Kiss. Suicide & Redemption is a return of instrumentals, and a damn good one. The Unforgiven III is a great sequel in what is already a a great series of songs. I'd love for Metallica to work all three Unforgivens into a live medley of sorts. This Was Just Your Life is good, but it was a little bit of an underwhelming opening track. Also, Broken Beat & Scarred is a bit on the reptitive side, unfortunately.

My Personal Favorite Song - Cyanide

Strong Tracks - The Day That Never Comes, My Apocalypse, All Nightmare Long, The End of the Line, Suicide & Redemption, The Unforgiven III, and The Judas Kiss

The Good, But Not Great - That Was Just Your Life, and Broken Beat & Scarred

The Weak Links - nothing at all!

I am going to give you the answer. It sounds like Death Magnetic.

Okay... okay! That was a cop out! I admit it. You don't have to get so angry!

If you HAVE to pin me down to answer... I say take the energy of Ride the Lightning, add a little darkness from And Justice for All, and polish it off with some of the production values of the Black Album. Throw in a little old school Kill Em All for safe measure, and you got Death Magnetic.

Regardless of that, it is nice to finally have a great Metallica album to finally enter the mix after so many years of dissapointing releases following The Black Album. If you are one of those people who only listen to the first 4 or 5 albums, Death Magnetic is a worthy addition to that selection.

Thank you Metallica!

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 1/2

Small Bonus

RJ45's Personal Ranking of Metallica Albums:

1. Master of Puppets
2. Ride the Lightning
3. And Justice For All
4. The Black Album
5. Death Magnetic
6. Kill Em All
7. S&M (Live Album)
8. ReLoad
9. Load
10. Garage Inc (Disc 1)
11. St. Anger