The majority of this album is good in moments. What I mean is that certain parts of songs are good, but as a cohesive unit they are pretty awful. "All Within My Hands", the closing track, is a perfect example of this. It's a bloated eight plus minutes long, and it embodies everything that is wrong with the album. The parts where Hetfield actually sings "all within my hands" are pretty cool, but the rest of the song is a disaster. Other moments in the album are strong too, like the break in "Shoot Me Again." Once again, it too is a mess.

     There are only a select few songs that stand out here as legitimate pieces of fluent music. The title track "St. Anger" is a highlight, "Sweet Amber" is truly awesome, and "Frantic" is a solid track with a catchy rythym. Hetfield maintains a fine consistency in terms of his lyrics - comeplling as usual. It's just a shame that the rest of the album couldn't live up to the strength of the three songs I mentioned.

     My question is - what went wrong here? Why is this album such a tremendous departure from the rest of their work? It's not even a throwback to their younger days from the 80s - those albums were some of the best the metal genre had to offer as they were technical and complex masterpieces. St. Anger sounds nothing like that, not even close. Metallica must have disliked this album after they made it because their newest album, 2008's Death Magnetic sounds like a true throwback to the old days and makes no reference in any way to St. Anger - if anything, it defies it because Death Magnetic contains a flurry of guitar solos.

     If St. Anger were made by any other band, it would have been easily dismissed. This album only garnered any sort of merit because of the band itself. Metallica is one of the finest bands of the past few decades, and with good reason. St. Anger is the one of the most disappointing albums in recent memory, and it's surprising that Metallica, with its incredible talents, could release such a subpar album.

     Regardless St. Anger has some highlights, but they are few and far between. It's one major plus is a live-studio DVD included with the CD that features the band performing the entire album in the studio with new bassist Robert Trujillo (producer Bob Rock played bass on the album itself). The live DVD makes the album much more listenable, but it doesn't save it from its inherent issues. In any case, I'm glad it was included.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"St. Anger"

"Sweet Amber"

"Frantic"

-Kurt L.

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     Was Metallica looking to cater to this new era of rock music? Or were they looking to redefine it in their own way? Well, either way, Metallica was changing, and it was a good change, but it also led to something of a decline later on. I feel that the Black Album marked a certain polarization amongst fans of the heavy metal act. Some thought this new album was too "mainstream", feeling that Metallica was abandoning its hardcore past. Others felt it was an epiphany. Either way, it was a monumental success and launched the band into the the stratsophere. I never felt that this album was an abondonment of their previous work, but rather a new direction and a new brand of expression.

     Throughout the 1980s, Metallica established a signature sound that consisted of tremendously intricate guitar work and dark themes. The dark themes remain in the Black Album, but the guitar work, and ultimately the rest of the bands sound is taken down a few notches. The melodies are simpler and a lot less technical. By rock standards, they were still more advanced than anyone else, but, for Metallica, it was a significant change in sound. It was certainly more appealing to the radio, as this album featured some of the most iconic and endearing songs of the 1990s, many of which are still hugely popular today. "Enter Sandman", undoubtedly their most famous song to date, has become a staple in their concerts and is played in every one of their concerts since. It's also popular amongst baseball fans as it is the entrance music for New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, as well as former New York Mets closer Billy Wagner. "Sad But True", "Wherever I May Roam", Holier Than Thou", and "Nothing Else Matters" are all included here in all their glory. I simply must mention "The Unforgiven", which is arguably Metallica's finest hour.

     It's amazing that so many incredible tracks are all on one single album, but such is the case for the Black Album. An effort that was a rather laborious one for the band. The recording process was lengthy, leaving the band physically and emotionally drained, so much so that after its tour, the band took a five year hiatus from the studio.

     So, yes, this album has a tremendous arsenal of killer songs, but outside of its most popular, some of the tracks, particularly in the latter half of the album, stumble. The lesser known tracks on here are certainly not as compelling as the more famous ones, something that was not the case in Metallica's previous records. In for instance, Master of Puppets, each song was strong, and the album had a very complete feeling to it. Not to imply that the Black Album was a rushed work, as it certainly wasn't, but perhaps the attention and emphasis was placed on some songs rahter than all. However, there is no doubting the brilliance here - this record is a treat and a pleasure for the ears.

     Ultimately, it is an album that should not be missed, but it is likely that you have heard many of these iconic songs already because this work was so impactful on the industry. Following this album, Metallica would continue to make plenty of great music, but more flaws have become evident in their more recent works (with the exception of Death Magnetic). Some consider the Black Album as the beginning of the end, but for me, it wasn't. It's certainly a landmark album, and one that has stood the test of time, and one that propelled the band into a very interesting direction, and it wasn't for the worse.

     1991 was indeed a great year for music, as well as many other things in the entertainment industry. If you'd like to see more, check out my Ethos Video Review on entitled "1991: The Year of Stuff", just click on the Ethos YouTube Channel to see it. Metallica's Black Album was perhaps the biggest album of that year, and is one of the most memorable of the entire decade. Listen to it and hear for yourself.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"The Unforgiven"

"Enter Sandman"

"Sad but True"

"Wherever I May Roam"

"Nothing Else Matters"

"Holier Than Thou"

"Through The Never"

-Kurt L.

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     Metallica, back at the top where they belong! After 2003's major misfire, St. Anger, Metallica in the mainstream eye was undoubtedly hurting. Many hardcore fans questioned whether or not they would ever return to their tremendous success of the 1980s, and others felt that they simply lost it. I was discouraged by St. Anger, and I am a big fan of the band, and that album just didn't have it. It didn't have the musicality and cohesiveness of past Metallica albums, which were for the most part, all classic in their own ways. Death Magnetic marks a return to vintage Metallica, but also at the same time, shows the band aiming their sights at the future in a new direction - and ultimately rejuvenated.

     The first significant change in Death Magnetic is the production. Bob Rock, longtime Metallica producer since the days of the mega-popular Black Album, has been dropped in favor of Rick Rubin. Rubin has an extensive, and impressive resume of bands he has helped sound better - he has produced Slayer, Audioslave, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and even Johnny Cash. With such versatility, and understanding, Rubin seems like a great choice for cleaning up the muddy sounds of St. Anger. Of course, it's not all Rubin, but the band itself evolved dramatically over the five year absence from the studio. They return focused, and driven, something that was lacking in the previous album.

     This is Metallica returning to its heavy metal roots, but also embracing and encompassing its entire grand history, and delievering all of the different facets the greatly talented Metallica possesses. What I always loved about Metallica is that they have always been able to craft such masterpieces in the heavy metal genre, and never sound dissonant - always maintaining a high level of aesthetic quality. This brilliance is exuded here again on Death Magnetic. From beginning to end, it is a smartly crafted, modern day Metallica masterpiece. It is easily their best work of the past twenty years, arguably on par with the Black Album. It harkens back to And Justice For All... in many ways, but also touches on some of the more mellow and melodic sounds of their later 90s albums as well.

     The musicianship on this album is some of their best. We know how great they are, and this album shows why. And thankfully, guitar solos are back! Yes! That's right! St. Anger had NO guitar solos! How could such a legendary band like Metallica, known for some of the most technical of guitar work have an album completely absent of solos? Well, the band quickly turned that around as Death Magnetic features some incredible guitar work. It's simply a marvel to behold!

     The heart of Metallica, I always felt, lies with James Hetfield, the lead singer, primary songwriter, and guitarist. His voice sounds as good and as strong as ever - he shouts, spits, spews, and also vocalizes in all the right places. Listen to the strength, energy, and aggressiveness of the opening track "That Was Just Your Life", and then the epic beauty of "The Day That Never Comes." Also, "The Unforgiven III" features some of his best vocal performances ever, and on a personal note, it's one of my favorite Metallica songs to date.

     The album even looks like a classic Metallica album. Just look at the track layout on the back of the CD or vinyl record - it looks just like Master of Puppets or And Justice For All.... And the songs themselves all get the grandiose, epic treatment as each song clocks in at around six or seven minutes. It features an instrumental near the end, just like Ride The Lightning did and Master of Puppets. And similarly, like Master, which ended with the thrash classic "Damage Inc.", Magnetic ends with a thrash piece of its own in "My Apocolypse." Is this to say their new album is formulaic? Not really, because this is the Metallica brand - this is good music!

     Death Magnetic is a great album. From the opening heartbeat sounds of "That Was Just Your Life" to the blazing fury of "My Apocolypse", this album is tremendous. It should end the polarization among some of Metallica's fans that the band isn't hardcore anymore - they always were, I never thought they "sold out" by any stretch, but only matured. Here in Death Magnetic, they have peaked I feel in maturing as a band, and now can enjoy this even-keeled state of balance and great music on par with all of their best work. Metallica is one of the best bands to ever grace the music world, and this album epitomizes why they remain on top.

     Though they never really faded away at all from our hearts, this album serves as a reminder, and as a lesson in how good Metallica is. Enjoy!

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"The Day That Never Comes"

"The Unforgiven III"

"That Was Just Your Life"

"All Nightmare Long"

"Cyanide"

"The End of The Line"

-Kurt L.

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