Metallica - Death Magnetic

I used to be a fan of Metallica, prior to their whole Napster fiasco. A recent birthday had me reminiscing again and I decided to check this album out, just for the hell of it. Sadly, this release fails to hit the target on so many levels.

I sense Metallica is also trying to recapture its youth as well. The first few songs on this new album are straight out of Metallica's early days, pre-black album stuff, with Kirk convulsing on the guitar, and James hacking up a lung into the microphone. Nothing here seems to approach the genius that was Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning, but the spirit is one and the same.

Where Metallica seems to shine most lately is during those times when they seem to relax into their talent. Instead of forcing the harsh guitar, they ease into a rhythm on songs like "The Day That Never Comes" and in the early parts of "The Unforgiven III". These songs are more reminiscent of the Black Album and far superior to the rest of what's being released here, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, my copy seemed to collapse into distortion at times. Not sure if that's because of the digital samples I downloaded, or because the music itself was crappy. My samples are 256 Mbps, which are typically good enough for most music I listen to.

I am left wondering if Metallica has lost its edge or if I've just grown up and lost my angst. Something tells me they will fail to touch the hearts and minds of today's youth with this latest attempt. While I appreciate their attempt to re-live their golden era, I just don't see Metallica making a comeback with this album. Not until they learn to relax and let their instruments sing again will they truly be able to raise themselves out of the muck that started soon after Napster. Not to mention the fact that the times have changed since then. The anger and angst are missing from these songs, and no amount of Kirk using his magic fingers on the fretboard can save this album from being mundane.

So glad I didn't spend money on this!

Sifted: 6 out of 10

Experienced

You can probably drop off your laundry next door....

Soccer Fans Commit Police Brutality!

Because instant karma's gonna get ya!

Rage Against The Machine!!!

There's a reason I love this band and always have....