Ok folks. Its time. Time for the release of Metallica’s new Album, Death Magnetic. Did the cosmos align because the best metal album of all time has finally been released? Or did the fans get another Saint Anger? Read on to get my take each of the songs, and an impression of the whole album.

Before we start, I would like to explain a few things. First, I don’t think Metallica has done a good album since their self titled one. Load sucked, ReLoad sucked, Saint Anger was a joke (if you can tell me the line “I’m madly in anger with you” was awesome with a straight face, you deserve an award). So I did not expect anything different this time around. But I decided to give it a go. One last thing, I did not previously listen to the album before doing this entry. I am giving my impressions and reviews as I listen to each song. That way I can give my initial thoughts and ideas, not afterthoughts. Well enough of my jibber jabber, on with the review of Metallica’s Death Magnetic.

Ok so the first song,

“That was just your life” is a thrash metal lover’s dream come true. Unrelenting guitars, tons of powerful drum tangents, and some very well done lyrics and vocal by James Hetfield. At over seven minutes I was very pleased. My only problem is the bass drum ( i think that’s the one, I’m nowhere near musically inclined) seems used way too much and overpowers the song. Even during the badass guitar breakdown at about 3/4 the way through the song is overpowered by its insane beat. If they toned it down a bit (the drum), i would say this song had it all. But that just seemed to take away from it for me. Hey maybe you like that type of thing and think im retarded, but it didn’t do it for me. Hell id be happier if it was more bass heavy. Then it wouldn’t have stood out so much. 9/10 and a great song to open the album.

Song #2 “The End of the Line”

This one opens up very strong and keeps it going throughout the song. And remember that drum i was not partial to in the first song? Well it fits perfect here. And my god the guitars are so sweet. Such amazing riffs and the pace makes you start to head bang and not even notice you started. Lyric wise, its not bad. Not the best, but not bad. I do however like the chorus. Very well written and gets you back into the song when you think you may just be on the edge of losing it. Wow is all I can say about the solo. Fits perfectly! My only problem with this song is it’s a bit long. Eight minutes these days is pretty crazy. Though towards the end I do like the pace change, to a slower more melodic tone with softer lyrics, but then comes back with a fury into a full on rush into a partial chorus. 8/10

Song #3 “Broken, Beat, and Scarred”

This one makes me think I’m listening to some older style Metallica. The guitar riffs flow, the drums pound and the vocals keep coming. Though on the opposite end of the scale, yet again i think the drums overpower the song. If they were a bit more bass heavy i would be totally into them. As for the lyrics, its a rinse and repeat song. Not horrible by any means, but nothing amazing. Defiantly listen to this one for the sweet riffs and the solo. They make it all worth the time. 7/10

Song #4 “The Day That Never Comes”

Yes this was their first single and got some pretty good reviews when it came out. But personally i think this is the worst song on the album. With a close second being #3. I could not get into this one. I loved the opening and was prepared for something insane to come about. Sure yet again Kirk rocked the hell out of his guitar, but here come those damn overpowering drums (GIVE ME MORE BASS LARS!). Lyric wise it’s ok. I guess it all comes down to me just finding nothing special about it. This is defiantly the radio song. It’s soft enough for the non heavy metal fans to get into, and it gives the Metallica fans a taste of the rest of the album. Good thing is, the rest of the album is so much better than this. Which is a pleasant surprise since most bands put out their most amazing song and the rest of the album blows. Believe me, I know they were trying to show their musical range, but to me, meh. No real direction to it, and it seemed thrown together. I found myself checking the time counter on my iPod, hoping it would be over soon. Best part was the riff compellation toward end. Kirks hand must have been killing him after this one. 5/10

Song #5 “All Nightmare Long”

Starts off kinda like Enter Sandman. Then progresses into an insane assault of guitars. Hell I’ll give it to Lars on this one. I love the drums! Just enough to kick some ass and not too overpowering. Now this one is a little more dark then the rest of the songs, and the lyrics back that up. Great vocals by James and yet again Kirk gave his guitar a workout. It’s a 50/50 combo of instrumental time and vocals, which gives the listener the ability to appreciate both and ignore neither. Loved how they let it drop for a few seconds so you think its over, and then BOOM, they rock back into the song with authority. After listening to this one, I felt tired and i wasn’t the one shredding up the guitar. 9/10

Song #6 “Cyanide”

Hey what’s that? Omg is that the bassist? Do you finally get to hear him? Well for about 10 seconds in the beginning and towards the end. lol. Ok now to the actual song. It’s less intense then the others musically, but vocally it’s just as hard as the rest of the songs. There is less going on in this one, which works perfectly because of where its placed on the album. By this point you are ready for a break, or at least a few minutes to be able to gather your thoughts. Sitting here I am highly pleased by this song. It has its highs and lows in the action, and doesn’t skip a beat. 8/10

Song #7 “The Unforgiven III”

Now before I even go here, I just wanted to say that after Unforgiven too, I was waiting for another giant piece of garbage to come about if a third installment was produced. Well I will admit I was dead wrong. It starts off with some strings and a piano, which set the mood for the entire piece. Then they dissapear and the guitars start. Slow at first with a little symbol action. Then the strings, guitars, and drums start to make this melody. And then the Lyrics start with the backing of guitars and a steady drum beat. I was suprised by the constant variation of melodies and how well they blended. Though without James’ vocal power, they would not have blended anywhere near as well as they did. Catchy chorus, and the musical arrangement is almost perfect. This song serves as your transition. You can see how the band can progress from a thrash filled beginning and start to wind it down. 8/10

Song #8 “The Judas Kiss”

Did I say wind it down? HA! The opening great on this one and kinda goes all over the place. Though after a few seconds it settles in to a constant ear pounding assault. Lyric wise it’s not bad and kinda interesting. Though the instruments are what make this song. My only problem is that it goes to chorus too fast and talk about rhyming every sentence, sheesh! Overall a fun song and defiantly one that you will be turning up in the car so the rest of highway can share in your fun. 8/10

Song #9 “Suicide and Redemption”

This is a fade in so don’t adjust your volume or your ears will explode when it comes to full volume. It keeps you hooked with a catchy guitar riff and you actually get to hear some of the bassist again. Metallica must be feeling very giving to let him be heard on two songs so far! Anyway, this is a full ten minute instrumental song. It sounds kinda trippy in some parts and in others like a true metal riff fest. I was expecting more from their instrumental though. It seems like this one needed lyrics to really give it a boost. Not too much I can say about this one. 7/10

Song #10 “My Apocalypse”

This one kinda reminds me of their earlier work on Ride the Lightning. Only problem is it reminds me of their not so great work on Ride the Lightning. It’s a trashy sounding assault, but other than the insane solo, it’s nothing special and defiantly not a way to end an album of this caliber. It’s a tad better than “The Day that Never Comes”, but only a little bit. For a closer to such a great album, it leaves you wanting more, and depressed that this is the best they could do to finish it off. 6/10

So there you have it. Metallica’s latest release “Death Magnetic” sure was a lot better than I could have imagined and surprised me in every way possible. Sure it had its good and bad, but its good defiantly outweighed the bad by a ton! I got to give it to the guys, I had my doubts about this album, I thought it was going to be another Saint Anger, and I am very very pleased that I was mistaken. Kirks solos were amazing, Lars did some great drum work (though some more bass next time, that way it’s not as overpowering). And James’ rhythm guitar was out of this world and I feel it’s overlooked most of the time. I wish I could give you an impression of the bass guitar work, but hell you can’t hear it. Kinda reminds me of Metalocalypse where they say Murderface’s bass work has gotten so much better and they may not edit it out of the next album. Lol.

Overall this album to me is an 8/10. If the final song would have been a lot better and would have been a fitting end to the album, then I would boost it to a 9/10. But it left a lot to be desired, and was a poor end. Though the rest of the album was absolute gold and defiantly showed that metal isn’t dead, it was just taking a vacation after rocking for so many years. (UPDATE) Ok I listened to the album in my car today… WOW it sounds so much more amazing that way then listening to it on headphones.

This entry was posted by James on Thursday, September 11th, 2008 at 10:25 am and is filed under Entertainment, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.