Metallica - Death Magnetic Review [2]

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 09.12.2008

And in one fell swoop, St. Anger becomes a distant memory.

This is it. Death Magnetic, in the eyes of many fans, is Metallica’s last chance. Their first five albums saw them become the greatest metal band in the world, and while their next two, Load and Reload, had their fair share of admirers, they were a far cry from the Metallica of old. And then of course came 2003’s St. Anger, an album that is almost universally hated and one that told many fans that Metallica were a shell of their former selves.

And while some fans have given up on Metallica following not just their last album but all the other controversies, many have remained in the hope that one day, Metallica will rise from the ashes to reclaim their rightful spot as the official kings of metal. Today is that day.

Of course, it’s hard to expect the kind of music that Metallica were giving us with Master of Puppets, Ride The Lightning et al because so many things have changed since then, and I’m not just talking about how the band have supposedly sold out. Death Magnetic is the first album to feature Robert Trujillo on bass, and is the first album on which every single band member has had input on every single song. And perhaps most importantly, it’s the band’s first album to be produced by Rick Rubin, who has worked with too many amazing artists to mention and has produced some of my favourite albums of all time.

So with all that in mind, saying that there’s a lot of hype behind this album would be like saying that the Beijing Olympics “wasn’t cheap.”



Metallica - Death Magnetic
Review by Dan Wilcox

James Hetfield – Vocals, rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett – Lead guitar, backing vocals
Robert Trujillo – Bass guitar, backing vocals
Lars Ulrich – Drums, percussion
Track listing:
1. That Was Just Your Life (7:08)
2. The End of the Line (7:52)
3. Broken, Beat and Scarred (6:25)
4. The Day That Never Comes (7:56)
5. All Nightmare Long (7:57)
6. Cyanide (6:39)
7. The Unforgiven III (7:46)
8. The Judas Kiss (8:00)
9. Suicide and Redemption (9:57)
10. My Apocalypse (5:01)

Let’s start with the good news; Death Magnetic is better than St. Anger. Well, OK, that may have been obvious, but to put it in a more encouraging way, Death Magnetic is different to St. Anger. As I am sure you are all aware, the guitar solos are back (and they are back in full force, I might add), and there are no “steely” drum sounds. Indeed the quality of Ulrich’s drumming is as good in places as it has ever been.

One would hope that what with all the changes the band have been through in the last few years and the fact that since their last album, the only way is up, they would be somewhat re-energized for this release and in places, they very much are.

The album opens up with That Was Just Your Life, which itself opens with a feint heartbeat – fitting considering that this has been one of the most anticipated albums of the last several years, and just a minute or so into the track, one begins to think that maybe, just maybe, the old Metallica are back. Hetfield’s riffing onslaught here is marvelous and a sign of things to come, and similarly Lars Ulrich really returns to form with a thunderstorm of devastation on drums. It is, however, ultimately forgettable when compared to the second track, The End of the Line, a thrilling epic chronicling some sort of drug-ravaged character who has reached “the end of the line.” The track features a smothering guitar battle between Hetfield and Hammett and concludes with some of the former’s most powerful, piercing vocals.

"Need
More and more
Tainted misery
Bleed, battle scars
Chemical affinity
Reign, legacy
Innocence corrode
Stain, rot away
Catatonic overload
Choke, asphyxia
Snuff reality
Scorch
Kill the light
Incinerate celebrity
Reaper, butchery
Karma amputee
Bloodline
Breeding fine
Death contagious deity"

- The End of the Line

I only wish that the album would continue to get better, because then it really would be reaching the almost impossible heights of their earlier albums. Instead, the next track, Broken, Beat and Scarred, showcases Metallica at their lyrical worst. I had to give the chorus an immediate second listen because I couldn’t quite believe anyone could come up with such terrible lyrics, let alone Metallica; “Rise, fall, down, rise again.? What don’t kill you make you more strong.” Now just what the fuck is that shit? I’ve heard better lyrics in instrumentals. Musically, the track is pretty good but there’s no way I can look past those lyrics; they make this a shocking track.

But things do pick up again with the first single from the album, The Day That Never Comes, comparable in many ways to one of the band’s biggest and greatest ever tracks, One. OK, so lyrically it’s still nothing too hard to get our heads around, after all, most of us should be well aware that “love is a four-letter word”, but technically it is something of a masterpiece, starting off with a slick groove before cascading into a combination of punchy lots of guitar work and climaxing as Hammett unloads a ricocheting solo on us.

Terrible song title aside, All Nightmare Long sounds like it could easily have been released on …And Justice For All and been praised as one of its best tracks. The blistering riffs are back and Hetfield sounds reinvigorated on this effort. For head banger’s everywhere, this is undoubtedly a highlight of Death Magnetic with all four members playing at their absolute best. The next track, Cyanide, again falls into the category of having its lyrics weigh it down.

"Mouth so full of lies
Tend to block your eyes
Just keep them closed,
Keep praying, just keep waiting

Waiting for the one,
The day that never comes,
When you stand up and feel the warmth
But the son shine never comes, no

No, the son shine never comes"

- The Day That Never Comes

A lot of people were very much against the inclusion of a song titled The Unforgiven III for fear that it would suck and tarnish the legacy, if you will, of it’s predecessors. Well, fear not, because this is a motherfucking beast of a song, opening with a fairly simplistic piano refrain before a string and then brass section are added. As the song progresses, we get some of the strongest lyrics on the album as well as some of the best vocal work. It has something of a stoner vibe to it and comes at the right time, quickly freshening things up and giving a whole new life to the album. The Unforgiven III is another of my favourite tracks from the album.

The Judas Kiss is a weak link for me, again, the lyrics are pretty weak and the only things that stop this from being the only bad song on the album are the hair-raising chorus and Hammet’s solo work.

With the next two tracks though, the album really finishes on a major high. Suicide and Redemption takes back to the days when Metallica would usually have an instrumental track on their albums and this 10-minute blockbuster is a nice reminder of the days of Orion, albeit something of a watered-down Orion. Trujillo is at his most prominent here, anchoring the track with a smashing bass riff. My Apocalypse, the shortest track on the album at only 5-minutes is a like a stiff right hand to the jaw in that it knocks you on your ass but when it’s over you’re left happy that you at least got in a fight. It’s a blistering finish to a great album.

People said Lars had become uncreative and worn down over the years, but even with his advanced years, he has proven on this album that he can still produce the goods. Both Hammett and Hetfield put in some fantastic guitar work, but Hammett in particular shines through on pretty much every track. Trujillo can also be really proud of his first participation in a Metallica album; all four guys got their shit together, made some amazing songs and a great album, very reminiscent of …And Justice… and The Black Album.

"Feel thy name annihilation
Desolating, Hail of Fire

So we cross that line
Into the crypt
Total eclipse
Suffer unto my apocalypse!

My apocalypse... Go!

Crushing metal, Ripping Skin
Tossing body mannequin
Spilling Blood, Bleeding Gas

Mangle flesh, Snapping spine
Dripping bloody valentine
Shattered face, spitting glass"

- My Apocalypse

The 411: Every Death Magnetic review you'll read will likely all say the same thing: Metallica is back. And they are. Now, I can't justifying going any higher than I have because I'm a great believer thay lyrics are as important to the quality of music as the use on the instruments and vocals and the majority of the lyrics on this album are not that great. But Metallica fans should already know that they aren't exactly the Shaekspeare of song lyrics. And outside of that complaint, this is an amazing album, almost untouchable in terms of modern releases. I think people's opinions in regards to best songs, weak songs, heavy songs etc will differ and differ greatly, but the general consensus should be that this is an incredible album. Metallica at its finest, maybe not, but it's as good as any of us could have expected.

Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]