Metallica: Death Magnetic

[Benjamin Haines]

After over two years of production and release date estimates, the final mixing and mastering of Metallica's ninth studio album was completed on August 10th and it will finally be hitting store shelves on Friday, September 12th, 2008. It's the band's first album in five years, their first with Robert Trujillo on bass, and their first with Rick Rubin serving as producer.

Metallica wrote 14 songs for Death Magnetic and ended up recording 11 of them. However, because CDs can't hold more than 78:59 of audio without problems arising in the form of compression and skipping, only 10 of those 11 recorded songs will be present on the album, with a total running time of roughly 74:41. The final track listing is as follows:

Fans of old school Metallica have something to look forward to with this album. After experimenting with more toned-down hard rock on The Black Album, southern-rock influences on Load, blues and alternative leanings on Reload, and raw jamming on St. Anger, Death Magnetic is very much a return to form for Metallica. The songs on this album combine the heavy metal energy and thrashing power of older Metallica with the musical dexterity and complex sophistication of newer Metallica. But why take my word for it? You can listen to six of the songs from Death Magnetic right here:

www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=601197

• "Broken, Beat & Scarred" (6:25) kicks off with decidedly restrained drums followed by an Eastern-influenced guitar entrance, then moves into what it's clearly meant to be: a fist-pumper designed for pure, unadulterated arena mayhem. It quickly gains momentum and builds upon itself in energy, as James Hetfield sings with a rallying, almost anthemic energy. The lyrics take a positive message and make it absolutely invigorating and simultaneously mosh-worthy. Make no mistake, this song is going to become a concert staple for Metallica. The crowds at live gigs will be shouting "SHOW. YOUR. SCARS." in unison on this one for decades to come.
  
  
• "The Day That Never Comes" (7:56) is a classic-style ballad that evolves into a thrasher as the song goes on, in the same vein as "Fade To Black", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", and "One". Lyrically, the song deals with the subject of abuse, forgiveness, and redemption. This is the lead single off Death Magnetic, and it's a good song, but I honestly think these other five songs are much, much better.
  
  
• "All Nightmare Long" (7:57) is far and away my favorite of these six songs. It starts off with a bass solo by Robert Trujillo that meets the guitars and drums head-on. What follows is a blossoming of riffs worthy of Master Of Puppets, eschewing any semblance of a radio-friendly "verse/chorus/verse" approach in favor of a complex, layered composition, complete with soloing, bridge, breakdown, and jamming. The aggressive energy of the lyrics seals the deal and certifies this as a memorable Metallica number for the ages.
  
  
• "Cyanide" (6:39) has a very catchy aura about it. The riffing here almost makes this song feel like it would work as a radio-friendly single, but the lengthy runtime and subject matter brings that idea into question. Lyrically speaking, it's a bit like a darker take on "Enter Sandman", with lyrics pertaining to dreams of suicide. The energy of the instrumentation here is unceasing, lending the song an almost ironic sense of vitality. With booming drums and an electrifying guitar solo by Kirk Hammett, this one is a definite headbanger.
  
  
• "The Judas Kiss" (8:00) feels truly epic in scope. Like other such Metallica songs, this boasts a layered composition of growing, charging riffs and thunderous drumming. Hetfield sings from the perspective of a looming being of power, with lyrics powerful enough to exert energy but ambiguous enough to make it unclear whether he's singing as God, Satan, or something else entirely. Hammett's solo here is equally imposing and the whole song sounds very much like it could have been ripped straight from the heavy metal heyday of the '80s.
  
  
• "My Apocalypse" (5:00) is the shortest song on the album. Like "Damage, Inc." on Master Of Puppets and "Dyers Eve" on ...And Justice For All, this song serves to close Death Magnetic on a rip-roaring note of straight-up thrashing. The tempo is unfaltering, the vocals are memorable, and a short but sweet final solo from Hammett makes the song complete. It shows that Metallica will always be Metallica at heart, and as the final track on this album which is very much a return to form for the band, it reminds the world just who the kings of metal really are.

"The Day That Never Comes" music video:
www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=601171

Death Magnetic TV spot:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GyElO32Mmw

"Cyanide" making its live debut at Ozzfest this past August 9th:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ62cY8m7hI


Reviews:
www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/22723926/review/22787142/death_magnetic
www.gigwise.com/article?id=45844&page_no=1
blacktown.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/metallicas-grip-is-magnetic/1260771.aspx
www.thequietus.com/articles/metallica-death-magnetic-reveiwed-track-by-track
www.guitarworld.com/article/metallica039s_death_magnetic_impressions

[trashcanman]

FANBOY ALERT! I've not the time to listen to this right now, but a Trujillo bass solo sounds like heaven. If I found out you got my hopes up and lied to me and this sucks, I swear to God I'll strangle a kitten in your name. I'll return soon with my verdict on the songs.

[trashcanman]

Haines speaks the truth! Sounds like the metal community has finally hurt 'tallica's feelings enough to get throught to them. Color me pleased. This isn't near the quality of the classics, but it's a solid return to form after over a decade-long with that nightmare bizarro version of Metallica out suing their fans and making bad alternacrap songs. And yes, they may now be referred to with "Metal" in their name again without argument from me. Let's see how metalheads handle the return of an old friend-turned-foe that we've hated an derided for so long.

I hope I never hear "Unforgiven III" though. That is the worst idea since "Unforgiven Too". What's next, a prequel? "Unforgiven: The Beginning": coming to a metal band who needs a hit worse than a crackwhore near you.

[The Curmudgeon]

I've never liked Metallica, but, as trite as this sounds, reading Benjamin's passionate, knowledgeable post and then Trashy's replies, in an age where music is becoming seemingly throwaway and worthless, makes me remember exactly why I set up this website to begin with.

Excelsior, chaps.

[Ben]

I've only heard Cyanide (live) on XM Metallica, My Apocalypse, and The Day That Never Comes. I don't want to spoil anymore of the album before I buy it. So far I've been largely unimpressed, though I will say My Apocalypse has some metal elements, and The Day That Never Comes is catchy if not much else.

I've been saying it since they announced the release date: I'll believe the hype when I have the album in my stereo, and it's kicking my ass.