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Death Magnetic was released on September 12, 2008. The
album is Metallica’s ninth studio album of original material.
The album features Lars Ulrich on drums, James Hetfield on
vocals/rhythm guitar, Kirk Hammett on lead guitar, and Robert
Trujillo on bass (making his first appearance on a Metallica
album.) The album was produced by Rick Rubin.***
Metallica’s post-80s career has been filled with highs
and lows. For every triumph like S and M, there has been a
disastrous misstep like St. Anger to drag the band’s name
back into the mud. Following a decade of albums filled with
hits and misses alike, and the utter horror that was St. Anger,
I thought these once-great men of metal were beyond redemption….***
….And then I heard Death Magnetic.***
My friends, Metallica is BACK.***
Easily the band’s strongest studio effort since the Black
Album, Death Magnetic takes the band back where they belong
– their 80s thrash metal roots.. It’s not entirely a return
to form; many of the songs do indeed have a modern edge to
them. But it’s far closer to the band’s 80s albums than anything
that has come out since the decade of decadence ended. Death
Magnetic is Metallica’s long-awaited rebirth. There are some
minor flaws here and there, but they don’t keep this from
being Metallica’s best album in nearly two decades.*** Oh,
and you’ll be happy to know that, unlike St. Anger, this one
has guitar solos. Damn good ones, too.***
That Was Just Your Life – Don’t let that acoustic intro
throw you off. Like Battery from the days of old, that deceptive
intro jumps right into a tune that rocks fast and rocks hard.
The first track on an album should always be one that grabs
the listener and keeps them interested – and Metallica succeeds
in that department on this album.***
The End of the Line – This song is a bit of an oddity,
combining elements of the bands 80s and 90s sound alike. There
are moments that will bring Load and Reload to mind, and a
melodic interlude that is reminiscent of the title track from
Master of Puppets, both in melody and lyric. And yet, the
song doesn’t feel out of place. It’s actually a damn good
song.***
Broken, Beat & Scarred – One of the album’s straight-up
thrashers. This is the band’s hard and heavy sound at its
finest. It won’t fail to please.*** -The Day That Never Comes
– For its first half, the song is a melodic ballad, but in
the latter half quickly evolves into fast-paced series of
Kirk Hammett guitar solos. The song has drawn many comparisons
to the classic One, and I have to go along with them. Absolutely
incredible song, an instant classic for the band.***
All Nightmare Long – Fast and heavy and the two of the
things Metallica does best, and perhaps no track on Death
Magnetic demonstrates that better than this one does. The
band doesn’t fail to please on this cut. And once again, we
get some incredible soloing from Kirk. Great song.***
Cyanide – Again, a track that emphasizes the hard and
heavy stuff. Great melodies and a terrific instrumental interlude
keep it from being “just another Metallica song.”
The Unforgiven III – The “Unforgiven” saga continues.
Easily the most melodic piece on the album (some parts of
the song even use orchestral backing instrumentation) – and
yet it still has moments that rock hard. This track instantly
won me over, becoming not only one of my favorite cuts on
the album, but also my favorite of the 3 “Unforgiven” songs.
And that says a lot considering the last two were Metallica
classics in their own right!***
The Judas Kiss – Again, the band gives a straight up
fast-paced, hard-rocking thrash tune. Kirk’s soloing here
is some of the best guitar playing on the album. The melodies
are great, and everything comes together nicely, making this
one of the album’s strongest songs.***
Suicide & Redemption – Metallica serves up their first
instrumental in over 2 decades. The musical style is all over
the place, so the thing stays interesting throughout its entire
duration. Not quite a worthy heir to the crown left vacant
by classics like The Call of Ktulu and Orion, but a damn good
song nonetheless.***
My Apocalypse – What better way to finish the album then
to pull out all the stops and give listeners a no-nonsense,
balls-to-the-wall tune that rocks and thrashes like no other?
A great way to finish things off.*** 10 tracks, all of them
excellent. Metallica has officially won back this former fan.
As much as I like the album, though, I have a few minor complaints
that keep me from giving it a perfect score:***
The songs are too long. I’m all for having maybe 3 or
so lengthy epics on an album, but this is overkill. Most of
the songs on here could have been trimmed by a good 2-3 minutes,
and they would probably have benefited from the editing. Of
course, I’m not saying I don’t like the songs as they are.
It’s not like St. Anger, where the band dragged half an hour
of music out to 80 minutes.***
James’ voice shows its age. He sounds better here than
he did on St. Anger, but it’s clear that the years have taken
a toll on the frontman’s vocal chords. As far as recapturing
the band’s 80s sound and their former glory, the vocals are
the one aspect that never quite reach “Classic Metallica”
territory. But I DO give the guy credit for sounding better
than he did on the last album.***
This isn’t really a complaint about the album itself,
but is worth mentioning here. The band’s recent cover of Iron
Maiden’s Remember Tomorrow, which you probably heard on rock
radio in recent months, IS NOT ON THE ALBUM (it was recorded
for an Iron Maiden tribute CD for a guitar magazine.) I wish
the band had included it here on a bonus disc, but no such
luck.***
Please, DO NOT judge this album by those very minor criticisms
I just made. This is the best Metallica has sounded in nearly
two decades. At long last, we get the band’s long-awaited
return to greatness (which many former fans, myself included,
thought would never happen!) Throughout the entire album,
the band is on fire, at the top of their game. Even if you
vowed never to buy another Metallica album after the disaster
that was St. Anger, bend your vow and check out Death Magnetic.
If you’re a fan of the band’s classic sound, you’ll be glad
you did.***
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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