Metallica .... Death Magnetic, caution those who enter here ...

[Tommyt]

I’ll admit I started listening to this album with a certain amount of scepticism due to Metallica’s slow musical decline (if I’m being generous, musical swan dive into concrete if I’m not), however that shouldn’t mean that I cant review this album fairly. Having never been either a huge fan or hater of Metallica I consider myself to be quite neutral taking a more “say what I hear” approach to their music.

From hearing the pre release singles I got to thinking that maybe, just maybe Metallica had pulled together the frayed elements of their past albums and knitted them into one amalgamated product but until I heard the full album it would never be clear.

So in the words of Hetfield himself, “Woaaaaaaah GO!”





Track one
That was Just Your Life

The track builds up from an opening heartbeat into a slow and atmospheric picked intro riff kicking into some punched out distorted chords and a leads into the main riff …. However the fun it would seem stops there.

What starts out as a slow building almost creeping entity of a song is soon turned into little more than stock riffage with lyrics that sound forced into place and that have very little to say, a prime example being

“Like a release from a prison that I didn't know I was in, Like a fight to live the present, I pictured it like this”

Umm, yeah James, if you erm … say so then …

Kirk then wows us by returning to the land of solo and lo and behold he’s learned nothing new, in fact if anything it makes me remember all the more that scene in “some kinda monster” when Kirk makes the point that while there shouldn’t be a rule of solo’s there shouldn’t be a rule of no solos … maybe this time was a no solo time?

At 7:08 this song goes on a little too long for it’s own good exposing it’s lack of ideas.


Track two
The end of the line

This track gave me a glimpse of hope by kicking straight into what some of you will recognise as “the new song” however it jumps into a riff I actually quite liked, a little bit of loads twisty hard rock riffs with a smidge of chuggy thrash to back it up. Lars drumming bleats along in it’s traditionally disappointing way but hell, it’s a bit late for them to replace him now … isn’t it?

Hetfield’s lyrics once again fail to impress seemingly struggling to find a point to make or even to latch on.

Getting back to the music however the actual instrumentation on this track really isn’t that bad (although I could have done without yet another wah filled blast of pentatonic ear rape) and so this track really was a mixed bag for me giving me plenty to ponder going into the third song on the album

Track 3
Broken, Beat & Scarred

This track looks to continue the pace set by “the end of the line” however already I feel the songs are starting to blur into one and other, and here, while it hasn’t gotten worse musically it hasn’t gotten any better lyrically.

I Have to wonder what Hetfield is doing here for example:

“ you rise, you fall, your down then you rise again! What don’t kill ya, make ya more strong, Rise, fall, down, rise again.”

And he repeats this twice …. Now apart from the fact that the way he phrases this whole passage makes him sound brain damaged it’s just bland, there’s no new inspiration to be found here, Metallica covered “turn the page” and maybe they should pay attention to the lyrics

“All the same old clichés” … stop using them!

The rest of the track plays out much the same, keeping it’s musical middle ground refusing to show anything that would wow me but without dipping into the same territory as previous efforts predictably the lyrics stop and they copy paste another Hammett solo into this brief section (I wonder if he turns up anymore or if they just play old tapes into the mic?)

Even though I don’t mind the musical side of it I’d put this songs lyrics on par with “tic tic tic tic tic tic tic tic tic tic” etc etc which really doesn’t help Metallica’s case.


Track 4
The Day That Never Comes

Metallica go all misty eyed and remember one (no doubt a comparison made by every reviewer however, I shall have my turn damn it) however, there is a problem there, we’ve heard it all before and perhaps it’s because of that this track fails to capture the magic that one did all those years ago.

This is the one in my opinion that’s going to split people on the “have they still got it argument” with plenty on both sides either yelling return to form or trying and failing to recapture the glory days and I know so far I’m tempted to side with the “nice try” crowd

Although this track does seem a little more standout than some really it still has a great big sign with the words filler plastered on it coming in at 7:56 it’s far to long for the amount of actual content on display.


Track 5
All Nightmare long

The first song on the album that makes me think, wow, they can still pull out some thrash when they want/need/wrists allow

This song really does have some great riffage and I couldn’t be happier to hear it coming out of my headphones, Hetfield’s lyrics still have some way to go and seem somewhat phoned in however his vocals on this track are the best on the album in my opinion

The solo this time (while still nothing more than kirks usual) at least seems to have a thought process to it, less frantic, and finds a place instead of battling against the music like an angry wah filtered bee lending yet more suspicion that at times perhaps Hammett really just can’t be bothered.

This is the only song to this point that validates it’s length keeping my head bobbing along with it and waiting to see where it wants to take me, this one really does seem to capture at least a little bit of what 4 guys can do when they get in a room and create a song with no agenda other than making good music.


Track 6
Cyanide

Put simply … oh dear. It seems that after the revelation that was “all nightmare long” we’re back to the stock, the standard, nothing special and it really is a shame. This song could easily be a great song (like a lot of the others) , but it fails simply because of a lack of adventure, it’s really a case of nothing ventured nothing gained, and really … nothing is ventured which leaves us with once again, some stock riffage and somewhat terrible lyrics

“Suicide, I've already died, You're just the funeral I've been waiting for”

Being one of the worse lines in this song, Hetfields vocals however are actually pretty decent on this track keeping the lyrics clear throughout, it’s just a shame they don’t really say much.


Track 7
The Unforgiven 3

Piano! Pia pia piano! Indeed I thought I’d put on an evanescence CD for second there (not to say the piano is bad, just unexpected in Tallica land), however the song quickly goes into load mode with lyrics that once again seem forced into rhyme just going through the motions, passing time, a slow song that lasts a while, in all honesty they should’ve stopped after 2 because after this track I honestly don’t think they’ll ever be forgiven..

Clocking in at a very dull 7:46 this track is a prime time to go and make a sandwich. It never really gets going and Hammett once again does his best to prove he’s still got it however again, what he’s got we’ve already had.


Track 8
The Judas Kiss

This is the second longest song on the album and with it’s (uninteresting) intro lasting more than a minute it’s no wonder that I actually let out a sigh waiting for the lyrics to start, and naturally continuing on it’s path when the lyrics finally do arrive they do nothing to aid this song. Hetfield continues his trend of throwing random words together to complete the rhymes

“When the storm has blacked your sky
Intuition crucify”

Why not “hairy monkey pacify” or Paul Gilbert can scarify!” either of these phrases make as much sense as Hetfields mindless point at words in the dictionary approach to the lyrics here,

But at least it’s better than the start of the song when he rhymes tongue with gone.

Hammett again on blisteringly samey form, at eight minutes long this song really does just scream “FILLER” at the top of it’s lungs and leading us into the near ten minute 9th track I cant help but think maybe putting these tracks next to each other was a really bad idea.


Track 9
Suicide and Redemption

There is no redemption to be found in this very long, very boring pointless attempt at beating Orion.


Track 10
My Apocalypse

This is the shortest song on the album, and the only one that comes close to the energy and pace of
“All Nightmare long” With Hammett once again managing to find a place for his solo however tired it may be rather than just jamming it in at the nearest opening.

Hetfield has tried a little harder on this one lyrically and vocally although neither are really on top form, the problem with this song is that it’s the shortest, there are so many songs on this album that really outstay their welcome, and this one could actually go somewhere perhaps given some time taken from the others, but alas we shall never know.


Conclusion
(My appraisal-lypse)

I know that no matter how I justify what I’m about to say, there are going to be Metallica fans who will love this album despite how bad I think it is, and fair play to them, so with that in mind here we go.

If I’m perfectly honest without My Apocalypse and All Nightmare Long I’d have been tempted to pull out that old spinal tap reference (and I’m not talking about the saddest of all keys) as basically, remove those tracks and that’s what you have … stock riffs, sub par uninspired solos, drums that sound like they’re being played by, well Lars Ulrich actually, he’s nothing if not consistent, the lyrics do little other than show that they ran out of ideas long ago and rather than cover the same old ground they’ve opted to go for the, “lets just talk about any old bollocks so long as it sounds metal” option, well sorry guys but singing about Judas kisses just makes me think one of you had a bad time with Rob Halford once.

Far from the great return to form Metallica fans wanted they got 2 great tracks to add to their 80’s stuff play lists, but it’s better than nothing, right guys?

[DanimalCrackers]

Best review I've ever read. And believe me, I don't ever say anything nice to anyone.

[bulletbass man]

I've done nothing but beat this album to a pulp since I've heard it. It's awful with the exception All nightmare long.

Day that never comes is the worst song in the album. The production is awful in my book. Rick Rubin has lost his touch.

Atleast it's not st. anger though.

[DanimalCrackers]

I wouldn't blame Rick Rubin, I'd blame the in-studio engineering. They recorded live and raw without any use of pro-tools or anything as far as I know, and although the album sounds better than the masters of the two singles; the vocals are still badly processed on a few tracks and the drums are obnoxious to a lesser degree than St. Anger. The rhythm guitars sound great in typical James fashion, but that's about the only good thing I can think of about this album. It's a disjointed, sporadic mess of mediocre to above average riffs and rhythms roughly sewn together like a Christmas sweater. At least they gave us St. Anger beforehand to compare it to, sort of like a store marking prices up then marking them down to call it a sale.

[bulletbass man]

If a producer isn't paying attention to the instudio engineering than that's a bit of a problem.

Some of the guitar tones were good others were awful.

Also some of the tracks feature very odd mixes. Excessively panned guitars. Drums nearly being a solo in the music (look at the beginning of day that never comes). All you can hear in the right ear is a bit of vocals and the drums.