Metallica: Almost Like Old Times
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Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,209
The litmus test for Metallica's supposed return to form is simple and immediate: Does it make you speed-pick crunchy air guitar riffs? Or want to cruise the 4x4 down dirt roads with the critter-blastin' spotlight on and speakers cranked? Punch yourself in the skull for fun?
The answer is yes -- at least during much of "Death Magnetic," the influential heavy metal band's 10th (if you count 1998's covers CD "Garage Inc.") studio album. Navigate past the CD art that only Beavis & Butt-head could love (it's icky-reminiscent of 1996's "Load"), and you'll discover that, shockingly, Metallica really is back.
Metallica: Almost Like Old Times
'Death Magnetic' Renews Raucous Vibe
A review The Washington Post that appears to be positive.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
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Metallica tries to revive classic sound on 'Death Magnetic'
In the last decade, Metallica has had a few image problems. They had run-ins with Napster and fans who were downloading their music, then they battled with each other and fired their bass player. Once metal innovators, they became parodies of bloated, past-their-prime rock stars in the “Spinal Tap”-like 2004 documentary “Some Kind of Monster.”
With its scenes of petty in-fighting, group therapy, and champagne-sipping extravagance, “Monster” exposed a band that had lost touch with everything that had once made it great.
“Death Magnetic” (Warner), the band’s first studio album in five years and the ninth in its 25-year career, tries to rehabilitate the band’s image by explicitly referencing its late ‘80s Golden Age.
Back then, Metallica defined thrash metal with its speed and aggression, then expanded the genre’s range with acoustic touches, roof-raising melodies and multi-part arrangements reminiscent of progressive rock.
“Death Magnetic” invokes all of those sonic touchstones on 10 songs spread across 75 minutes; seven of the tracks are at least seven minutes long. The riffs come in three speeds: fast, faster and fastest, as if the band were trying to race (or possibly erase) time. The longer tracks are designed to evoke the Metallica of “Master of Puppets” (1986) or “And Justice For All” (1988).
But in reality, this is mid-life crisis music, closer in spirit to the band’s previous (and much derided) album, “St. Anger.” The 2003 album’s musical merits were lost in the ill-will stirred up by the Napster controversy, but it boasted a weird, buzzing energy born of discontent and confusion. Lars Ulrich’s drums sounded like trash cans, and the songs lashed out violently in search of direction, in contrast to the more concise, song-focused arrangements of the previous decade. I saw it as an improvement over most of the band’s ‘90s albums, but that’s not really saying much.
The hooks on “Death Magnetic” are more apparent, thanks to the production of song-doctor Rick Rubin. And Ulrich’s drums now sound like drums again, especially on the blister-raising last half of “My Apocalypse.” The interplay between guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett reaches levels of blinding fury on “All Nightmare Long.”
But there are crucial differences with the past, a few key reasons why middle-age Metallica is not nearly as potent as early Metallica. In the ‘80s, the band looked out at the world and reported back. The songs screamed like an air-raid siren, the perfect soundtrack for the Cold War Reagan era. But the lyrics on “Death Magnetic” are pedestrian and sometimes silly: Visitations from the Grim Reaper that sound like second-hand “Dungeons & Dragons” fantasy-game knockoffs, crossed with the touchy-feely, more “personal” lyrics that marred “St. Anger.”
What’s more, Hetfield’s vocals have become increasingly mannered, especially when he breaks into a croon on the first half of “The Day That Never Comes” and most of “Unforgiven III.”
When the quartet turns on the burners, they’re still formidable. The best parts of “Death Magnetic” verge on frantic, the band maintaining its instrumental dexterity at death-defying speeds. It’s four guys who have become a brand name trying to remember what Metallica used to sound like, and they get about halfway there.
The question becomes how they’ll be able to duplicate some of this material night after night on tour. Given the band’s tumultuous recent history, it’s a nice problem to have.
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/09/metallica-tries.html#more
Lil Wayne is better than Pearl Jam.
Bitches ain't nothin' but hoes 'n tricks
I liked that line about them being a bunch of rich spoiled babies in their 4o's. Which they're very spoiled but I'll pick this one up whenever it comes out.
Does anybody know?
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
It was released world wide today (12th). The album is amazing, i think after a bit of time it will be in my top 3 Metallica albums.
Katowice 2007
London 2007
Spot on is right, I agree with everything in there.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
blasphemy!!
there is no way this album tops:
kill'em all / master of puppets / ride the lightning / ..and justice for all
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
and i agree with the comment about the lyrics.
Start a thread and call it Metallica's Magnificent 7
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
...why would i do that..
To give your top 7 Metallica album and see what other folks think what was their albums of the band.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
1. S&M
2. Master of Puppets
3. Justice
4. Death Magnetic
5. Kill 'em all
6. Ride the lightning
7. Load
8. Garage inc
9. Black
10. Reload
11. St, Anger
My opinion anyway. Justice and Death Magnetic might change places in time, maybe not.
Katowice 2007
London 2007
Isn't it supposed to be almost a rick rubin tradition to have drums high in the mix?
Katowice 2007
London 2007
i think its pretty fucking good and i am not a super fan. last one i bought was ride the lighting. rick rubin has the touch.
they aren't a bass band and you have to figure with one lars ulrich in your band, you'd expect to hear his drumming.
That's part of what made listening to old Metallica stuff interesting; hearing Cliff's amazing bass fills. It's harder to pick Rob out in the mix in the new stuff. The Metallica albums with the best production were surely Load and Reload. I loved the sound of those albums.
Here's my top Metallica albums and like with the first albums that I heard from PJ...10 and Rush...Grace Under Pressure, it has to be...
#1 Master Of Puppets
#2 ...And Justice For All
#3 Black
#4 Kill Em All with 2 extra tracks
#5 Ride The Lightening
#6Garage Inc
#7 S & M heard for the first time this year and liked it
#8 Load
#9 Reload
#10 St Anger
DEATH MAGNETIC ???? Don't know yet
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
2. And Justice for All
3. Death Magnetic
4. Ride the Lightening
5. Load
6. Kill 'em All
7. Black
8. Reload
9. St. Anger
Not counting the covers album. And I really dislike the Black album. It's like metal lite.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
"Why Go" just started. Wait my bad, Its "The End of The Line".
In all seriousness, it sounds real good so far.
8/7/08, 6/9/09
Great call but i say its better than the black album
2008: MSG I, MSG II, Newark(EV)
2009: Albany 1-2(EV), Philly 3
2010: Boston, MSG I
2013: Buffalo, Brooklyn II, Hartford
2016: MSG 1, MSG II, Fenway 1
#1 Master Of Puppets
#2 ...And Justice For All
#3 Black
#4 Kill Em All with 2 extra tracks
#5 Death Magnetic with the possibility to rise further, hearing some of it live make things clearer
#6 Ride The Lightening
#7 Load
#8 Garage Inc
#9 S & M heard for the first time this year and liked it
#10 Reload
#11 St Anger
Well I've gone back re-listened to all well most of my Metallica stuff and I've had to make some rearrangements as far as their album rankings.
As for the new album DM...well to me this one is certainly for the Thrash Heads. Yes they have gone back to their old school days for sure.
Positives; I've gone back listening for songs I just didn't care for and each time I seem to have a hard time finding them maybe that last one *My Apocalypse*
*Suicide & Redemption* is one of the reasons I love instrumentals from the gradual grove to where the songs fills out in the end. It sort of reminds me *Orion* I've always preferred the groovier side of Metallica than speed metal thrash and THIS song makes the grade. Smart move to just jam to an instrumental.
James Hetfield's voice sounds fine to me and I have a feeling theses songs LIVE will come across with even more power and force.
FAVS: S & R, Cy, The Day, That Was, T J K, The UFG III, The End.....
Negatives: I prefer those....There seems to be an over abundance of drum layers coming from Lars playng. Some absence on his cymbals would've been nice but I'm being picky here.
More bass lines from Robert Trujillo would've been nice like on *Cyanide* *The UFG III* and *Suicide & Redemption* just as an intro to what he can do. Love to hear the bass wailing like back in the Cliff days aw well he probably doesn't haven't too much say so as to what makes the final cut.
What else I think that's it. At first i barely warmed to the album trying to find songs I liked. however with repeated listening the album rocks well. Now the test comes with playing them live.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)