Death Magnetic

Nay-sayers beware your death!Straight out of the gate, the first thing I notice is that Metallica has released an album with only ten songs, this fills me excitement and apprehension, excitement with the hope that this must mean that every song is GREAT, apprehension because, if they are great, there are only ten!That Was Just Your Life - the first ten seconds of this song don't even sound like Metallica, its fresh, clean tone a great intro to get the blood pumping. A hard driving song and the first clear picture of the album.....the sound...is AMAZING. The guitars are thick and heavy, finally for the first time since the black album the guitars are back, up front and in your face!The End of the Line - you can really hear Rob's influence in this song....the main riff has a lot of groove to match its heavy (if you know Rob's history you'll hear it here!) The bridge in this song is incredible, that dropped bass, clear guitars behind James slow voice...NICE guys, friggin NICE! Great use of dynamics in this song.Broken, Beat & Scarred - Full driving, hard hitting from the first note. Again, sweet harmonies, ripping guitar riffs to burn your face off! (this song makes me a little sad when I think about what St. Anger "could have" sounded like) I really like the lyrical movement in this song, this song is incredibly tight but doesn't feel strangled like the St. Anger's tunes. I cannot wait to hear this song live. IMO this song is a must for the set list guys!!!The Day That Never Comes - you've heard it and I'm sure like many you said, is this the new Metallica song, or did I click the wrong button??? The intro with its clean, biting guitars is a bit of a different sound for them (its an octave up from where you'll find them on previous albums) Again, is it just me or can no one else hear the Iron Maiden/Diamond Head influences in this song? (so for those who have indeed said Metallica have gone back to their roots were right, but any time anyone says that people come expecting a Ride or MOP copy, come on where were you in 1981?!!!) The slide harmonies in the intro are SICK...friggin beautiful. Rob really shines here also, my Bose speakers were humming, we all know this guy is great, and now we can HEAR it! If this is the future of Metallica, the rest of my musical life just kicked into high gear.This song will be another bullet when played live.All Nightmare Long - Kick drum, bass line, clean guitars to open this baby up, then driving riffs straight into a heavy gallop (and I can't say it enough the guitars sound amazing Rick Rubin stand up and take a bow) this song sounds like a natural progression from Damage Inc. to me!! Listen to the two songs back to back and tell me Metallica have gone soft.Cyanide Heavy, heavy , heavy!! Drums and bass! Remember what those sound like? Yah, they're back!! I really like the lyrical movement in this song, riffs flow amazingly well with the vox, and this song also has a lot of groove between those epic guitars and stops. (again you may mourn what could have been on St. Anger when hearing this) I love the chorus in this song.The Unforgiven III I saw this title on the back cover and my shoulders slumped (didn't really think Unforgiven II was all that great) But this song really stands on its own...and it may shock some with a PIANO intro. Yah, the ivory keys on a Metallica record. But don't worry every second of this song is great, it has an epic feel and really paints a picture with the music. The volume swells used in the bridge really brought me straight back to ORION.The Judas Kiss - Lots of stops and quick riffs in this, fast lyrical movement...liked the short solo coming out of the bridge.Suicide & Redemption - This is such a great surprise, they are so great at constructing epic instrumentals. I was so disappointed in the last few years that they had dropped that from their records. It's back and you'll see a thousand images in your minds eye while you're listening.My Apocalypse A great way to close the album, its not a short one-off like some of their records, it's a great closer with a lot of power and grit, they haven't closed an album with a song this strong since Justice.FINAL THOUGHTS:Raise a fist in the air for all the harmonies! These are everywhere on this album (Kirk and James playing the same riff an octave apart)...still don't understand what I mean? Check out any Iron Maiden album, they are known for dual guitar harmonies. This Metallica album is full of them, hard, heavy harmonies that make your speakers glow with heavy godliness.Metallica's early influences are everywhere here: Diamond Head, Angel Witch, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond...you will hear those influences on this album again (remember back to Kill Em All and Ride? Yah)I've listened to Metallica nearly all of my life, and this album sounds like a natural progression in their history to me. Load, Reload and St. Anger don't fit for me, they seem more like detours. Death Magnetic feels like its on the hard road, fitting comfortably after the black album.The bass on this album is superb, the only down side for me were the solos. I don't feel that they were good enough for the songs. They weren't good enough for the album. They were fast licks and ascending and descending lines with no real phrasing, instead of a mini-story they weren't much else than quick runs (Kirk you are better than this, turn off that WAH box and go back to the fundamentals)I am anxiously awaiting seeing Metallica LIVE. That is where they really shine.In closing: Just like all of Metallica's records, so-called old school fans will crap all over it and the truth of it is...these people are angry with everyone that has changed, Kill, Ride and MOP will NEVER happen again, and frankly I don't want them to. It's an impossibility and it isn't even reasonable to expect that it will happen again. I see those so-called old school fans on all the message boards, and they try to provoke people, while they sit in their desk chair with their old ratty t-shirts at 37 years old with mullets and acne scars. This album feels right and it is METALLICA. For the first time in many years I am excited again about a Metallica album and in the end, that's all that really matters. See you at the show!!!!!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!! Hell yeah! This is some mind crushing work and in my opinion it stands with all of the earlier Metallica work and exceeds And Justice For All! Simply amazing stuff here. long songs but so many tempo changes they stay fresh as hell. The band is completely ON FIRE here. Yes it is recorded loud but do not let that scare you away. I gave up on Metallica after Load came out and never bought another album. They have won me back in a big way....this hits like a Mike Tyson right hook!!! Smoking, killer, 5 star album!!! Can not wait to hear the next one! Come on boys, make it happen!Edit: I thought I would mention for anyone thinking about purchasing the vinyl that it is a lot better than the CD. Still sounds loud but not as much clipping and the instruments are more clear. This album rocks, the negative critics on the sound quality are overblown.Edit 10/2015: After repeated listens to the vinyl there is still an alarming amount of clipping which is unfortunate. I have never seen the DR ratings for this vinyl but would imagine it comes in at 5 or 6 which is piss poor for vinyl. I finally broke down and downloaded a remastered version which blows the original CD and vinyl away. It is sad that some guy in his moms basement can master an album better than a "professional" getting paid tons of money. Lars, if you are reading this get up off your ass and remaster this album properly!!!My full Metallica power rating rundown:1. Kill Em All 10.0 - a perfect metal album for me. The first and still the best. Brutal energy unleashed, raw but extremely powerful. Masterpiece number one and my first Metallica album.2. Ride The Lightning 9.9 - easily could be considered a 10. This one adds some polish to the production and shows some growth in song writing and James vocals show improvement. The title cut is a brutal assault and Fade To Black remains one of the greatest metal songs ever written. The Call of Ktulu is an incredible instrumental as a closer.3. Master of Puppets 9.8 - many fans would put this at number one. Stellar production and incredibly strong from start to finish. Battery, Master of Puppets, and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) all stunning and epic masterworks. Orion may be there best instrumental ever and Damage Inc. is about as strong as closer as you can get.4. Death Magnetic 9.6 - production problems aside this album is so strong and so consistent it has moved into my top four. The first four songs are as strong as you will ever find. Incredible stuff here, wildly shattering all expectations. Absolute masterpiece and very easily the album of the year. Truly one of the great metal albums of all time. This deserves a proper remastering. Search out a download remaster version without the compression.5. St. Anger 9.5 - that's right!!! A rock solid offering and highly addictive from start to finish. No weak tracks here! This challenges Kill Em All for most angry and agressive Metallica album. This one is criminally underrated! Wow, love the drum sound and everything about this. A few more guitar solos would have pushed this closer to a 10.6. And Justice For All 9.4 - obviously an all time classic and the last of the first four brutal and classic era. Long intricate songs with expert playing. This one pushed Metallica into a new level on popularity with MTV.7. Black Album/ Load/ Reload 9.0 - all incredible in their own right and all rock solid. This is polished Metallica, fully produced with more of an AC/CD hard rock sound than their speed metal roots. These albums outraged some fans who wanted the old Metallica to continue forever. I disagree. Still full of great songs and blistering solo's if you can get over your preconceived notions of what Metallica should sound like and simply enjoy it on it's own merits.This band has never released a poor album in thier existence.