Metallica - Death Magnetic

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

Song by song reviews and first impressions...After St Anger, I'm kinda scared. :eek:

1: That Was Just Your Life

Fast...FINALLY!!! Lots of dual guitar stuff. Solo was solid. Its long (7:08) like MoP and Justice stuff. Sound wise it conjurs up Through The Never off the Black Album. 8 out of 10.

2: The End of the Line

Heavy intro. Kinda Sad But True but faster. Main riff is a GREAT groove riff.....Ooo!!!! ME LIKE!!! Pre verse riff is SPOT ON Kill Em All era. Solo is raw and pure Kirk Hamster. Its like he walked in to the studio, said **** IT!, 1 shotted it then walked out. Long again (7:52) but it works. 9 out of 10.

3: Broken Beat & Scarred

Even HEAVIER intro!! This one just beats you over the head with riffin' goodess. More melodic then the first two. So far the theme has been dual guitars. Some of it has had an Iron Maiden flavor and it doesn't get better then that for dual guitars! Interesting solo. One of the very few times Kirk left the wah pedal in the box. Shorter (6:25) but felt at least as long as #2. 8 out of 10.

4: The Day That Never Comes

I've heard this a few times and seen the video. Go and find the video here. It's VERY VERY well done and tells an AWESOME visual story. http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=601171 I'd have gone with something else as the single judging by what I've heard so far. Very much sounds like the original Unforgiven. The interlude takes me right to To Live is To Die off Justice. Solo has a "One" flavor big time. This one is growing on me rapidly...might have to recant the "not a first single" comment. 8.5 out of 10 (and rising).

5: All Nightmare Long

The opening 30 seconds says "Be affraid..be VERY affraid" and "hold on to your ass. We are going for a ride". OMG!!!! 1/16 notes and triplet gallops at a pretty fast (180ish BPM). Anyone who knows Slayer knows thier sound was forged in fire and steel by Rick Rubin (producer). Rick Rubin's fingerprints are ALL OVER this song (and CD for that matter). Just fast...fast..FAST!! 9 out of 10.

6: Cyanide

Slower...Its' got that Pantera power groove feel without the Dimebag speed. One thing I've noticed throughtout the whole CD is the guitars are running just overdrive and not heavy distortion. It gives it that raw 80s sound and works well. Nice slower,cleaner interlude. Good solo. 8.5 out of 10.

7: The Unforgiven III

The titles scares me. I don't know why they would do a 3 but I guess I should listen to it. Piano? There's something you don't hear on a Metallica song every day. Hmm, strings and horns too. Very Extacy of Gold (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly). Ok, it sounds like the other 2 Unfogiven songs. Not much else to say about it. It's a good song. I STILL would have named it something else. 7.5 out of 10 (.5 deduction for the title).

8: The Judas Kiss

RAWR!!! Power start into harmonizing guitars. Heavy with shards of melody and harmony slipped in when you don't expect it (but works great). More heavy...more groove. It's SOOOO nice to hear "open E string" chugs again. Rippin solo. 2 part solo...solid. Nother good one. 8 out of 10.

9: Suicide and Redemption

Wow...9:57. Alot can go wrong in 10 minutes. 2:30 in and no words. Instrumental :tosser . Very Maiden interlude. Nothing wrong with the song really. It's obviously a an attempt to follow the MoP and Justice template. this one is NOT Orion or To Live Is To Die. 7 out of 10.

10: My Apocalypse

Gritty. Kill Em All era feel. Sounds like Whiplash actually. Shortest song at 5:01 but they pack 8 minutes worth of song into that 5 minutes. Old School thrash is the best way to describe it. 8.5 out of 10.

This is the best Metallica CD since The BlacK Album. Parts of it are in the Master of Puppets/Kill Em All range for quality. I can't wait to hear it again. Finally I can show my Metallica tattoo i public again.

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

cool deal, i was praying we wouldn't get another St Anger. I've heard one of the singles off of itunes. Wasn't bad can't remember which one it was. Will have to check it out in it's entirety.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Well...I've listened through it once...more is required, to be sure. I'm going to have to agree with most of CfH's thoughts. This is a throwback CD. None of the BS that was St. Anger (the only Metallica CD I don't own)...and a lot of the things that made them great during and before the Black album.

Unfortunately, the only thing I didn't care for much was Lars. The drumming was there...but it didn't sound intense to me for some reason.

*edit* This could be because I've listened to stuff like A7X a lot lately and the drumming there is just bad ass a lot of the time. The Rev versus Lars would end the Rev hands down...imo

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

I didn't feel that but I've read that COUNTLESS times on the internet. I'll pay attention to it next listen.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

I D/Led it but wasn't that excited about it.. guess I gave up on them after the Black album.. but it sounds like they may have done what I said they've needed to do for the past several years.

So I will extract the file and give them a listen.

[LA_MERC_WBHighwind]

good stuff!

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Not to thread crap (the CD really is growing on me), but listen to this song and the drums...completely different intensity, to me anyway
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[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

I got to thinking about what you said about the drums and paid attention. You know what I hear? I hear Lars. That's the way he plays....always has played that way. I agree that his intensity and power is not what modern drums have but I wouldn't expect him to either. Just like I don't expect Kirk to solo without a wah pedal or James to not say TAH!!! at the end of words that end in a silent E.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

"keep believingAH! The day that never cooooomesAH!" I know what you mean. And I think you said what I meant better. The drumming that was there was just Lars playing...but the caliber of playing, while normal for him, wasn't what I've come to appreciate lately.