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What's wrong with St. Anger?

bigbadbillbigbadbill Posts: 1,758
edited March 2010 in Other Music
All I ever hear is how Metallica's St. Anger is a crappy album. I disagree. What are the reasons for people's opinions on St. Anger?
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Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • BremertonBremerton Posts: 279
    Invisible kid
    Never see what he did
    got stuck where he hid
    Fallen through the grid
    Invisible kid
    Got a place of his own
    Where he'll never be known
    Inward he's grown
    Invisible kid
    Never see what he did
    got stuck where he hid
    Fallen through the grid
    Invisible kid
    Got a place of his own
    Where he'll never be known
    Inward he's grown
  • EdLawEdLaw Posts: 194
    edited March 2010
    My issue with it, for the most part, it is that the songs are just awfully structured. Most of them would be passable 4 or 5 minute songs, but they feel like they've just had sections copied and pasted to drag them out to 8 minutes. I like Frantic, Sweet Amber and the video edit of the title track... but even at 5 minutes, those are repetitive enough.

    Awful lyrics and bad production in itself doesn't bother me - I love both Kill 'em All and Justice, which have those issues - but combined with the above it's just a recipe for shit.

    I think with some reworking, most of the songs could become somewhat listenable. The acoustic version of All Within My Hands was cool.
    Post edited by EdLaw on
    And I planted my bolo knife in the neck of mad John Finn. I took his wretched life.
    Now I'm over near the bandstand, every hand moving on John Finn's wife...
  • justamjustam Posts: 21,412
    I never thought to analyze why I didn't like it but I don't like the way it sounds. Somehow the mood it projects doesn't appeal to me. :?

    Maybe it's too angry? ;):D
    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&
  • rhcpjam1029rhcpjam1029 Posts: 1,981
    i think it has to do with all of the shit that was going on with the band during it's production...just watch the documentary "some kind of monster" to see what i mean.

    and the songs don't have mind-blistering solos by kirk; a biiiiig factor that really pissed the hardcore fans out.

    i think another factor was how after load and reload, two albums in which metallica specifically said they wanted to be more mainstream and tried to write more 'radio-friendly' songs to do so, fans were expecting something different. but instead, they got something worse than both albums.

    that's why death magnetic is so well-liked; it's a revelation of metallica's earlier albums.

    personally, i like st. anger. i'm a huge fan of some kind of mosnter and the title track. but it's just not what people expected from a band like metallica after having struggled for so long to find a good follow-up to the black album.
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  • facepollutionfacepollution Posts: 6,834
    The drums.....
  • EquallyWorthlessEquallyWorthless Posts: 3,993
    it sounds like shit, production wise, and the songs just suck.
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    sleep = sleep - work * 10;}
    else if (work >= 0) {
    reality.equals(false);
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  • youngsteryoungster Boston Posts: 6,576
    It sounds forced. James writes good songs normally. This album sounds like a demo of a brand new band. Not a 22 yr old band that is one of the biggest acts in metal history. I really haven't listened to it in years but it's for a reason. It isn't that good.
    He who forgets will be destined to remember.

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  • musicismylife78musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
    well the song is flat out stupid, plain and simple. the lyrics, the chorus, the hook, the song overall, its a silly song. the first 4 metallica records are flawless. you want to understand metal in thr 1980's, get those 4 albums. they explored political themes, literary themes, socioeconomic themes. And Justice, and master of puppets are both about as good as metal gets. i talked about kurt and nirvanas ability to tap into the teen anger and disaffection, and metallica with those 4 albums, especially the later 2, did just that. songs are pure angst. Can anything compare to the opening guitar riff in One? Or the anger in harvester of sorrow? How about the guitar riff and feeling that exudes from Sanitarium? these songs are a teens dream. so much to soak up and soak in. i get endless pleasure from music that can evoke feelings and emotions, which is a rare thing in a world so superficial and plastic and death oriented. that a song could evoke feelings just by a simple guitar riff...wow, I stand in awe of artists who pull that off.

    so the answer is self evident. if you cant detect the difference in sanitarium and st anger, or and justice and st anger, you are insane
  • eeriepadaveeeriepadave West Chester, PA Posts: 42,424
    Well it's not the worst Metallica album (ReLoad). :lol:

    When it first came out I kinda dug it. Def. sounds kinds forced, but after a awhile i didn't really care for it. I too haven't listened to it in a few years.
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  • aspoonfulweighsatonaspoonfulweighsaton Posts: 2,055
    facepollution wrote:
    The drums.....

    Exactly.

    It sounded like Lars was literally pounding on garbage cans while playing inside of his own ass.
  • g under pg under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,209
    edited March 2010
    youngster wrote:
    It sounds forced. James writes good songs normally. This album sounds like a demo of a brand new band. Not a 22 yr old band that is one of the biggest acts in metal history. I really haven't listened to it in years but it's for a reason. It isn't that good.


    Not only forced but it just seems they were trying too hard to find something and were hitting zeros. In a way I think they were missing Jason Newsted balance in the band, had Jason been there this album would've been quite different. Besides that Lars sounded like he was banging on thrash cans and experiment that just didn't work. Many bands try things because they can this was NOT the time for Metallica, it failed miserably.

    I do need to give it a listen it's been years along with that documentary, just to see if I STILL feel the same.

    Peace
    Post edited by g under p on
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  • toodeetoodee Posts: 89
    The production on St. Anger was sub-standard. The first Australian pressings came with a bonus DVD of the band rehearsing the entire album. That DVD had better sound quality than the album, and I've watched that more times than I've listened to the CD.
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,430
    Yeah, it's not better or worse than that crap they put out last year. They're both pretty gagalicious though.
  • Lost_ClayLost_Clay Posts: 1,085
    the drums
    the no solos
    the bob rock on bass
    the songs on st.anger
    "ah fuck it get in trouble"

    06/29/03 09/22/05 09/24/05 09/25/05 05/09/06 05/10/06
  • Brisk.Brisk. Posts: 11,567
    Yeah people think its utter shit, its not that bad..maybe their worst album but i think its still good in the overall sceheme of music. Frantic has a great groovey/verse bit, St Anger is cool, Unamed Feeling is great.
  • FlaggFlagg Posts: 5,856
    The drums.
    The songs are too repetitive and structured badly. Like they cut and paste sections of songs together.
    No solos.
    I don't like that they followed the trend of the time and played everything in drop-d down a step (drop c then??) like System of a Down and Godsmack.

    I actually liked Frantic for some reason.

    If you listed to the album straight through, it gives you a headache and it is hard to tell the songs apart. They start to blend into each other.
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  • Jack_C_GregoryJack_C_Gregory Posts: 540
    I felt that the album was too influenced by contemporary "metal" acts of the time. As mentioned in previous posts, I couldn't believe there were no guitar solos from Kirk. (Especially given that fact that some of those songs clocked in at 7 minutes.)
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