That Was Just Your Life
It begins with the sound of a slow beating heart, moves into a Sanitarium-flavoured piece of clean picking. Then all hell breaks loose. This is a
Metallica that many thought they would never hear again – the lighting speed rhythm guitars of Blackened and a mighty James Hetfield with
new found fire in his voice. It's the sound of a band who've suddenly recognised their strengths and are somehow bridging the gap between
…And Justice For all and 1991's The Black Album. What a way to start.
The End Of The Line
The main riff here will be instantly recognisable to some fans – it's been salvaged from 'The Other Song' that Metallica debuted live during
2006 (and then trashed). It's much more at home in the intro here, the first of a smorgasbord of riffs in this powerhouse – including a recurring
hook that is reminiscent of Pearl Jam's Animal. Kirk Hammett seems to have developed a guilty conscience for the last ten years and is
soloing for his life – and yes he's brought his wah along too.
Broken, Beat & Scarred
Another dose of heaviness with a simple but effective main riff that recalls The Black Album. It's punchy, dynamic and showcases another
commanding vocal by Hetfield with a catchy refrain (something about surviving through struggle). Although even by this point we're already
getting deju vu from Lars Ulrich's drum fill vocabulary.
The Day That Never Comes
The single is well placed here after all the twists and turns of the previous three tracks. Two things are now clear: 1) The rumours of a risible
mastering or mixing job on Death Magnetic are unfounded for the most part. The guitars have plenty of mid and cut through but don't sound
fizzy. However, 2) Lars Ulrich's drums still sound too high in the mix on this particular song. How many mics has he got on that snare?
All Nightmare Long
The guitars dominate in this song. Far better than the dodgy title suggests, you might want to check your pulse if your head isn't bobbing along
to the main guitar riff. Back to that Justice/Black mix territory, there's some great alternate picking that screams Dyers Eve with one of the
strongest choruses of the album. Hammett's chaotic soloing fits in perfectly and there's even a false ending for good measure – hey, it worked
for Def Leppard with Animal. The similarities end there.
Cyanide
It's odd that the band chose this as the first song to debut live because it's not a good representation of Death Magnetic. Slowing down the
pace, it feels laboured in the second half – a little forced. Or maybe it's because those drums are rising up in the mix again…
The Unforgiven III
Another ominous title. It begins with Einaudi-esque mournful piano and strings before growing into a surprisingly likeable Metalliballad with
some southern rock groove when it breaks. Again, Hetfield has raised his game vocally and that helps carry it while proceedings take off in the
second half with some Hammett heroics. Interesting to hear the band recycling one of their old riffs here though – a burst from Ride The
Lightning's title track if we're not mistaken.
The Judas Kiss
This one's a potential grower and tries a few riffs out for size before kicking in. The speed up, slow down dynamic on the verses are
impressive and Hetfield's 'Bow Down' bellow on the chorus has more than a little Master Of Puppets to it.
Suicide & Redemption
Metallica's first instrumental for 20 years has a lot riding on it – the pedigree and magic in the likes of Orion and To Live Is To Die cannot be
overlooked. Suicide & Redemption turns into the biggest disappointment of Death Magnetic.
The two core riffs simply aren't strong enough to sustain it – bereft of atmosphere, they could have been the work of any no-name metal act.
For a band who've spent a large part of the album proving they've still got dynamic savvy this sounds laboured and outstays its welcome. But
on the bright side – you can hear Robert Trujillo's bass rumbling along nicely.
My Apocalypse
A great, thrashy way to go out and the most straight-ahead track on the album. It's almost as if producer/guru Rick Rubin has told them to 'do a
Slayer' and judging by Hammett's riff around the two minute mark, the spectre of Jeff Hanneman was definitely present the in studio that day.
Almost 80 minutes and a lot to take in on first listen. It's the ...And Justice For All album that is the recurring reference point here, namely on
the heavier tracks. And that album's bleak and progressive thrash is a mighty yardstick.
It begins with the sound of a slow beating heart, moves into a Sanitarium-flavoured piece of clean picking. Then all hell breaks loose. This is a
Metallica that many thought they would never hear again – the lighting speed rhythm guitars of Blackened and a mighty James Hetfield with
new found fire in his voice. It's the sound of a band who've suddenly recognised their strengths and are somehow bridging the gap between
…And Justice For all and 1991's The Black Album. What a way to start.
The End Of The Line
The main riff here will be instantly recognisable to some fans – it's been salvaged from 'The Other Song' that Metallica debuted live during
2006 (and then trashed). It's much more at home in the intro here, the first of a smorgasbord of riffs in this powerhouse – including a recurring
hook that is reminiscent of Pearl Jam's Animal. Kirk Hammett seems to have developed a guilty conscience for the last ten years and is
soloing for his life – and yes he's brought his wah along too.
Broken, Beat & Scarred
Another dose of heaviness with a simple but effective main riff that recalls The Black Album. It's punchy, dynamic and showcases another
commanding vocal by Hetfield with a catchy refrain (something about surviving through struggle). Although even by this point we're already
getting deju vu from Lars Ulrich's drum fill vocabulary.
The Day That Never Comes
The single is well placed here after all the twists and turns of the previous three tracks. Two things are now clear: 1) The rumours of a risible
mastering or mixing job on Death Magnetic are unfounded for the most part. The guitars have plenty of mid and cut through but don't sound
fizzy. However, 2) Lars Ulrich's drums still sound too high in the mix on this particular song. How many mics has he got on that snare?
All Nightmare Long
The guitars dominate in this song. Far better than the dodgy title suggests, you might want to check your pulse if your head isn't bobbing along
to the main guitar riff. Back to that Justice/Black mix territory, there's some great alternate picking that screams Dyers Eve with one of the
strongest choruses of the album. Hammett's chaotic soloing fits in perfectly and there's even a false ending for good measure – hey, it worked
for Def Leppard with Animal. The similarities end there.
Cyanide
It's odd that the band chose this as the first song to debut live because it's not a good representation of Death Magnetic. Slowing down the
pace, it feels laboured in the second half – a little forced. Or maybe it's because those drums are rising up in the mix again…
The Unforgiven III
Another ominous title. It begins with Einaudi-esque mournful piano and strings before growing into a surprisingly likeable Metalliballad with
some southern rock groove when it breaks. Again, Hetfield has raised his game vocally and that helps carry it while proceedings take off in the
second half with some Hammett heroics. Interesting to hear the band recycling one of their old riffs here though – a burst from Ride The
Lightning's title track if we're not mistaken.
The Judas Kiss
This one's a potential grower and tries a few riffs out for size before kicking in. The speed up, slow down dynamic on the verses are
impressive and Hetfield's 'Bow Down' bellow on the chorus has more than a little Master Of Puppets to it.
Suicide & Redemption
Metallica's first instrumental for 20 years has a lot riding on it – the pedigree and magic in the likes of Orion and To Live Is To Die cannot be
overlooked. Suicide & Redemption turns into the biggest disappointment of Death Magnetic.
The two core riffs simply aren't strong enough to sustain it – bereft of atmosphere, they could have been the work of any no-name metal act.
For a band who've spent a large part of the album proving they've still got dynamic savvy this sounds laboured and outstays its welcome. But
on the bright side – you can hear Robert Trujillo's bass rumbling along nicely.
My Apocalypse
A great, thrashy way to go out and the most straight-ahead track on the album. It's almost as if producer/guru Rick Rubin has told them to 'do a
Slayer' and judging by Hammett's riff around the two minute mark, the spectre of Jeff Hanneman was definitely present the in studio that day.
Almost 80 minutes and a lot to take in on first listen. It's the ...And Justice For All album that is the recurring reference point here, namely on
the heavier tracks. And that album's bleak and progressive thrash is a mighty yardstick.
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