M ETALLICA

I am sick of people bad-mouthing bands (namely Metallica for this discussion). If you don't like the music, DON'T LISTEN TO IT! You don't have to make yourself feel better by telling everyone else your opinion! Truth is that the idea behind (most) bands is to create music that THEY like to play. Sure, some bands get caught up in what the fans want and play that. Sometimes it works and sometimes the music goes downhill. The point is that if Metallica likes the music they make, then its good music. I love Metallica to death! I listen to all the albums and appreciate the maturing and evolving journey the band and their music have taken through the last 2 decades. How can you say they are sellouts? Is there a reason? Hell no! I love Jason's statement on VH-1, when the interviewer asked him what he thought of some of the fans saying they sold out...he said "...hell yeah we sell out....every show we play, anywhere we play, everytime..." (paraphrase).Theres no reason on earth that would justify them being called "sellouts" They have every right to play what they want to play. If you told them you don't like it I can guarantee they wouldnt give a sh*t! Who says they have to keep playing super fast super heavy metal? Why does their purpose have to be to please all the freakin hardcore headbangers out there? There are plenty of bands that have always and will always play speed/thrash metal. If that's what you like, LISTEN TO THEM! You have no right to tell a band what they should sound like, what their "style" should be, what they should sing about, what pictures to put on their albums. Metallica has always been about doing what METALLICA wants. Their "F**k the world! We'll do what we want!" attitude is part of what makes them who they are as a band. Along with extreme musical talent, creativity, versatility, and individuality....Metallica is by far one of the most influential bands of the last 25 years! The record sales speak for themselves...and the guy who said that Metallica was the sellout album and that it sucked....what the hell are you smoking!!! That thing has been platinum more times than you can probably count without stopping for a puff on your pipe! I am so pissed when people start blowing off what they think are legitimate statements and arguements! Metallica has plenty of TRUE fans who are LOYAL to them no matter what! Period! I'm proud to be one of them. I'm in it for the same reason Metallica is in it...FOR THE MUSIC!!!! And we sure as hell don't need people like you who can't accept the fact that they decide to play something different. Anyone who says "...i used to be a Metallica fan until (such and such) album came out...." You all can go to hell because that just proves that you were never really a fan of Metallica as a band and musicians....you just liked to bang your head. Guess what? You can still bang your head! I ran into a guy on ebay who was selling his entire Metallica collection because they "sold-out" with Load.....I mean really? Is there any logic to that? NO! So you don't like Load as much as Master, or Justice? Don't buy it! Don't listen to it! You still have Master! You still have Justice!! Deal with it! Well I think I have said everything I want to say. Hopefully this site still exists and this email address still is active and I get put on the boards. Otherwise this was all for nothing! I feel better though! hehe....Ill leave you with my favorite songs from each album even though they are ALL my favorite.

Kill 'Em All has some awesome tunes! I am an audiophile as well with some really nice gear (Paradigm Studio series is very good with Metallica...very fast and dynamic...and CHEAP!!)..this presents a problem with the pre Metallica albums as they were horribly mastered....The 4 Horsemen is great! Phantom Lord! Seek ANd Destroy! hell all of them! haha

Ride The Lightning...hmmm...Call OF Ktulu is one of my all time favorites to listen to (and play)....Metallica makes awesome instrumentals...I wish they would do new ones. For Whom The Bell Tolls can hardly be beat. ROCKS!!! Fade To Black wins! And Creeping Death is amazing!..ok all of them here kick ass as well

Master Of Puppets is so progressive and contrasty (is that a word?)....From beginning to end it keeps you on the edge of your seat...you can really see the musical talent developing here with intricate and complex riffs and rhythms, solos by Kirk are as always very tight...I love the way he plays them exactly as recorded when he plays live...amazing control he has...Orion here another instrumental that is beautiful...especially the second half...i wish that solo would go on forever...gives me goosebumps...intros are key here with Battery and Welcome Home...Master is one of the best live performances by anyone period...again..every song here wins!

...And Justice For All continues in the steps of Master by even furthering the complex rhythms and riffs...a little more structured and powerful...Lars really shines on this album! And though Jason is hard to hear, come on...he's the new guy....hehe....the kick drum sound here is unique..I LOVE IT!! pounds you in the chest...especially the intro to One...Blackened is insane crazy...as is Dyers Eve...listen to Lars go!! how tiring that must have been..doing take after take in the studio..although he probably doesnt screw up too terribly much....I always revert to One as my "favorite" IF I have to choose one song anyways...the instrumental here again is sweeet. Love it all...whole thing...every song....produced tons better than the last 3

Metallica was the beginning of a new era. Mostly because of Bob Rock. He made the "Metallica sound"....the heavy "wall of guitars"....gut-wrenching powerful riffs and chords throughout the whole album! Kirk's precise, edgy, and fluid solos really come out here....Shorter songs, and more "symmetric" i would say....thats how it feels anyways. Jason really does play!!!! YAY!! I can hear the bass! The digital production and mastering here makes night and day difference...the dynamic range and signal/noise ratio improved to the point of incomparability...and it gets even better with Load....I cant say enough of this album....this was my first exposure to Metallica in middle school....and the rest is history..i was hooked from the first time i heard Enter Sandman..then came Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters, and Wherever I May Roam....dang,...every track here is an adrenaline rush...Nothing Else Matters is the most emotionally involving song to date. Sounds incredible played at concert levels on my Paradigms....mmmm gotta love that kick drum in the chest! The snare crack on this album is the most powerful too....love it! Did something different on Load but still sounds great..ok every song on this rocks! Anyone who says otherwise needs to be shot. Sold more albums that you can imagine!

Load....another new era...this one more obvious. 5 years is a long time between albums and it shows...much more "freedom" in the studio....looser and more relaxed I imagine...kind of a "lets just play around and see what happens" sound....i like it..its different, new, exciting....fun to listen too...lots of catchy riffs and vocals....standouts to me are Ronnie...that song is so much fun! Bleeding Me, Wasting My Hate, Until It Sleeps...i can go on and on...EXCELLENT recording quality on this one...audiophile standard...imaging and staging are without limits....its not as bright as Metallica but it sounds smoother and warmer...i like it a lot...I still find myself flipping to track 13 more than any other track on here....love it....love it ...love it....

Reload...honestly I havent spent as much time with this one as I should....Starts off crunchy...Fuel is a classic....Devil's Dance has great bass lines Unforgiven 2 turned out awesome...love the allusions to the prequel at the end...I like Carpe Diem...rhythm on that song rocks....drums too...

Low Man's Lyric is off the wall for these guys but thats what i like...excellent song..Where The Wild Things Are....thats a great one too...creepy monsters...hehe....overall this one is an excellent "sequel" to Load....continues the free, loose feel to it....also reproves the fact that this is a very versatile, and evolving band. Musically talented and mature...exploratory would be a good word...again this one is all good....just need to play it more...(ill admit that Justice is the most played around here :)

Well here we are...a month before St. Anger.......less now! I can't wait! It is going to be by far the best album yet by the horsemen! The energy you feel from the boys is incredible! James is sober! woohoo!!! Good man! Lars is...well Lars is Lars...he cracks me up....Kirk is awesome...he is so mellow...he's always been the "quiet" guy. Rob is something else....he will make a great addition. Hopefully you all caught MTVIcon? That was intense to say the least....the medley that played just had so much fresh energy and adrenaline. It was really really an experience to remember. Anyways....this was longer than i was hoping but thats what i get for being a fan! Hope you all can find it in yourselves to either be a real true loyal fan or get lost and dont bother us with your bitching. It means nothing and just takes up space. So give me a Hell Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andrew Sherwood, aka Audiophiliac Boise, ID

KILL 'EM ALL (1983)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: The Four Horsemen, Seek And Destroy. LOW POINTS: Metal Militia, No Remorse.

It's amazing how some albums probably sounded absolutely mindblowing and influential and dangerous and whatnot around the time they were released (which I'm sure applied to this in 1983), but now seem dated and laughable now. So goes Kill 'Em All, pretty much the first seriously recognized thrash metal album, recorded by a young band who were set on writing extremely fast, intense songs about death, partying and kicking ass. 'Young' is the key word here - throughout these 50 minutes, this album veers much more toward immaturity than intelligence (i.e. juvenile and cliched lyrics, Hetfield's vocals having a weak, high-pitched quality to them, pretty basic and straightforward unrelenting 'thrash' arrangements that really don't have much variety, save for a bass solo in the middle which I'll get to later). The production sounds a bit thin, too, and the songs themselves... well, they just aren't that great either.

With that being said, there are definitely several promising ones to take hold of here. The biblical epic "The Four Horsemen" is the major classic, with a repetitive stinging two-guitar riff as its' main hook, and it's also the only song here that really has a progressive structure to it, switching between several different tempos and riffs (the best being the chanted middle section that qualifies as a major adrenaline rush). "Seek And Destroy" is probably the best representation of their live energy, with a cool beyond description echoey quality to the riff that chugs along wonderfully, cool enough that the anthemic quality of the melody allows me to give into the cheesiness of the lyrics ('you will pay, dying... one thousand deaths... searchiiiiiiing... seek and DESTROY!!!') Hilarious, but also dangerous-sounding at the same time. This can apply to the ass-kicking "Whiplash" as well - the lyrics are hopelessly dumb, but the sheer volume and pounding of this song are insane (especially for the time period), enough to overcome that the melodies here are nothing special.

The rest really isn't much to write home about, though. Well, the aforementioned Cliff Burton bass solo "Anesthesia--Pulling Teeth" is a welcome diversion in showcasing his considerable playing talent (plus that tone he gets is something I've never heard from a bass before), and when Ulrich joins in on drums toward the end, the result is great fun. But while not bad, several of these songs have a monotonous quality to them - the opening "Hit The Lights" and "Motorbreath" have the aggressiveness without actually doing anything besides showcasing the band's immaturity (the lyrics and mindless speed) and without much in the way of catchy melody. Even when they try a more midtempo approach, like "Jump In The Fire", there's not much to grab on to (though I must admit the riff here is really neatly done, even if there's really not much else besides that).

When it comes to stuff like "No Remorse" and "Metal Militia", though, it really makes me wonder about how this band could have made such a huge leap forward in a year. The former song is pretty much nothing but an extremely dull chugging through really long verses (shades of St. Anger, eh?) and an unmelodic 'threatening' refrain, and the latter is just terrible, arguably the worst song they'd ever write. A dreadful example of Hetfield's high-pitched screams (particularly during the chorus), pretty much no melody or interesting riffage to speak of, and distracting comical lyrics abound here. "Phantom Lord", despite the cool intro, is somewhat dull as well. Like I said, though, they'd get better at this sort of thing. So much better that it baffles me how this by comparison primitive effort can still be considered a classic, even if it is decent and of course influential.

OVERALL RATING: 6

Metallica's first major-label release. I read somewhere that most of the group was 19 around the time this was recorded (I could be mistaken), so James' balls have yet to drop. Very high-pitched yelling on most of the tracks, but ya know what? The riffs more than make up for it. Just about every track on side one has become a metal classic. "The Four Horsemen" is probably the most famous. Seven-minute long epic with this delightful galloping chugging guitar-riff. Very catchy. Then there's Cliff Burton's distorted bass solo "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" that is worshipped by budding four-stringers everywhere. But my personal fave on this disc is "Motorbreath", a high speed thrashfest about....um....well....I guess its about living life to the max. Damned if I know the real meaning behing the lyrics. Also, catch Kirk Hammett at his soloing best on this album, as he starts to get very repetitive on later releases. Overall, a good release, though a bit too immature sounding to get higher than a 7.

OVERALL RATING: 7

I can see how this would have sounded awesome back in 1983, but nowadays I'm pretty underwhelmed. One thing's for sure - there's nothing else like this in the entire Metallica catalogue - they went in a much more progressive direction as little as one year later with Ride The Lightning. What you'll find here is tight, fast performances that generally go nowhere. A few songs do rule, however - "Seek & Destroy" is a slow, powerful, menacing groove with an awesome chorus. "Motorbreath" is a hardcore, mean rock machine. "Whiplash" is quintessential mosh metal, complete with a killer guitar riff. "The Four Horsemen" is the closest in sound to later Metallica, and it rules as a result. Lots of great riffs crammed into 7 minutes make for a great listening experience.

Unfortunately, there are some problems. First and foremost, James' voice isn't good at all - he just screams in a high pitched yelp that lacks the power he would acquire soon after. The lyrics pretty much suck, too - it's all about thrashing and partying and dweeby 8th grade imagery of death and destruction. Plus, a bunch of these songs are well played and all, but not particularly memorable or even good ("Metal Militia" in particular should have been cut for something better - very cliched). Numbers like "Hit The Lights" and "No Remorse" just aren't exciting, no matter how much Hetfield screams and how fast the riffs are played. Plus, I find the much lauded bass solo of "Anesthesia" to be quite overrated - it's well played, of course, but it's a flippin' unaccompanied bass solo. It does pick up at the end, but the track still basically sounds like filler to me. The whole affair is rather dated as well - this sounds right out of 1983. Still, it's a decent enough debut with enough catchy riffs to make it worthwhile. Plus, it was quite influential, so you should probably pick it up for historical reasons if for no other.

OVERALL RATING: 6

RIDE THE LIGHTNING (1984)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: For Whom The Bell Tolls, Creeping Death, Fade To Black, Fight Fire With Fire, Escape. LOW POINTS: Trapped Under Ice.

I'm not really sure at what point Metallica decided to add in actual interesting elements to their uncompromising thrash attack, including somewhat complex progressive song arrangements and sonic embellishments, but in any case Ride The Lightning this has to be one of the greatest leaps forward in artistic quality that I've ever heard, especially for a metal band. In addition to that, James Hetfield's vocals are beginning to develop more from his high-pitched screams to his trademark growling (even if technically he's still not really a very good singer, but he sure as hell is an intense one), the lyrics have a far more mature and genuinely dark twist to them, the flashy guitar soloing and rhythm work is more controlled, and... well, there are several big reasons why this album is hailed as a metal classic for the ages, and it's certainly a turning point for establishing an intelligent, sophisticated side of the style. Plus it totally kicks ass, which is another requirement for classic metal.

Not that you'd know it from the opening seconds, though - "Fight Fire With Fire" begins with a quiet acoustic intro before absolutely exploding into a ridiculously fast onslaught of speed metal riffing and unconventional yet extremely catchy broken-up melody ('do... un... to others... as... they've... done to you'). I guess they thought that little psychological trick worked well, since they'd also use it to start off their next couple albums. And hey, the title track proves they can handle midtempo-styled songs just as well, if not better - witness that chugging riff and terrifying atmosphere that put the listener in the position of the electric chair victim in the lyrics ('flash before my eyes... now it's time... TO DIIIIIIIIIIIE!!!') and its' seamless, sudden switch to faster thrash in the spectacular bridge. And what the heck are those background effects during those more pounding sections? Whatever they are, they're incredibly effective.

The next two songs which follow are even better in defining not only the classic Metallica song, but maybe also metal as a whole. In fact, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" may possibly be the ultimate metal song of all time - just the way it builds on a 'marching' midtempo force with multiple classic riffs being crammed into my head within just its' first couple minutes is utterly awe-inspiring (particularly that odd-sounding distorted bass intro that's surely among Cliff Burton's finest moments), not to mention the vocal melody is one of the most compelling melodies they would ever come up with (and the way the music just drops down for a few seconds gives it even more intensity). And the pounding fury of the last minute or so.... HELL YEAH!!! This is proof metal need not be mindless speed and technically blazing solo wanking to be great, as it works just as much on intoxicating atmosphere as it does energy. The pinnacle of their career for me, and easily one of my favorite songs ever - in any musical style. Period.

And to close off the side to relax the listener a bit, we get Metallica singing about the incredibly uplifting subject of suicide in "Fade To Black", featuring one of the greatest and most intelligent buildups of despairing guitar lines I've ever heard, as Hetfield sings lines like, 'I have lost the will to live, simply nothing more to give' before the heavy electric guitars interrupt the quiet melancholy and again kick the listener's ass with pure brutality. There's also a furious climax ('Death greets me warm... now I will just say goodbye....') then subsequently ends up in a fury of epic riffing and blazing Hammett soloing (yeah, I realize it's generic, but it's also really involving nonetheless). In short, another total freaking classic.

Unfortunately, the Metallicats didn't quite get rid of the more immature side of them on here, as shown by the start of side two. "Trapped Under Ice" is a rather lame and generic thrasher (with laughable vocals and lyrics) that would fit perfectly among the more average moments of Kill 'Em All. It might technically kick ass, but there's just nothing else going on beyond that, though thankfully at just over four minutes, it's also the shortest song on here. And hey, look what follows that one - a pop metal song whose main feature isn't a variety of complex riffs, brutal energy, or depressing subject matter, but a singalong chorus that's almost optimistic ('out for my own, out to be freeeeeee...') Yes folks, their 'sellout' roots begin here - how dare they try and actually create something based on pop hooks!!!!! Forget the fact that it's actually a great song. Yup, it is.

But an even greater song than that one would be the last of three orgasmic classics after "Bell Tolls" and "Fade To Black" - the Biblical epic "Creeping Death", being built on what has to be one of the greatest face-ripping thrash riffs ever (the opening one, anyway - there are a couple other riffs in there as well), and an incredibly adrenalizing fist-pumping chant within the slower bridge ('DIE!!!!! BY MY HAND!!! I CREEP ACROSS THE LAND!! KILLING FIRST BORN MAN!!!') Despite the darkness and chaos and death within that particular section of the song, it's hard not to sing along to it. Seriously! Plus it's got another typically great, crashing ending to fully satisfy me, the listener.

Finally, there's the closing "The Call Of Ktulu", the first in a serious of epic-length instrumental tracks that are decidedly Cliff Burton-influenced (both in the great, though often unfortunately a bit buried, bass parts and the ideas for the classical-styled arrangements he contributed). To be fair, at nearly 9 minutes, it's somewhat overlong considering there aren't that many variations of the main riff and the other instrumental melodies that pop up here, but it has a really dramatic build, with some cool noises and solos throughout, enough that it might be a fantastic song at 6 minutes or so. As it is, it's still mighty good, and damn it, so is the album. It established a great formula for the band (and thrash metal) that would continue on to even better success, and if not for the weaknesses found in the second half bookend tracks, it'd probably be even higher than the really, really solid 9 it already gets. A headbanging paradise.

OVERALL RATING: 9

I really don't see why this album is so often called Metallica's finest. Granted, "Creeping Death" and "Fade to Black" are two of the best Met songs ever recorded, but other than that, there really are no other great songs on here. "Fight Fire With Fire" is one of the most blazingly fast guitar riffs ever recorded, and is a decent song, but not great. The title track and "For Whom The Bell Tolls" leave me wanting. I also cannot understand why "Bell Tolls" is such a popular song. Its just dull to me. Ditto for the title track. Save the bridge, I really can't stand it. "Escape" is a dumb song, with a catchy POP riff, but nothing classic about it. I guess thats what I'm trying to say. Other than the two great songs mentioned at the beginning (and believe me, it is worth it to buy this album to hear those two songs), and a couple other good songs here and there, there is nothing really special here. And the only really great Hammett solo on this disc is on "Creeping Death".

OVERALL RATING: 5

This sounds like a totally different band than the one that released Kill 'Em All as recently as one year ago. On this album, the basic guitar riffs are replaced by progressive rock elements with lots of twists and turns in nearly every song. The lyrics, while still not as good as they would be, are much better than the lameness of the last album - war imagery on "For Whom The Bell Tolls", biblical imagery on "Creeping Death" (which might be my favorite Metallica song), and a haunting teenage anthem on "Fade To Black", which expresses feelings of hopelessness that everyone has - pretty deep for a thrash metal band. Plus, the songs are much more well written. "Fade To Black" in particular strikes me a song the band would be incapable of writing a year before - lots of acoustic strumming and a great melody leading up to a fantastic guitar solo.

The title track rocks like nobody's business. It's packed with great solos and tons of great riffs. The creepy "For Whom The Bell Tolls" boasts a wonderful intro and a super set of riffs, complete with a top notch melody. The opening "Fight Fire With Fire" is a bit of a throwback to the previous album, but it's generally much better, as the melody is very broken and complex. It's really fast, too. A headbanger's delight. "Creeping Death", with unbelievably effective apocalyptic imagery, is the high point on the album. It's awesome thrashing riffs meet one of the best choruses in thrash metal history. The chant in the middle, "Die! By my hand! I creep across the land! Killing first born man!", is one of the most memorable moments in the entire Metallica catalogue. The closing instrumental, the 8 minute "The Call Of Ktulu", leaves many people cold, but not me. The intro is breathtaking, the song features one of the best metal riffs ever, and the screams in the background enhance the dark mood of the song. It doesn't bore me at all, and sometimes I actually play the song 2 or 3 times in a row.

The album has enough flaws to drag it down to a 9, though - frankly, a lot of the lyrics are still pretty dumb (especially on "Trapped Under Ice", the tale of a man, well, trapped under ice). Plus, the numbers "Trapped Under Ice" and "Escape" aren't up to the standards set by the rest of the album. The latter has a catchy chorus, though the verses aren't as memorable. The former is, well, filler, though it is well played and all. Still, a decent heavy metal collection is incomplete without this.

OVERALL RATING: 9

COMMENTS

Huh. Pat D. gave it a 5? And he's supposed to be the thrash metal guru here. Weird.

Well, as you probably already know, I consider this Metallica's best album of the '80's. Reasons being: 1.) it's one of the darkest, most nightmarishly intense albums ever recorded, and 2.) it varies considerably in mood, from insanely machine-gun fast heavy ("Fight Fire with Fire"), to terriyingly ominous heavy (title track) to raise-your-fist-and-yell-along heavy ("For Whom the Bell Tolls") to depressingly majestic heavy ("Fade to Black") to gleeful thrill ride heavy ("Trapped Under Ice") to poppy catchy heavy ("Escape") to REALLY gleeful thrill ride heavy ("Creeping Death") to climactic, symphonically bombastic heavy ("The Call of Ctulu", the best song here). In contrast, Master of Puppets seems to possess only three moods: loud heavy, louder heavy, and loud-and-kinda-arty heavy. Plus, that album seems to depend WAY too much on endless repetition--I mean, "Disposable Heroes" is just basically their way of saying "Look, we can play the same riff at sixteen notes per second for eight minutes and you can NOT." Besides, "Damage, Inc." pretty much defines the word "anticlimax." If you want a little more variation and drama from your thrash metal LPs, pick up this one. It'll pick YOU up when you're depressed. I guarantee it.

MASTER OF PUPPETS (1986)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Master Of Puppets, Damage Inc., Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Disposable Heroes, Battery, Orion. LOW POINTS: None.

Heh, you think this band realized they had something going with Ride The Lightning? Well, I guess everyone who's heard both Ride and this album think the same way, as this followup 'rides' pretty much the same formula. However, I certainly do not see that as a weak point at all - Master Of Puppets may be structurally similar to its' predecessor, but it's also somewhat more complex, mature, and consistent. By now, the largely straightforward arrangements of Kill 'Em All have completely dissipated, leaving in their wake what is arguably the greatest heavy metal of all time, with one huge epic onslaught after another (the shortest song, "Battery", clocking in at a mere 5:12). There's a general concept revolving around the theme of power and its' abuses, while the involved song structures and the typical intensity remain. In other words, not your typical crappy 1986 mainstream album (that year was arguably metal's greatest, though).

So where exactly do I start here? How about, logically, with this album's equivalent of "Fight Fire With Fire", the opening "Battery"? It even goes as far as to start off with another acoustic intro (albeit a more ominous, depressing one than before), before going into a furious assault that's arguably even better, and more intense, than our last opener. Check out those opening lines - 'lashing out the action, returning the reaction, weak are ripped and torn away'. Some heartwarming stuff, eh? It's also sung at a fast, asskicking pace, and nicely complemented by a slower, intelligently crafted, pre-solo buildup. And continuing the total domination, there's the brilliantly arranged title track, which in its' 8-1/2 minutes seems to sum up the album perfectly in the chugging verses (the odd stop-start riff and drug-influenced lyrics like) and gorgeous middle section, a section that almost has a symphonic quality to it in the textured guitar lines and effortlessly melodic solos. Now what other thrash band would throw in something like that? Slayer? I think not!!!

Continuing the song 'matchups' with Lightning, there's the admittedly 'inferior to "For Whom The Bell Tolls"' grind of "The Thing That Should Not Be" (but what isn't inferior to that one?) Some call it overly slow and plodding, but I just can't see that at all - if you ask me, there's often more menace to the band's slower songs around this period than their high-speed ones, and this song is proof. I just love the spare-sounding tone of the sung parts of the verses, the bizarre Easterny Hammett solo, and the 'barking' tone to the guitars as it fades out, in particular. As for "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", I dunno if it's superior to its' 'bleak picture of a tortured mind' counterpart "Fade To Black", but it's certainly not weaker. There's more depressing watery guitar lines, and also a certain power to how the verses build up and seemingly get heavier and lighter at the perfect times. Plus, it really cuts loose on the thrashier parts, with simply awesome rhythm and solo work. And the rebellion in the lyrics - 'No more can they keep us in / Listen damn it, we will win!!!' AWESOME!

Well, things have certainly been impressive so far, and indeed, many metal fans consider the first half of Master to be the greatest in metal history, and it could very well possibly be, but hey, the second is really almost as good. "Disposable Heroes" in particular is a candidate for the most violent and ballistic song they ever did, with unbelievably fierce, and occasionally complex as hell riffing, plus the 'BACK TO THE FRONT!!!' chant is damn near as cool a rush as any part of "Creeping Death" was (the conviction of it coupled with the lyrics of mistreatment of soldiers in the military is quite impressive), and it hardly even seems as long as 8 minutes. Then we've got "Leper Messiah", which is probably the album's least impressive song, if only because the production quality sounds a bit too raw and the tempo a bit too sluggish, but it's still just as intense as anything else on here (how can those chants of 'LIE!! LIE!!! LIE!!!' not be great???), and the shift to its' progressive middle solo is a totally fantastic addition. Most bands would kill to have a song this good as the least impressive on an album.

Especially if they've got material like "Orion" and "Damage, Inc." surrounding it, as those two songs are as mindblowing a conclusion to an album as you can find. Not only that, but they also carry an eerie significance in the light of Cliff Burton's tragic death during the tour for the album. The former is particularly resonant in this respect - as another 8 minute instrumental, it's very often built on quite often eerie basslines, and it shifts through several different grinding riffs and expertly arranged solos before being interrupted by the sound of a gong, which leads to the middle section here. And that middle section has a somber, almost funeral-like tone to it, and on the whole it's actually one of the most genuinely beautiful and affecting stretches of music they ever came up with - the note choices here seem perfect. Oh, not that this song doesn't have sections of sheer intensity (it certainly does), but it certainly proves once and for all their talent for coming up with incredibly well thought out song structures.

The latter closing track, meanwhile, begins with another moody stretch of music that's largely bass-driven (Cliff gets a really neat atmospheric, almost ambient, tone to his instrument here), and leads perfectly into the main thrash portion of the album, again violent, unrelenting, power-dominated brutality in the music and lyrics ('BLOOD... WILL... FOL-LOW... BLOOOOOOOD..... DY-ING.... TIME.... IS.... HEEEEEERE!!! damage incorporated...') Sure, the lyrics might be dumb in how they convey this feeling here, but who cares? The music is still extremely invigorating, melodic and clever without being merely mindless speed. Plus, to make another Burton connection, the lyrics are about as gruesome as the way his death happened - a bus did fall on him, after all. Damn, what an album!! Definitely one of the greatest to come out of the 80's, and not just in metal either. Who says that repeating a successful formula has to mean you can't create a classic that's even better and more consistent than what came before?

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

This would be Metallica's final studio cut with bassist Cliff Burton due to an unfortunate accident when touring Europe. The good news? Well, it's an exceptional album, a cut above every other Met album, even the excellent AJFA. Most people (including myself, until very recently) believe that this is the greatest half-album ever made, with side one being that half. They will overlook the excellent songs on side two and moan about "Why couldn't they do side one again on side two?". Well, folks, the reason for that is simple: IT WOULD BE BORING AS HELL.

Anyway, on to the songs. No need in discussing anything on side one; the classics "Battery", "Master of Puppets", "The Thing that Should Not Be", and Sanitarium, speak for themselves. But side two......I find myself listening to side two far more often than one now, for the four songs that make up the second side are almost as good as the first. "Disposable Heroes". is easily as good as anything from side one. And the Hammett solo in the middle, ahhhhhhh. Probably the best he's ever done. Ditto for "Leper Messiah", my current favorite song on the disc. It has a hard-hitting catchy riff in the same vein as "Creeping Death" off of Ride The Lightning.

The legendary "Orion" instrumental is a bit overrated, but its not a bad song. Just "To Live Is To Die" off of Justice is far better. The last track, "Damage, Inc", has one of the best Hammett solos ever (well, at least technically), and sounds very much like "Dyers Eve" from their next release, but the difference is you can hear the BASS here. And man, what a cool rhythm guitar composition. On a side note, it may take you a while to appreciate the entire album (like me), but listening to side one over and over isn't exactly hell. So, stop your whinin' and pick it up. NOW.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(Robert Grazer's review)

Generally considered to be Metallica's best, I can't really disagree with that statement - I'm listening to this album right now (for about the 600th time) and it's still blowing me away. This is where Metallica finally shed their old generic thrash roots and really stepped up with tight, twisted, perfect compositions. Also, the lyrics here are almost 100% better than on previous releases - the songs all paint a very convincing picture of madness, fear, and manipulation. Gone are the D&D styled death and destruction lyrics and good time party lyrics of before. The anti-war "Disposable Heroes" hits me particularly hard - Metallica really give us a good picture of military ideals and the forced uniformity of soldiers. powerful, powerful stuff.

Plus, the tunes are almost note perfect! From the gentle opening of "Battery" to the creepy whispering at the end of "Damage Inc.", there's nary a dull moment on this album. The opener "Battery" is the most like old Metallica (of Kill 'Em All days), but even it's way better than anything on that album - fantastic singing against an awesome, fist-pumping fast metal groove. The sinister apocalyptic "The Thing That Should Not Be" rumbles along with plenty of great riffs alternating with great verse and chorus melodies. "Sanitarium" is really amazing - a totally beautiful melody that turns itself into a totally different (but equally great) twisted ending.

"Disposable Heroes" rocks really powerfully for a full 8 minutes, alternating between awesome riffs, great soloing, and one of the creepiest, best choruses ever. The title track... well, I've already discussed how awesome most of these songs are, and the title track is no exception. The instrumental "Orion" is totally great, too - in my opinion, it isn't as good as "Ktulu" from the previous album or "To Live Is To Die" from the next one, but you won't hear me saying a bad word about it. And as for every song I didn't mention - they all rule, too. Just as much as the ones I mentioned. The mark of a really great album is the inability to pick a favorite. There's no way I'm going to pick a favorite here. Every single song rules like there's no tomorrow. If you like either (A) thrash metal, (B) progressive rock, or (C) beautiful melodies, this is a must buy.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

The third Metallica release is certainly a step down from Ride The Lightning in nearly everyway. Of course it is also a Lightning clone. So let’s compare the two, switching around “Orion” and “Damage Inc.” First, “Battery” is a dozen times better than “Fight Fire With Fire.” The acoustic intro alone intro easily shows the difference. The one in “Fight Fire With Fire” was neat, but nothing like the beauty of the one on here. As far as title tracks go Master gets another point, which really should go without saying. But from then on, Lightning proves itself as still being the best Metallica album. “The Thing That Should Not Be” was never one of my favorite Metallica songs. It’s good, just not a classic like “For Whom The Bell Tolls.” “Fade To Black” is superior to “Welcome Home (Sanitarium),” but it’s very close. I prefer “Black” mostly because the solos are better, and it was the first Metallica song I ever truly loved.

Side two on Master is not nearly as good as side two on Lightning. Lightning starts out with “Trapped Under Ice,” and I have certainly never been too big a fan of that one, even if I find it more enjoyable than “Disposable Heroes.” “Escape” is a dozen times better than the terrible “Leper Messiah.” “Messiah” may very well be my least favorite song on this whole album. I really hate it. I think pretty much everyone agrees that “Creeping Death” is better than “Damage Inc.” What you may not agree with is my saying that while “Orion” is a great song, the best on the album, “The Call of Ktulu,” my favorite Metallica song, works much better on every single level. “Orion” had no real mood to it. All it showed us were some really cool riffs and such. Great song, though. I don’t know what the most overrated heavy metal album is. Maybe this, maybe AC/DC’s Back In Black, but I still haven’t heard that one all the way through (believe it or not). Master of Puppets is an excellent album even if neither Metallica’s nor metal’s best.

OVERALL RATING: 8

(Gold Disc Review by Pat D.)

I picked this 'gem' of a remastering project the other day in the local Coconuts. As anybody who's ever owned a Metallica album from the 80s knows, they are some of the WORST sounding cds you will ever own. Why? Honestly, I have no idea. As much as I like to dissect sound quality, in reality, I have no idea what equipment, setups, and what-have-you a producer and engineer are using for any particular album. It just forever fascinates me how one producer in particular (Flemming Rasmussen) could consistently produce some of the worst mixes in the history of recorded music. So, we all know that Metallica's 80s output suffers from lousy recording and production. Hoping that by some fleeting chance a nice gold disc remaster (you know, those ultradiscs and shit) would at least solve little problems with the original recording, I plunked down $35 for this shiny wonder.

OK, this is where this review becomes difficult. The music itself, is easily the finest collection of metal ever. I believe I stated such in my review of the regular album. Since then, I have even grown to appreciate "Orion" a bit more, so if anything, this album deserves the 10 even more so now. So why did it end up with a 2? Well, as hard as I try, I can hear almost no apparent difference between the original CD and this expensive remaster. In fact, there are times I actually prefer the regular cd in sound quality! Granted, the remaster has much less tape hiss (which is quite audible in the stock CD), but at times it seems whoever remastered this did something augment the midrange to the point of overpowering harshness.

Also, while normally I would applaud anybody adding more power to Lars' buried drum lines, it seems that the only thing this guy raised was the absolute super-low kick drum, which was not all that bad sounding before. The real problem was with the snare having absolutely no weight at all. For those of you wondering what I'm referring to, the most glaring example of this is about 0:20 in "Master of Puppets" when Ulrich does that little drum fill. Awful weightless drumming, and i'm 99% sure that is the snare only. Another problem is that there seems to be less high end on an album that was in dire need of more, not less. Maybe thats just the absence of tape hiss; at times my ears are fooled into thinking that tape hiss makes a recording sound brighter.

Anyways, my advice to anybody buying this album is to just be prepared to accept a fucked up mixing, engineering, production job by one of the worst in the industry, Flemming Rasmussen. Oh yeah, and save your money. Don't bother with the gold disc.

OVERALL RATING: 2

COMMENTS

the song "Master Of Puppets" is about drug abuse

I just don't get it. Why do people consider this Metallica's best album??? Is it because it was their first one to go platinum? Or am I just going insane, like the character in "Sanitarium"?

This is definitely a step down from Ride the Lightning (for my money, the best thrash metal album of all time). It's GOOD, sure, but doesn't blow me away. "Master of Puppets" and "The Thing That Should Not Be" are classics, true. And "Battery" and "Sanitarium" are pretty okay, too--but their counterparts on RTL, "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Fade to Black", both kick their asses. "Damage Inc." is a decent little speedy headbanger, but Metallica's done that better at least half a dozen times, and besides, it makes an idiotic album closer. It's like they said "Hey guys, do you know what would be a really good joke? End our 'masterpiece' with the simplest and lyrically dumbest song! Yeah, that'd be FUNNY!" I'm not laughing.

And the other three songs, in my opinion, suck. So there you have it: The Masterpiece That Would Not Be. Good shit on it, but also bad shit. A 7.

...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: One, Blackened, To Live Is To Die. LOW POINTS: The Frayed Ends Of Sanity.

After Cliff Burton's death, the three surviving members strongly considered breaking up, but eventually they regrouped to hold auditions for a replacement. Eventually they decided on Jason Newsted of Flotsam And Jetsam fame, not that he can actually be heard during the album or anything. Actually, I'm not sure what went through the heads of the band members and producer Flemming Rasmussen during this session - besides having no audible bass, the album is a horrendously produced mush where nothing is tracked very well except the drums, and that brings the overall power of the music down somewhat. And concerning the music, the band attempts to stick in just about as many riffs and changes as they possibly can within each song, effectively pushing the complexity of the arrangements even more from Lightning and Master, which can provide challenging, but often overwhelming, results. Not surprisingly, the first Metallica album I ever listened to, this took quite awhile for me to really enjoy.

However, while the overall quality of the album is a bit of a step down from the previous two, it's still very much a success. While the overall concept of Master revolved around the abuse of power, a huge majority of these songs deal with the dark side of politics and whatnot, which is just fine with me. A couple effective examples of this atmosphere of political unrest would have to be the title track and "Eye Of The Beholder" - maybe the former crams a bit too many riffs and excessively stretches out its' verses too much to deserve a near 10 minute length, but it's got a fine chugging progressive pace to it anyway, and the chorus that's got Hetfield growling, 'justice is raped, justice is gone...' and such is really cool. As for the latter, I can definitely relate to the intentions here - lyrically based around a ranting against censorship, the conviction-filled marching riffage and perfectly effortless, punishing time change to the 'you can do it your own way, if it's done just how I say' chorus is rebellion personified, making it a minor highlight.

Of course, it is apparent from the start that this Justice is a more drawn out, progressive version of the previous two, right down from the opening "Blackened" starting with a moody intro and subsequently changing into a ballistic thrash fury (albeit one with no bass whatsoever). In my mind, though, the startoff song here is just as good as "Battery" or "Fight Fire With Fire" - the armageddon-inspired lyrics are among the most apocalyptic and hopeless in their catalog ('blackened is the end, winter it will send, throwing all you see, into obscurity'), the blazing solos are more of an incredible rush, and the chugging bridge where the 'planet dies' is yet another great, great progressive touch.

But the absolute masterpiece of the album where Metallica effectively continues their formula to arguably even greater success than ever, though, happens to be the side-closing "One". Yes, it builds the same way as its' predecessors, with gloomy guitar lines eventually building up to a climactic middle up until the end, but in terms of sheer power it one-ups them, I think. To add to the terror, there's a 'living brain' concept based around the classic anti-war novel Johnny Got His Gun in which a war veteran finds himself lying in a hospital bed with no use of legs, arms, hearing, sight or smell. Ouch. Right from the intro featuring brilliantly subtle interplay between the two guitarists, to the climactic chorus ('hold my breath as I wish for death, oh please God help me'), the three fantastically structured solos from Kirk Hammett (the most distinctive, the third one, is probably my choice for his finest moment), and the terrifying and pounding 'machine gun' bridge ('DARKNESS.... IMPRISONING ME'), there's a reason so many people consider it the greatest metal song ever written. Of course, some also consider it a 'sellout' because it happened to be the one the band did their first video for (a clip as depressing and provocative as the song itself), but it's best not to put much stock in complaints. Metallica's best song ever? It very well might be, though I still slightly prefer "For Whom The Bell Tolls". Maybe.

So why not a 9 or 10 for this album if I've barely mentioned any flaws so far? Well, the second half just doesn't match up, and along with those production flaws and the overly progressive tendencies, it's inevitable the rating would go down slightly. "Harvester Of Sorrow", haunting guitar intro and all, has always seemed somewhat routine to me, and "The Shortest Straw" certainly has the aggressive punch of side one (not to mention among the most politically intriguing lyrics), but kinda just thrashes along without providing much catchiness and interesting riffage to it. Plus "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" is even worse in this category - it actually does start off great with its' replication of the 'ohheeeooohh....' winged monkey chants from The Wizard Of Oz serving as a bombastic intro, but after that it drags. Decent use of personal angst in the lyrics, but very little else memorable or exciting. And bear in mind it's nearly 8 minutes long.

Fortunately, the final two songs on here save things from sagging too much, even if they do little more than repeat the style of Master's last two tracks. Really good retreads, though - "To Live Is To Die" is the mandatory instrumental epic, with a whole bunch of incredibly effective riffs, guitar lines and sections ranging from moody to crunching to eerily beautiful (the acoustic opening, especially), not to mention including four lines of spoken word lyrics from Cliff Burton in the middle, undoubtedly as some sort of tribute. And finally, "Dyers Eve" may be more famous these days due to the band not playing it live because a certain drummer can't keep up with the speed, but it's quite a good anthem of childhood rebellion, and a worthy successor to the faster parts of "Damage, Inc." Sure, with these two songs (and the other highlights!) Metallica proved they were still certainly capable of doing epic thrash well, but other moments on this album also show they were running out of inspiration in this area, and so they went in a more simplified direction. More news on this subject at 11.

OVERALL RATING: 8

I once believed that THIS was the best Metallica album. Since listening to the album a couple more times, I still think it is an incredible collection of riffs, but "Frayed Ends of Sanity" just doesn't do it for me. And while all the songs are good, other than "One" there are really no phenomenal tracks. A lot of great ones, though, which is why I did not drop the rating lower. Anyway, this album is the single most impressive collection of metal iffs this side of heaven. From the opening crunches of "Blackened" to the super-high speed double-kick drum of "Dyers Eve", this album never lets up. Even the slower songs like the title track and "Harvester of Sorrow" have such catchy hooks to them, you never get bored. And "The Shortest Straw" has the most impressive Lars drum parts yet.

Speaking of drums, you will either love or hate them on this album. They are much farther forward in the mix than any of the three previous albums, and have a delightful (at least in my opinion) clicking, powerful sound. Some people really hate it though. Oh shit, I almost forgot "One". The greatest metal anthem of all time, and Metallica's finest moment. In general, the album is almost equal to MOP in consistency, but taken as a whole, that former release just feels a bit more cohesive and complete. Plus, you can hear the BASS on Master. Flemming Rasmussen should be shot for the lousy production on here. There is no excuse for drowning out the bass guitar completely.

OVERALL RATING: 9

Metallica's string of nearly perfect albums continues. This one isn't quite as perfect as Master Of Puppets, but hey, what is? What you get here is basically more of the same - excellent, twisted melodies that pile stacks and stacks of riffs on top of each other, long song structures that let the band branch out and experiment, and ever increasing vocal ability by James Hetfield. The biggest difference here is the mix - new bassist Jason Newsted is almost totally mixed out! I can't really tell you if he was as good as Cliff Burton because the bass only really got a workout on the progressive material, and after this album, the group stopped with the more progressive material. Since you can't hear a single note Jason plays here, well, it leaves a bit of a hole, doesn't it? If this album ever gets digitally remastered, I'll be first in line to buy a copy. I might even raise my rating up to a 10 if they do it right.

Still, it speaks volumes about how good this album is that it isn't even that noticible - the guitar racked of Hetfield and Hammett, combined with Ulrich's clicking drum sound (which I actually somewhat like), make up more than enough music to make this a totally great experience. The songs basically sound like the ones from the last album with a few exceptions - "One" is the metal number to hear in particular. It really rules from beginning to end - it's simultaneously beautiful and a totally rockin' headbanging experience. The title track here totally rules, too - there are about 10 different riffs in that song, and they all rule! It never gets too long, even at the 10 minute mark. Also notable is the powerful instrumental "To Live Is To Die", which features a really dark and disturbing melody. It changes from being creepy to uplifting to sad without batting an eye. Excellent song. The rest of the material sounds a lot like Master did - if you liked that one, feel free to proceed here. All of the songs are really good, though the overall quality is a teeny bit lower than on Master. No complaints.

OVERALL RATING: 9

METALLICA (THE BLACK ALBUM) (1991)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Through The Never, Wherever I May Roam, The Unforgiven, Enter Sandman, Of Wolf And Man. LOW POINTS: My Friend Of Misery.

The supporting tour for ...And Justice For All was massive, to say the least, spanning over 200 shows, but maybe this, and their realization that they had taken their progressive thrash sound as far as it was going to go, led to the direction of this album. I mean, playing setlists full of songs with a whole bunch of complex riffs is a big undertaking on stage, isn't it? So they decided to take a more 'back to basics' song-oriented approach to their new material, generally basing the songs on one or two riffs and poppier vocal melodies, not to mention recruiting a new producer (Bob Rock) who gives them easily their best-sounding production job to date. Hey, you can hear the bass this time! Plus, the guitars come through with a force like never before! Combined with the increasing popularity of metal in general by 1991, the more simplified approach of this album (commonly known as the Black Album) made them huge, quickly pushing sales over 10 million copies and inviting endless debates on whether the band really had sold out. [Cue Jason Newsted with a dumbass expression on his face: 'Yeah, we sold out... every seat in the house!']

However, although a lot of people would disagree with me, the new style Metallica are going for here is actually an improvement over their previous effort. The songs may be simpler and more concise, sure, but they're still driven by great riffs and overall power that's really really helped this time around by the improved production. Witness the opening "Enter Sandman", with its' distinctively dramatic, rumbling intro and dark 'monsters in the closet' childhood theme and its' timeless anthemic chorus ('eeeeexit liiiiiiight... eeeeenter niiiiiight'), it's no wonder it became a metal anthem for the ages, and a damn great, though overplayed, one. While not the best song on here, it probably does the best job of symbolizing the overall feel of the album.

Another strength, in my humble opinion anyway, is that Kirk Hammett's soloing has gotten better at suiting the melodic power of the songs, especially "Wherever I May Roam", an Eastern-tinged monolith with an even better intro build than "Sandman", great contrast between heavy and light as usual, and both its' music and lyrics capture life on tour more effectively than most songs I'm aware of. Oh, and those solo? It's so memorable and involving, I could even hum it to myself! This factor also shows itself on the simply brilliant "Through The Never" (maybe their best straightahead thrash tune, with a mind-numbingly fast and tricky Hetfield riff, a menacing attack just as convincing as "Creeping Death", and even provocative lyrics on the 'limitation of human understanding'), the more rebellious (though slightly simplistic and less impressive) "Holier Than Thou" and the worthy successor to both "Damage, Inc." and "Dyers Eve" in the closer "The Struggle Within", complete with marching intro that really gets the song started on a great note.

There's also signs of maturity, which is especially welcome from a band that was once notorious for heavy drinking binges and titled their debut Kill 'Em All. The biggest proof, of course, is that two of the singles ("The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters") were actually ballads, and not exactly the "Fade To Black" variety either. "Nothing Else Matters", apart from its' fantastic solo section (which apparently was done by Hetfield, as I've read that Hammett doesn't even play on the song) remains a lighter number its' entire duration, as the band's concept here was to create a song that started that way and stayed there, which is good, considering it makes the beautiful melody, emotionally resonant vocal delivery and lyrics all the more effective. And as for the former, well, it's not exactly uplifting or anything, as the lyrics still have a dark, hopeless tinge to them (as do the moodier guitar patterns throughout), but it's got softer vocals during the 'what I've felt, what I've known...' chorus to contrast the typical Hetfield menace in the verse. Watch out for the solo here especially - outside of maybe "One", it may be my favorite Hammett performance ever.

Hmm... there's certainly a lot of songs on here by pre-Load Metallica standards, isn't there? Well, truthfully, not all of the rest are that great, but they definitely aren't bad either. Several people say that the album loses steam after the first eight tracks, but other than maybe the slower "My Friend Of Misery" (despite that cool bassline, it's the weakest thing on here - the melody and overlong arrangement just doesn't grab me much), I can't see it. I already mentioned "The Struggle Within" as a worthwhile closer, and "The God That Failed" works better than "Misery" at having the remainder of the song do justice to its' neat opening bassline (nice to know these guys have a bassist) - add another menacing, catchy chorus to the fold. And elsewhere, if you ask me, "Of Wolf And Man" is actually a minor highlight on here in emphasizing the engagingly anthemic arena rock aspects of the album, with its' galloping pulse, really enthralling tricky riff, and 'SHAPE SHIFT' chanting.

The album's also excellent enough that there's even two secondary tracks I almost forgot to mention, neither of them highlights, but are good nonetheless. The slightly plodding and overrated but nevertheless convincing and catchy "Sad But True" was good enough to be rewritten a couple times in the future, and "Don't Tread On Me" is another effectively rebellious stomping march in the vein of "Of Wolf And Man". Yeah, this album might not be the equal to Master Of Puppets (even though there are a few people out there that do consider this their peak - witness the second comment below), but it's definitely evidence in my eyes that loss of underground credibility certainly didn't mean loss of songwriting talent for the band. In the end, though, the following tour was even huger in scope than the one for Justice due to their commercial success, and coupled with their lengthy extended break, it would be quite awhile before they put out the followup on which they subsequently reinvented themselves...

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

I'm sure some people are going to call me a 'sellout' for giving the Metallica 'sellout' album anything more than one point. But the fact remains: there is an incredible amount of excellent material on here. I used to hate "Enter Sandman" because it was the only Metallica song that got any airplay. But it rarely gets played anymore, so I've started liking it again. And why not? Its a pretty damn good song. Other highlights include "Sad But True", a slow, grinding, pulsing tune in the same vein as "The Thing that Should Not Be" from MOP. "The Unforgiven" and "Wherever I May Roam" both got radio time because, you guessed it, they're DAMN GOOD SONGS.

"Don't Tread on Me" and "Nothing Else Matters" add to the collection of arena stompers. Oh yeah, and my personal favorite "Through the Never", a great, chugging, incredibly catchy song that actually could've fit on KEA rather well. Finally, "The Struggle Within", despite the dumb title, has a fantastic, driving, riff. The other songs aren't all that great, but they're not bad.

OVERALL RATING: 8

Considered a sell out by quite a few old Metallica fans, I really don't know since it was my first Metallica album (and the first album I ever called my favorite - I bought it when I was 9 and it blew me away! But oh how I've grown since then...). All I know is that all of these songs groove along nicely with a bunch of great riffs, except this time most of the songs are slower, only 1 or 2 riffs appear per song, and the song length has dropped to about 4-5 minutes apiece. Everybody knows the opening number "Enter Sandman" and the creepier slow tune "The Unforgiven", both of which are spectacular. Most people know the slow, descending riff majesty of "Sad But True" and the slow, acoustic ballad "Nothing Else Matters", both of which are great. Some people even know the eastern sounding ode to travel of "Wherever I May Roam", which is really catchy.Nobody besides people who own the album know "Of Wolf And Man" and "The God That Failed", but they both rule anyway. The former is actually my favorite tune here - it has one of the trickiest, best guitar riffs Metallica ever created. The latter has an awesome bass line. The rest of the material is all good, but not as excellent as the best material - it's simply very good. If you liked the singles (and I imagine that you did), this album will provide you with an excellent 65 minutes of listening. Just don't expect it to quite stack up against the previous 3 albums.

OVERALL RATING: 8

[email protected] (Student38)

COMMENTS

This one is a huge disappointment in comparison to their previous four releases, in terms of song quality alone. The biggest disappointment, however, is the fact that they went from a cutting-edge thrash metal band on their first three albums, to a quasi-progressive metal band on ...And Justice for All, to a hair-metal band on ths record. And I hate hair-metal! No matter how anyone may try to deny it, this IS a hair-metal album! It has all of the ugly characteristics of a Warrant album: huge, obnoxious sound (courtsey of Bob Rock, who would redeem himself on the next album), radio friendly song lengths, and the cringe-inducing power ballad ("The Unforgiven"). This is the REAL sell-out album by Metallica! This is basically a Warrant album with a black cover. Oh, by the way, I fucking hate "Enter Sandman", what an obnoxious song! I give this one a 4, only because I love the cynical, melancholy love song, "Nothing Else Matters."

I will disagree with everyone on this site by saying that I think this is DEFINITELY, without a doubt, forever and always, Metallica's best album. Why, you ask? Every song rules. Every single song has a reason to strongly recommend it. The singles are all awesome (especially "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters"), but "Of Wolf and Man", "Don't Tread on Me", and "Holier Than Thou" should've also been singles, "Through the Never" has an awesome mid-section riff, "The God That Failed" has a great memorable lead guitar hook throughout, "The Struggle Within" has Hammett's best soloing on the album, and "My Friend of Misery" is the best fucking song Metallica ever recorded.

Well, except for "One", of course.

But did I mention the production? Ahhhh (drool). . . this is the kind of stuff every hard rock engineer dreams about. It rules. Totally kicks Mutt Lange's ass. See, the overall effect, rather than DIMINISHING the monumental power of Metallica's attack, is to AMPLIFY it beyond all reason. EVERY SINGLE RIFF pounds into your skull and then slams down on you when you are down. There is no escape. Prepare for the wrath of their omnipotence. BAM! BAM! BAM! Nosiree, no "hair metal" here. Well-written riffs, great vocals, and--gasp!--harmonization! Motorhead must be rolling over in their collective grave.

And all y'all can say is that the songs "don't have as much to them" compared to their speedy thrashy '80's stuff. Ha. I laugh at your contrary opinions.

Just kidding, but seriously! How can you say this is worse? Or even not better? Look at Justice: whoa-oh! Two bad songs there! ("The Shortest Straw" and "Frayed Ends of Sanity") Look at Master: whoa-oh! The whole damn second side sucks! Look at everything else they did! You see my point.

Well, not entirely. Songwriting-wise, Ride the Lightning is every bit the masterpiece The Black Album is. Production-wise, it sucks just as much as the others. There you go. Enjoy my opinion

LOAD (1996)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Hero Of The Day, Until It Sleeps, Mama Said, Bleeding Me. LOW POINTS: Poor Twisted Me, Cure, Thorn Within.

There's no denying it - Metallica's followup to The Black Album coming out of an extended break is a disappointing step down from their previous four classics. It also happens to be one of the most controversial and often despised albums of the decade - metal fans were horrified that the band had changed their logo, cut their hair, almost completely ditched the 'thrash' aspect of their sound and instead reverted to a sound that's much closer to particularly heavy and bluesy Southern rock than anything else. Yes, this direction isn't exactly for the better (not to mention it can get rather monotonous at points), and at nearly 80 minutes, it's padded out with way too much unnecessary, generic and dumb filler, but a sellout? The band should have changed its' name to Alternica? Ehh, this doesn't sound much like alternative rock that I know. Sounds more like a band going through a, you know, maturing process that tends to happen as musicians get older. What a concept!

Besides, the 'maturing' process on here often leads to very good results on side one. "The House That Jack Built", regardless of the stupid lyrics (which are unfortunately quite common for post-91 Metallica as a whole) and just okay melody, has a convincingly despairing guitar line that, combined with the grinding song structure and the bluesy guitar tone, is quite unlike any epic track the band had ever done before. Even the more pedestrian stuff works - "2 x 4" actually swings along well and builds to a good dramatic climax that subsequently makes several of the more groove-oriented songs later on seem rather redundant, and the opening "Ain't My Bitch", primitive riff and all, has a good menacing catchiness. And speaking of catchiness, the single "King Nothing" definitely boasts one of the more memorable choruses the band's ever written, and the tight playing and neat arrangement (what's that creepy high-pitched noise interplaying with the almost funky bassline in the intro? That's cool!) elevate it above mere radio fodder.

What also rises somewhat above radio fodder here are the other three singles. Maybe they weren't as huge as the ones on the previous albums, and they certainly have enough qualities to alienate fans, that doesn't mean they aren't great. At 8 minutes, the side closer "Bleeding Me" overstays its' welcome slightly, but it's got a great creepy, almost watery, guitar tone, one of the most impressive vocal performances I've yet to hear from James Hetfield and the wah-wah pedal work Kirk Hammett tends to overuse so much in this era is actually done quite effectively (not to mention the solo here is his best on the album). The pre-album single "Until It Sleeps", meanwhile, continues in the vein of so many of the catchiest songs from The Black Album - very tight and hard-hitting, and the guitar tone is again really neat, with almost a surf rock quality to it in the verses before exploding into its' poppier chorus. And the main verse melody to "Hero Of The Day" has to be one of their best, most uplifting hooks ever, and this also very much extends to the music - that is, until it starts kicking your ass with a punishing middle section. This interesting contrast of uplifting moodiness and aggression makes it my favorite.

Unfortunately, it seems like the band put a lot more work into the tunes of the first half than they did the second, and I think I remember them even admitting as much in interviews. I find it amazing how empty and overly generic songs like "Cure" and "Thorn Within" are (especially the former, which only has a mildly catchy chorus to save it from complete pointlessness), and while "Wasting My Hate" does capture some of the rebellious energy of the past, it also sounds a lot more standard than most of their intelligently written thrash tunes - it almost comes off as something a Metallica cover band would come up with themselves. Also, their midtempo bluesy style gets really tiring and repetitive on "Poor Twisted Me", whose blandness is compounded with the dumbest lyrics on the album and overly sloppy playing. At least "Ronnie", stupid as it is, has an infectious swagger to it though, with amusing twangy vocals.

At least they didn't totally forget about good songs over the last half. "Mama Said" is actually a largely acoustic Southern rock ballad of all things, and the very countryish pedal steel guitar chorus probably had hardcore thrash fans absolutely freaking out, but who cares what style it's in? It's got a gorgeous melody, with some of the most heartfelt and personal lyrics Hetfield has ever penned. And finally, while the closing "The Outlaw Torn" doesn't quite deserve a near 10 minute length, its' slow, menacing groove that ensures it certainly deserves a lot of it, with some neat soloing as it fades out and probably the darkest, most ominous atmosphere on here. But other than those two tracks, this is a very uneven listen - consider the much more substantial first half about solid 8 quality, and the second one high 5, rounded out to a low 7. I will say it's still certainly a lot better than many think, though.

OVERALL RATING: 7

OK, I will admit, this album was a disapointment following all of the others (save RTL). But it is NOT as bad as every 'sellout' crying metalbanger would have you believe. It's different, thats all. "Aint My Bitch" isn't really as good as most people make it out to be, buts it's still good. Personally my favorite on this disc is (by a nose) "Bleeding Me". No, I did not decide that when that song became a single. I liked it long before most people had discovered it, so nyah!

"The House that Jack Built" has such a freaking despairing riff in it, it actually left me feeling hopeless the first time I heard it. It's a very bleak song, and is a work of art, in this writer's humble opinion. "Bleeding Me" gets the nod because it's got a great solo and is generally more enjoyable to listen to than "Jack". But nothing beats turning off all the lights, cranking the stereo and scaring the shit out of yourself with "Jack". Yeah, I also liked "Hero of the Day". James actually tries to sing! Amazing. There's a lot of other good material on here, and no songs I really hated, so it gets a six . And I do mean lots. This one clocks in at 78:59. But beware: If yer a metalbanger, you won't like it.

OVERALL RATING: 6

Considered a sell out by most old Metallica fans, this album actually doesn't sound too different than the last one. The songs all have the same type of mid-tempo groove that permeated the famous Black Album. This one's actually a little more diverse, adding in a couple of classic rock style grooves (like the excellent "Ronnie") and some creepiness the likes of which haven't been heard on a Metallica album before (the single "Until It Sleeps", which rules; the unknown "Thorn Within", which doesn't, but it's still pretty good; the weirdness of "The House That Jack Built"). The group even has a couple of songs that sound totally outside the normal Metallica spectrum - the pretty single "Hero Of The Day" almost sounds like Fleetwood Mac until the harder bridge comes in, and "Mama Said" is almost country, though it may be the best damn country I've ever heard - that steel guitar is beautiful!

Songs like "Ain't My Bitch" and "King Nothing" wouldn't have been out of place at all on the Black Album, though - I think a lot of people were really stretching it by calling this Metallica's definitive "sell out". As great as most of these songs are (like the ones mentioned above, minus "Thorn Within"), a few of these songs don't really go anywhere - the really long "Bleeding Me" does exactly jack for me, not creating any excitement or emotion at all. "Wasting My Hate" is a totally generic heavy metal tune, and it's about as good as any generic heavy metal tune (make of that what you will). "Poor Twisted Me" is actually pretty lame - I usually just skip right past it.

Oh! I forgot to mention the epic closer "The Outlaw Torn". Now THAT'S what I call a song! It lasts for 10 minutes and deserves every second of its length. The guitar after James yells "So now I'll wait my whole lifetime!" is really really great. It may be my favorite song on the album, but I don't really know. Basically, though, this is a little disappointing after the last bunch of albums and a 5 year pause between the Black Album and this, it's still a good enough album in it's own right. It's just a bit too long at 78:59.

OVERALL RATING: 7

[email protected] (Student38)

COMMENTS

I like this album! It's not as brilliant as the first four but it's miles better than Metallica. I love the new sound: this is what AC/DC would sound like it without the completely stupid, superficial lyrics. Whereas the last album sounded like a hair-metal album, Load sounds like a Zeppelin album from the 70s. The sound isn't nearly as obnoxious as TBA. I love "Bleeding Me", "Ain't My Bitch", "Until it Sleeps", "Bleeding Me", and the "Outlaw Torn". I like a few others, but I'm too lazy to mention them. However, this album has some tremendous downsides to it. For one, the melodies are a little weaker than those of TBA. Also, some of the songs completely suck "Poor, Twisted Me", anyone?! My God what stupid lyrics! I would say about a little less than half of the album isn't very good, but, again, a lot better than TBA.

One thing that I've noticed is that band's guitar tone has changed from the big, metallic sound to a more bluesy, shredding tone, and I fucking love it! Anyway, I give this one a mid-range 8; it has too many dumb songs to be a 9.

I don't like this album nearly as much as the classic thrash/progressive stuff. In fact, I don't really like it much at all. But I don't know if I'd call it a sellout. A sellout would imply creating music that the band doesn't believe in for the sake of selling records. I don't believe Metallica "sold out" with this record, but that they sincerely believed they had reached a new level of maturity or something and felt they would be best served in changing musical direction. That said, I don't much like the result. I count one classic track "Bleeding Me", largely courtesy the best vocal performance of Hetfield's career. Emotional and powerful. A few others like "Until It Sleeps" and "The House That Jack Built" have their moments, but all in all a disappointment. By the way, I knew the old Metallica was done forever when I saw the "Sleeps" video and saw Lars with his 5 piece kit. What the hell happened? The degree of musical laziness he now exhibits is a disgrace. And Kirk's solo in the same song is a shameful blemish on his legacy. Just horrible. A weak 5 from me.

Prime crap. This is one of the biggest disappointments of the decade. We wait five years after the perfect metal masterpiece of The Black Album to get a buch of plodding, lethally slow cowboy-metal tunes. Don't get me wrong--I like cowboy metal when it's well-written. But half of this isn't. Plus it's monotonous. It's in the exact same key, at the exact same fucking TEMPO--for 80 minutes straight. Damn them. Damn them all to hell.

RELOAD (1997)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Low Man's Lyric, Fuel, Fixxxer. LOW POINTS: Better Than You, Bad Seed.

Although many could have accused Metallica of a lot of things around this time period, at least they couldn't accuse them of being unproductive. Besides the large amount of material on Load, the band had a lot more songs recorded during those sessions that weren't necessarily rejects or outtakes, just material that simply weren't finished. Well, they decided to finish those songs, and the end result is another effort long enough to pass as a double album in the vinyl age. Of course, just like its' predecessor, there's too much unnecessary and generic material (maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for me to throw the best material of both albums on a single album mix one of these days), and to be quite honest, it's grown off me quite a bit from the days when I first heard it and thought it to be really excellent, but at the very least, it's also more adventurous and interesting. Plus, this time around the best tracks are spread all over the album as opposed to merely side one, which makes it easier to sit through.

As with Load, there are some really neat unconventional tinges to the songs here and there. "Carpe Diem Baby" has an almost epic feeling to its' pounding and swirling chorus that almost has an orchestral majesty to it (so why didn't they do it on S&M? It would have worked!), and the guest vocal appearance by Marianne Faithfull on the lead single "The Memory Remains" is quite unsettling, as her by now deteriorated voice fits perfectly with the fallen movie star subject matter of the lyrics, and while a lot of the rest is standard midtempo crunch, there's also some extremely effective high-pitched guitar effects thrown in throughout. Elsewhere, the intro build to the closing "Fixxxer" is one of the coolest things the band's ever done, beginning with a mysterious Easterny drone and continuing on with wailing guitars that sound like sirens - and don't forget the way it comes full circle on the personal, affecting chorus ('jab another pin in me!!!!'). Unlike the more overlong stuff on the last album, this one deserves every second of its' 8 minute length, and can definitely count as a highlight.

The most drastic departure, though, is "Low Man's Lyric" - as much as they had plenty of lighter song sections previously, a ballad driven by hurdy gurdy and violins with no heavy moments whatsoever may come as a shock even after "Nothing Else Matters". It's a really, really gorgeous and emotional song, and the vocal delivery, especially on the 'my eyyyyyessss seek reality...' opening lines in particular is affecting like nothing else in their catalog. But they haven't totally gone soft on us, though - Reload generally has more faster and heavier numbers that resemble thrash more closely than the midtempo Load stuff. Especially great is the energetic opening "Fuel", with a chugging, ear-catching guitar attack and crunch that rocks harder (not to mention more melodic) than that last 'sell out' album in perfectly matching its' title - ignore the overly comical lyrics, and you've got a classic on your hands.

Of course, I'll be the first to admit that many of their attempts at more straightahead stuff are a bit too conventional and empty. "Better Than You" in particular comes off as ridiculously boneheaded - the stupid chorus chanting of the title alone is enough to turn me off, and the song itself is about as generic as anything they ever wrote. So, fittingly enough, it won a friggin' Grammy, which is almost as bad as Jethro Tull beating out Justice with Crest Of A Knave. At least the others in this vein are substantially better, though still have that feel of laziness - the grinding riffage "Devil's Dance" is catchy, with a good ominous buildup, but sounds too similar to "Sad But True" for my taste (which I was never a huge fan of to begin with), while "Slither" doesn't have that much to it other than a just decent melody and a reworked "Enter Sandman" main riff, and "Attitude" sounds exactly like you would expect by a song with its' title coming from late period Metallica (which isn't a bad thing, but they can do better than that). "Prince Charming" manages to avoid that trap, though, as its' provocative tale of an outcast has some pretty fierce and exciting riffage throughout.

Listening to this album now, it's harder to exactly make up my mind on it than it used to be. There are really a lot of excellent, intriguing songs here (one more I didn't mention is the creepy, mostly Jason Newsted-penned "Where The Wild Things Are", a combination of heavier epic bombast and moody, unsettling child-like danger), but just as many instances where the band seems content to kind of coast along on standard fare. Sometimes they're both creative and lazy - witness the controversial "The Unforgiven II", a pedal steel-inflected sequel of the original "Unforgiven", and while it certainly puts a new, interesting perspective on the song, it still has a bit of a cheap retreading quality to it. Plus, in general the lyrics and vocal deliveries are getting distractingly stupider at too many points, culminating in the disarmingly cheesy "Bad Seed". I suppose this is a somewhat stronger 7 than Load, as there's more creativity and stuff resembling the days of old, and there are only two obvious duds (not to mention this is even more unfairly slagged by fans), but... man, get a damn editor already, guys.

OVERALL RATING: 7

After Load, and all of their metalbanger-type fans' rath, you'd figure that Metallica would go chicken-shit and go back to thrash. Not so. This album is faster and heavier than Load, and more consistent, but it's still not AJFA or MOP thrash. The best song on this disc is the exceptional "Fuel", which should be in heavy radio rotation around the time you read this. Fast, hard-hitting, and catchy, it's the best song Metallica have done since "Through the Never" off of The Black Album. "The Memory Remains" was the first single, and actually, it has grown on me. It's catchy in a very weird sort of way.

"Attitude" starts out with a very cool, very Zeppelin-like riff, and also crunches like Metallica's older material. "Bad Seed" is another great song that'll catch you thumping along to the mighty double-bass in the chorus. And "Low Man's Lyric", while most die hard headbangers will shun it, is a very emotional and captivating song. Other highlights are the "Sad But True"-like "Devil's Dance" and another exceptional song (Newsted wrote most of it) "Where the Wild Things Are". It's a creepy, hard-hitting song that sort of reminds me of Alice in Chains, and Primus when James does the chorus. Weird, huh? Primus and Metallica? Sheesh.....

OVERALL RATING: 7

Outtakes from Load. Whatever. A lot of people see this as a return to form, but frankly, I think this is the worst album Metallica ever released. I actually stuck by the band for Load, but this album leaves me kind of cold. These songs were outtakes for a reason - a lot of them blow! That's not to say there isn't any good material on this album, because there is. The opening 2 numbers both rule - the powerful rocker "Fuel" and the creepier "The Memory Remains" (with background vocals from Marianne Faithful). The long, brooding "Low Man's Lyric" is beautiful, one of my favorite Metallica songs. It certainly sounds nothing like Metallica (or heavy metal at all), but it has a beautiful melody that Metallica has rarely surpassed (basically, only on the best stuff from Puppets and Justice). The riff driven "Attitude" is fast (well, fast for late period Metallica) and catchy, sounding like some of the better numbers on Load. And though the songs aren't exactly great, the closing "Fixxxer" and the brooding "Where The Wild Things Are" are at least very good. These songs remind me why I like Metallica so much.

The rest of the material is pretty bad, though. I loathe "The Unforgiven II" to the depths of my soul. They just took an old song, sucked the life out of it, and had a huge hit! God, now whenever I hear that opening crecendo on the radio, I have to hope that it's the first one and not its lame imitator. "Bad Seed" and "Carpe Diem, Baby" basically make me laugh at them - I mean, come on, tell me the title "Carpe Diem, Baby" doesn't make you chuckle in a superior manner. The rest of the material doesn't do a thing for me at all, either. The group had already picked the best songs for Load, leaving scraps for this album (though the group actually claims to like this album better). Actually, if they had trimmed down this and Load and made one album containing only the best songs, I'd probably give it a 9. As it is, though, that mix only appears on a blank tape that I labeled "The Load Sessions". I wouldn't get this unless you saw it for really cheap.

OVERALL RATING: 5

COMMENTS

This is where Metallica completely falls over the cliff. One good song, the rolling, punishing "Prince Charming" which serves merely to mock Metallica's old fans by showing that they still can kick ass when they happen to feel like it. This is horrible dreck by a formerly awesome band. And now that Newstead, the one member who actually gave a shit what the old school fans thought is gone, I have absolutely zero hope that they will ever produce something worthwhile again. A crying shame.

Well, this one's okay. At least compared to the very substantial piece of crap that was Load. Main plus--Metallica have figured out how to VARY THE TEMPO. "Better Than You", "Bad Seed", "Attitude", and "Fuel" have that energy that was so sorely lacking in the previous album, "Unforgiven II" beats the original, "Memory Remains" is catchy enough, and "Low Man's Lyric" is an unjustly unknown classic that sounds like absolutely nothing else in Metallica's catalog. The rest of the album, particularly the closer "Fixxxer", isn't all that hot, but at least it isn't offensively bad. Look at it this way: they've managed to come up with a 75-minute album that doesn't make you want to leave the room when it's on. I give this one a very high 7. Master of Puppets quality, in other words. :)

GARAGE, INC. (1998)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Am I Evil?, Last Caress, Astronomy. LOW POINTS: Loverman.

One of the most sought after rarities in the Metallica discography is the now out of print Garage Days Re-Revisited, an EP of five cover versions that essentially served Jason Newsted's introduction to the band that was released in 1987 before work on ...And Justice For All began. They had also released quite a few covers as B-sides before (particularly around the Black Album era), so it made sense to release all of this material in one package, plus a first disc of newly recorded cover version (most of which weren't labored over like most new material, but often done in one or two spontaneous takes). The result of the whole project is Garage, Inc., a double disc culmination of Metallica's influences. Cover versions normally aren't my cup of tea, but Metallica is one band that can make these type of songs seem like their own (the most recent songs in particular sound like they could have ended up on Load or Reload).

The newly recorded first disc, while not exactly containing any classics for the band, does a particularly a good job of showing the roots of their mid-90's sound. Their takes on Black Sabbath's "Sabbra Cadabra" and Blue Oyster Cult's "Astronomy" in particular are given total Load treatment (the latter in particular adds a lot to the already great original, with its' eerie buildup, a particularly fine display of vocal range and heaviness), and while the idea of Metallica covering Bob Seger's "Turn The Page" and Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" (this one with several guest stars like Jerry Cantrell and Les Claypool) might have seemed unthinkable in the mid 80's, those songs seem right at home on here, especially the road-weary lyrics of the former. The latter's just a little too stretched out, though.

Oh, and just to remind you that the band does, in fact, have punk and thrash roots, they bookend disc one with Discharge tunes, the rather generic "Free Speech For The Dumb" (a primitive but fun opener) and the ballistic "The More I See", as well as taking on The Misfits' "Die Die My Darling" and a ripping 11 minute medley of Mercyful Fate songs, the closest thing you'll get to pure thrash metal on this disc. Too bad Hetfield didn't take on King Diamond's over-the-top wailings there, though - that would have been hilarious! Actually, apart from the slow and boring beyond words version of Nick Cave's "Loverman", which just doesn't seem quite right in Metallica's hands, there's not really an embarassment among the performances on this first disc. On the contrary, the catchiness of material like Diamond Head's "It's Electric" and particularly the take on the traditional tune "Whiskey In The Jar" (done most famously by Thin Lizzy), benefit immensely from the band's own tightness.

Disc two is the real treat for fans, though, as it compiles the previously hard-to-find cover versions, half of which are taken pre-Black Album. The total gem, of course, is Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" from 1984 - listening to it, it's really hard to believe that it wasn't Metallica themselves who originally wrote this overwhelming epic in the vein of "The Four Horsemen" (only with an even better variety of riffage, both chugging and lightning fast, not to mention more violent lyrics), since it sounds exactly like their early progressive thrash stuff, but it is so. It would have easily been the best song on Kill 'Em All (actually, it was featured on some early versions of the album), and it's little wonder it's been pretty much a concert staple for the band since then.

The rest of the second disc doesn't particularly stand out all that much, but at least the band puts their stamp on it, from the delightfully Satanic and unabashedly entertaining Misfits-penned singalong "Last Caress" (its' punkier extension, "Green Hell", is dull, but man, that first part is awesome!) to the hilariously explicit and 'shocking' Anti-Nowhere League romp "So What" (gotta hand it to the band for digging out a really obscure comic gem here). In addition, Budgie's "Crash Course In Brain Surgery" and "Breadfan", as well as Blitzkrieg's signature title tune are typically adrenalizing thrash bursts, and hey, they do yet another Diamond Head song in "The Prince". Metallica must have really liked those guys - a band to check out in the future, maybe?

However, with all its' exciting and fresh performances, a collection like this running well over two hours without any original material is really excessive and certainly not for a casual fan, which is partly why it only gets another 7. It also almost goes without saying that it gets really tiring after awhile, particularly as the band does a set of poorly recorded Motorhead tunes to end the album. That stretch seems fine on its' own, but taken together with the rest and the fact that almost all Motorhead songs sound the same, it drags rather badly. Still, while it's probably not a good idea to pay a lot for this unless you're a big enough fan of the band, it's still quite often an exciting and revealing listen.

OVERALL RATING: 7

Double CD set of covers from the band. Disc 1 has all the new covers recorded in 1998, and disc 2 has the original Garage Days tracks on it. And, as usual with Metallica nowadays, you'll find that the older stuff is the best. I love "Blitzkrieg", which I believe was on the original Megaforce Kill 'Em All album, before Elektra took it over and deleted that track plus "Am I Evil", another cool tune also featured here. "Last Caress/Green Hell" is a great combo and "So What", "Breadfan" and "Stone Cold Crazy" are all top-notch.

Disc 1 is a bit of a letdown. By now, I'm sure that the airwaves have been saturated by "Turn The Page", which actually sounds a helluva lot better on the CD than it does on the radio. They even cut out the damned solo. "Die, Die My Darling", "Sabbra Cadabra", and "Whiskey in a Jar" are the only other tracks on disc one worth listening to. As you can tell, I wish they had only made this a one-disc affair. It isn't bad, and parts of it are great, but I'd only recommend this one if you are familiar with some of the bands on it. Oh yeah, and the cover of Lynryd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" is absolutely horrible. Ugh. Then again, I don't care for Skynyrd themselves, so add that to your consideration.

OVERALL RATING: 6

A double disc of covers, one new, one old. Most of the album sounds pretty good, but who really cares? Over two hours of covers is just too much. The new disc features the new Metallica sound, which is, well, not as good as the old one. There are a couple of hardcore punk numbers ("Free Speech For The Dumb", "The More I See"), but they don't really sound convincing coming from the new Metallica - they'd have sounded better if they were recorded in 1987 or so. A couple of songs, like "Turn The Page" and "Tuesday's Gone" aren't bad, but they don't fit Metallica's style at all. They just sound like the originals. Who needs 'em? The best song on this disc is an awesome reworking of Blue Oyster Cult's track "Astronomy", which was only OK when recorded by the Cult, but in Metallica's hands it turns into a powerful, menacing tune. The Misfits cover, the Sabbath cover, amd the Thin Lizzy cover are all decent, but not really necessary. The most interesting song here is probably the medley of Mercyful Fate songs - it's nice to hear Metallica playing thrash again, and they actually sound convincing.

The second disc picks up some odds and ends throughout Metallica's career - the ep Garage Days Re-Revisited, the two covers on the b-side of the "Creeping Death" single, a bunch of B-sides and tribute album tunes, and a set of Motorhead covers. The Garage Days Re-Revisited set is the most interesting stuff here - it features a lot of great tunes that Metallica sounds 100% at home with. My favorite is "Last Caress", which is fast, exciting, and just rules all over the place. The "Creeping Death" songs (originally called Garage Days Revisited) features a decent cover of "Blitzkrieg" (by the group of the same name) and the awesome "Am I Evil?", which was formerly a bonus track on Kill 'Em All, where it would have smashed all of the content on that album.

The B-sides section is decent, but nothing more - just more and more covers. Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" sounds just like the original. I'd hand it to Metallica for trying to be shocking on "So What", but they didn't write the song. The Motorhead section is worthless - I can't remember any of those songs or anything about them except that they were really sloppy. This album makes for a decent listen overall, but still, it's a double disc with no original material. Buyer beware.

OVERALL RATING: 6

S&M (1999)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Hero Of The Day, The Call Of Ktulu, One. LOW POINTS: Nothing Else Matters, Sad But True.

The idea of Metallica performing a live album with the backing of an orchestra definitely sounds like a really cool one in theory, but I still sort of have very mixed feelings of whether this venture actually works or not. Sure, this double disc effort with the San Fransisco Symphony conducted by Michael Kamen definitely does have its' moments where Metallica and orchestra work well together (not to mention a lot of their earlier material had quite a bit of classical influence contained within), and there's the added attraction of a couple stupidly titled but really interestingly arranged new songs "No Leaf Clover" and "Minus Human", but... there just seems to be way too many moments here where the orchestra gets in the way of the band as a distraction rather than add very much interesting embellishments throughout, particularly on the older material.

For the most glaring examples of this, look no further than The Black Album material - I don't know what it is about those songs that makes them seem totally incompatible with the orchestra, but the embellishments seem incredibly cluttered and awkward most of the time, particularly on the otherwise well-performed "Of Wolf And Man". Plus, "Nothing Else Matters" already had an orchestra in the first place, rendering this version utterly pointless, and "Sad But True" is more plodding than before. And though the old stuff in the track listing looks really nice, I'd find it difficult to see how the arrangements on "Master Of Puppets", "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "The Thing That Should Not Be" push the songs forward in any way - it's much easier to pay attention to the original song itself than anything random the orchestra is doing, and don't even get me started on how Hetfield's currently declining vocal quality, less interesting guitar tone, and other deficiencies that seem to come with live album territory. They're perfectly enjoyable, but that's mostly because of the quality of the originals.

However, the instances where the orchestra actually does work really well with the band make S&M (yeah, nice album title there) worth a listen, even though the chances of me ever actually listening to it again in the future are slim on account of the flaws within tracks and the whole 'live album' factor. But whatever - the arrangement of "The Call Of Ktulu" here definitely has an epic sweep and all sorts of wonderful flourishes that might not always work, but they definitely give the song power that the original didn't quite have, really good as it was before. In the vein of effective older stuff, "One" is given an almost hopeless beauty in the verses and (believe it or not) closely rivals the original for quite a bit of its' duration, and "Battery", while still suffering from the typical performance flaws of this album, at least has a little more energy and majesty, so that's something notable.

The songs that go off the best in this environment, though, are the Load/Reload tracks, particularly "Hero Of The Day", which is gorgeous in terms of how the orchestra adds to the atmosphere, accentuates the vocal melody's uplifting quality even further, and provides more power to the heavier portions. Other than that one, I wouldn't say anything else is superior to the originals, but even so, "The Outlaw Torn" sounds a little more dramatic than it did before, "Fuel" is faster and more exciting, and "The Memory Remains" has effective use of audience interaction (the 'na na na na' Marianne Faithful vocal is replaced with audience chanting and the melody is matched on guitar for a magical effect). And the new tracks, in much the same style, are good (if not great) - the orchestra gives the spare-sounding chorus a cold, dramatic effect on "No Leaf Clover", and they work pretty decently with the pounding, catchy "Minus Human". Dig those Jason Newsted backing vocals, which he had done more of in recent years.

I used to think this was the least inspired Metallica album out there, but while there are definitely quite a few of moments where both the band and the orchestra sound a bit off, it's not as iffy as some people make it out to be. It's honestly not that far off from a 7, but I can't quite give it that because along with the obvious flaws throughout, it's not really that necessary of a purchase, and very few of these performances add a very substantial amount to the originals (though enough nice touches are there at least). But what became of them after this affair? Yet another really long gap would follow before a return, in between which they sued file-sharing service Napster, saw the departure of Jason Newsted (I'm shocked he even put up with them for that long after all the hazing, having been buried on Justice, and being prohibited from side projects), and created a record that would promise to be more raw than anything they'd done before....

OVERALL RATING: 6.5

Egh. All I can say listening to this one is "why did they bother". The first problem I have with this is the guitar tone. Along with Anthrax's Scott Ian and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield had the SIGNATURE rhythm guitar sound- loud, crisp, sharp and biting. And then the 90s came. Scott started doing that crappy, mushy, too-much-midrange rhythm guitar, Dave lost all of his bite after Rust (as well as most of his speed and songwriting skills), and of course, after the excellent production of The Black Album, Hetfield's crunch went out the window for the next three albums. Well, folks, its now up to four. I cannot put into words how boring the guitar sound of Load, Reload, Garage, Inc. (the new stuff) and S&M is. Blurry, muddy, you name it. I cannot stand that guitar tone.

Secondly, I hate live albums. While the mix on this one is quite decent (which it would HAVE to be with an orchestra), all of the songs performed are mostly inferior to the studio cuts, as is the case with most live albums. Third, this whole collaboration was largely pointless. The orchestra never seems to know where to jump in, or what to play, and when they do figure out something to play, it's largely underwhelming. The couple of exceptions is a superior rendition of "Hero of the Day" which I think Nick mentioned, and the phenomenal new composition "No Leaf Clover". The latter kicks some ass. The former, while not an ass kicker, is a emotionally lifting vesion for the song, made possible by an excellent contribution by the orchestra. But overall, its just basically a Metallica live album with an orchestra noodling mostly irrelevantly behind the band. Plus, most of the old hits sound poor thanks to the aforementioned guitar tone. Overall, a miss.

OVERALL RATING: 5

A lot of people detest this one, but I actually like it quite a bit. I think it's a nice gesture that Metallica didn't just release a straight live album (like many bands do) - they went out of their way to make it a unique experience. Metallica aren't the first metal band to play with an orchestra (Therion does it quite well), but most of these songs cook. My personal favorite is the opening version of "The Call Of Ktulu" (well, the opener is actually a brief instrumental, but it bleeds right into "Ktulu"), and let me tell you, this version blows the original away (and the original was nearly perfect). The orchestra really emphasizes the moody darkness of the song, and the riffs are as powerful as ever.

Most of the old stuff here sounds good - it was extremely progressive anyway, so the orchestra fits in quite well (well, sometimes it doesn't, but it almost never hurts and Metallica themselves are on fire). "One" in particular has an eerie quality that is really brought out by the orchestra. Surprisingly, though, a lot of the best material here comes from the Load and Reload albums - they almost always sound better than the originals, particularly "Bleeding Me", which I didn't like on Load, but like quite a bit here. The orchesta mixes seamlessly with the music, giving it a vibe not present in the originals. I'm definately glad that they decided to include "The Outlaw Torn", which ruled anyway. Here, it keeps building and building until it reaches its excellent conclusion. It's really, really good. The two new tracks are really good, too, especially "No Leaf Clover", which is killer. "-Human" isn't bad either, though.

The album does have some problems, though - the material from the Black Album almost always seems very clumsy and forced for some reason. It hurts the effect of once great numbers like "Of Wolf And Man". Plus, sometimes the arrangements work against the song (the orchestra in "The Thing That Should Not Be" could have been much better), and this is still, above all things, a live album, and sometimes the group makes some annying, idiotic asides and do things like insert profanity randomly into songs for no reason. This is still quite a decent album, though, and shouldn't disappoint too many people (even though a lot of people were really disappointed, but I can't see it).

OVERALL RATING: 8

[email protected] (Alex R.)

COMMENTS

I must say that you guys are right on the money with this one. This album is indeed a dissapointment. As Pat D. mentioned earlier, the kick-ass guitar tone is just not there anymore and it hasn' t been there for years. It sounds like the amps are plugged in in the bathroom down the hall instead of being there on stage or right next to them in the recording studio. Secondly, The Black Album songs don' t mix well with the orchestra at all and due to that they turn out to be forgettable songs just as Nicko mentioned. And finally, James's vocals on this album are just absolutely laughable, I mean just listen to "Master Of Puppets", "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and the rest of the 80's material, he's just not as pissed off as he used to be and due to that the songs are not as powerfull. So that's why I believe that this live offering is a miss. And not to mention, their career to me is going right down the toilet bowl . Just look at how many fans they have lost due to that Napster fiasco ( I was one of them ) And their new song for the M:I 2 soundtrack really sucks, and the video is just ridiculous. So if you're reading this Metallica, hang it up. Stop embarassing yourselfs for christ sakes!!

ST. ANGER (2003)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Frantic, Dirty Window. LOW POINTS: My World, Shoot Me Again.

Once again, Metallica surrounded themselves with a tremendous amount of pre-album hype for their first studio album in quite a long while, and though many fans were obviously disappointed in their new direction and their overall attitude, it was still hugely anticipated. The band promised their new material would be back to their heavier, progressive roots, with faster thrash tempos and an incredibly raw, intense quality to the production, vocals and lyrics (not to mention they namechecked bands like Meshuggah as a huge influence), but of course, promising things like that and delivering on it are two different things. Just like the last few albums, St. Anger caused a tremendous amount of divided opinion when it was released - some complained about the overwhelmingly unpolished sound, Lars Ulrich's 'annoying' snare sound that sounds like drumming on a steel pipe, the lack of solos, the incredibly stupid, distracting lyrics, the rambling arrangements, while others hailed it as an interesting 'reinvention' of metal, an uncompromising comeback of pure brutality where James Hetfield pours out his emotions throughout.

Where do I stand? Well, I can definitely understand both viewpoints, but for a while I was on the former side of the fence, and still am to a good extent. The production can be really, really hard to get past, especially hearing that the accompanying bonus DVD of the band performing the album in its' entirety sounding better than the original (there's generally more energy, the drums aren't as annoying, and new bassist Rob Trujillo plays much more interesting and audible lines than producer Bob Rock did in the studio). Plus, after hearing the whole regular album for the first time, I was convinced this was by far the worst thing they ever made - compounding the production, it seemed like the arrangements were almost unbearably repetitive and with 6-8 minute song structures that had no right to be that long, the faster thrash bits and 'double bass' drumming inserted sounded extremely forced, and on occasion they sounded more like a nu-metal band trying to sound like old Metallica. UGH.

Fortunately, I came to my senses, and St. Anger has grown on me somewhat. There are still a lot of surface problems here - I should also mention there's next to no variety, which is a problem for a 75 minute album with production this raw and material this overlong and repetitive - but quite a bit of good points as well. On the opening "Frantic" especially, the sound actually works perfectly once you get used to it, featuring some of the fierrcest riff I've heard from them since at least Justice, the slightly stupid but still mighty tense and chaotic 'frantic-tic-tic-tic-toc' chants, and an ending barrage of fast thrash that signals any kind of Load midtempo approach is out of the question. It's also really effective on "Dirty Window", which sounds to be like an even more complex and intense Motorhead song, with a great 'dirty' riff that would do anything on Ace Of Spades proud. And Hetfield's vocals on the 'SLAM MY GAVEL DOWN' and 'PROJECTOR.... REJECTOR' parts are a great example of how the raw sound extends to his vocal approach.

Actually, along with those two, all the first five songs are for the most part good. Sure, the title track and lead single just about shows off every annoying aspect of the album (the steel pipe drums at their most obnoxious, brilliant lyrical blurbs like 'I'm madly in anger with you', and pointless repetition - the song essentially just repeats itself twice), but it's also got some really cool things going for it - the introductory build of riffs, aggressive double bass, and a fabulous 'SET IT FREE!!!!' scream. In addition, James' growls of the title in "Some Kind Of Monster" may be cringe-inducing (and the verse melody seems like another retread of "Sad But True"), but again, it's got another 'monster' intro buildup, and a nice menace during the 'OMINOUS, HIDE IN US' ending. And finally, "Invisible Kid" sure proved me wrong that a song with that title can't be good - more cool riffs here, plus it actually goes through a fair amount of intensely personal 'outcast' sections (the interesting offkey 'oooh what a good boy you are...' one in particular) and crunching portions that are a pure headbanger's delight.

While none of the remaining six songs are completely unsuccessful (though the idiotic "My World" comes close, sounding like a crappy nu-metal band's take on "Magic Bus" - 'it's my world you caaaaaan't have it...' - yeah whatever, James), they're also not very special. And like even some of the more successful material, they're all too long and too repetitive. I can barely remember how "The Unnamed Feeling" and "Purify" go (though the former is resonant while it's on), and the only part of "Shoot Me Again" that stands out is its' dumbass cowboy imitatin' chorus. "Sweet Amber" has a really cool moody intro that melts perfectly into its' thrashier riff but not very much else memorable, and while the closer "All Within My Hands" is my favorite on this half (I love that quiet guitar effect in the chorus that's almost bouncing ball-like, and it's got very excellent aggression), it's also much longer than it should be, and that 'KILL KILL KILL KILL... KILL...' part at the end.... errggh. Emotional, yeah, though not very enjoyable for a listener like me.

So yeah, this album is very uneven and frustrating from my perspective, and there are so many moments where I feel it could have been a lot better executed. I will say this, though - the intensity in the guitar work and drumming in particular are better than they've been in a long time, and the style has enough unique aspects and potential that if these songs were edited down with better production, and the total time was 40-50 minutes at most, this could quite possibly be their best post-Black Album work. As it is right now, it might still be my least favorite in their catalog, but by itself it's still quite decent. Oh, and by the way, you haven't lived until you've heard Matt Smith's now-legendary internet parody of this album - go download it at this link if you haven't already... it's seriously one of the most hilarious things ever. I know I'll never listen to "Invisible Kid" or the title track the same way again after hearing it.

OVERALL RATING: 6