Metallica: Catch 'Em All

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*edit* January 14th: Metallica to be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Jeff Beck.

Original body:

In a post-Saint Anger world, and with the semi-amusing Some Kind of Monster "death of a band?" movie left in the dust of Dr. Phil (no, the other one, the one you don't know about), Metallica are prepping to hit the street to push their newest album, "Death Magnetic" (September 12th worldwide drop). I have been looking forward to this album for a while, with: major shot of caffeine with Robert Trujillo on bass brings some serious energy; minor stutter of enthusiasm from a bootlegged version of Cyanide(a really long new song); a minor injection of enthusiasm from the soundboard recording of Cyanide; a slap to the forehead reading the track listing- my eyes did not deceive, they did record a song called Unforgiven III; a feeling of a need to spew the technicolor dinner with the new artwork (what, Pushead is too expensive these days?):

IMAGE(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2676796509_34c07ca002.jpg)
sort of Death Vaginic? Come on, 'Larz', after selling your Basquiat for 6 or 7 figures, you ought to know what good art is. Come to think of it, how much a good set of snare heads cost, you tone-deaf twit!

I just found out XM Radio has taken the FM radio format "Mandatory Metallica" (insert: throaty cigarette smoking DJ voice: !here!) and dropped it on its own channel: XM 51- Manadatory Metallica, replacing.. I forgot what it's replacing on XM. XM says about this, and take with it whatever grain of salt you wish:
...
Mandatory Metallica is an amazing amalgam of the greatest rock band in history. The channel will play music from the entire Metallica catalog, including rare live recordings from the band's personal concert archives, extensive interviews with the band and more. Metallica is one of the most influential and commercially successful heavy metal bands, selling more than 100 million albums world-wide - more than half of which were sold in the U.S.

Taken from these albums:
Kill 'Em All (1983)
Ride the Lightning (1984)
Master of Puppets (1986)
... And Justice for All (1988)
Metallica (1991)
Load (1996)
Reload (1997)
S&M Live (1999)
St. Anger (2003)

...

Most likely some songs from the Garage collections, Live Sh*t, others I probably have forgotten. I own lots of Metallica albums, except for Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning. These were definitly groundbreaking albums, but when you break ground, you do tend to break sh*t you didn't want to break. Black Sabbath were the first "metal band", doesn't mean I like them as much as appreciate the stones they had to get drunk, play loud, and scream about dark subject matter. Dark subject matter, makes you wonder how much the world has changed since the 70s. The lyrics, fairly tame by today's standards. Tangent, sorry.

The Mission:Metallica website (no link, please) has 3 versions of Death Magnetic for sale, for a reasonable $15 to a "do I really need all the flare" to top out at around $100 (flag, stickers, coupons). The vinyl is a cool addition, but I simply cannot fit those damned things into my CD player, and the laser disc player turns them into silly napalm. We've all heard about the Guitar Hero: Metallica that may be in the works, and the Guitar Hero III and Guitar Hero: World Tour, and they must have something working for the Rock Band franchise (see: exploit! exploit! explo.. hey, why not? who doesn't like money?). Could this be the throws (sic) of a band on the way out, or on the way of Kiss- tour alot for nostalgia's sake? Time will tell if Death Magnetic is simply St. Re-Anger.

Make mine metal.
IMAGE(http://dantheman1969.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/metallica.jpg)

I love listening to Metallica.

And when I say "I love listening to Metallica", I mean that I love listening to Metallica records from 17-25 years ago.

*Legion* wrote:

I love listening to Metallica.

And when I say "I love listening to Metallica", I mean that I love listening to Metallica records from 17-25 years ago. :D

agreed

I don't know what to expect from this new album. I actually gave up hope on them many years ago, but a little part of me still hopes they could go back to their roots and come out with something half good this time!

I've been burned too many times by this band for me to get excited about their new stuff. I'll still check it out but I will have the lowest of expectations.

Old metallica is actually not bad. (My old station's "mandatory metallica at midnight" usually reflected that.) In fact, I've never heard anything from St. Anger.

Anyone who thinks commercial radio is dead, I challenge thee with The Blaze.

I thought Metallica was dead.... who knew? :p

Old stuff is great workout music though.

IMAGE(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i20/Sinatar/deathmme4.jpg)

I have been a fan of this band since the early 90's going back at that point and buying up their old catlogue And i think the ultimate expression of the band was S&M so ill will just wait and see

Sinatar wrote:

IMAGE(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i20/Sinatar/deathmme4.jpg)

I think I might love you for that.

Stengah wrote:
Sinatar wrote:

IMAGE(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i20/Sinatar/deathmme4.jpg)

I think I might love you for that.

That is good Photoshop

Sweet! Can't wait to illegally download it!

Take THAT, Lars!

I'm not hoping for much from Death Magnetic, but I am interested to see what Rick Rubin was able to drag out of them.

Max: You don't have Ride the Lightning? I hope that was a typo.

I have every one of their US release albums from the beginning all the way to their Black album. I couldn't get into their stuff after that.

MaxShrek wrote:

I own lots of Metallica albums, except for Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning. These were definitly groundbreaking albums, but when you break ground, you do tend to break sh*t you didn't want to break.

Man, I gotta disagree with you there.

Their first three albums, Kill 'Em All, Lightning & Puppets, is imo the golden age of their career where they produced their best work. Ride the Lightning will always be my favorite from Metallica. I finally got into ...And Justice for All after a long period of warming up to it. Everything from Black onward was pretty much a throwaway...once again, imo.

All that being said, I have heard rumblings that Death Magnetic is reported to capture the ferocity of old, not heard since Master of Puppets. I'll keep my ears open for that alone.

Sinatar wrote:

IMAGE(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i20/Sinatar/deathmme4.jpg)

Looks like Poop Magnetic.

f*ck Metallica.

Running Man wrote:

Max: You don't have Ride the Lightning? I hope that was a typo.

My personal favorite metallica album. Say what you will about them, and I know they are assholes now, but these are the guys that got me into metal.

Aaron D. wrote:

All that being said, I have heard rumblings that Death Magnetic is reported to capture the ferocity of old, not heard since Master of Puppets. I'll keep my ears open for that alone.

There were all the same rumblings before the release of St. Anger. They turned out to be marketing horsesh*t.

If this album comes anywhere near capturing the adolescent fury of their pre 1991 works, then I'm on board. Otherwise, I'll pass. Metallica has not been significant (other than commercially) in a really long time.

I'm also one of those guys who hates on the "new" Metallica, but I do have to give you a ++ for a great thread title.

I'll give them another chance.

I know some kids who think Metallica is awesome because they first heard "Load/Reload" and they thought it was pretty rocking, which made my head explode.

But they're good musicians and they do seem to love their fans, even if they're totally misguided and have the old school thinking in terms of the music business.

I think it would be awesome if they'd get back together with Dave Mustaine, but unless Kirk Hammet dies I don't think that will ever happen.

one vote for ...and justice for all. Really like Master of Puppets as well.

Guess it is time to start teaching my son how to head bang.

They are somewhat lacking in direction. In the pre-Black Album era you can easily see an evolutionary thread in their work, they were trying to reach somewhere. Then Cliff, very unfortunately, died and after ... And Justice (which I believe still had a lot of Cliff in it), they set themselves to become the most commercially successful metal band of the time, which led them into the state they are now.

It's true that they kept doing different stuff, as they claimed, and I give them some credit for it. However, Metallica is more of a brand than a band. And a brand is managed in a different way.

Not all is bad though. Metallica influenced lots of capable individuals like those in Trivium and, coincidentally, Trivium is coming up with a new record, also in September. Although their previous work, The Crusade, was lacking, Shogun shows a hell of a lot of promise. Just listen to their first song, Kirsute Gomen, available for free (via streaming, so quality isn't the best), and you'll see that it shows a lot of energy and promise.

Personally, I'm rooting for the new guys.

Actually, Justice was the first album to feature J. Newsted on bass. For me, it sounded totally different than the first three albums, and for the most part I felt it was not a good thing.

The post-production mixing quite frankly stunk, imo. Lars' bass drums sounded totally flat and had zero punch. The double-bass sounded more like "clicks" than meaty percussion. The new kid on the block, Jason Newsted, had terrible mixing with his bass. There was no definition to his notes and it all seemed to blend together in a distorted kind of low-end mush, as though you were listening to his tracks through blown-out speakers.

The album wasn't a complete loss or anything, but it marked a definate departure from the tight, intricate, fast and clean sounds laid down for the first three albums.

Shouldn't this thread have been in P&C?

I've enjoyed Metallica to varying degrees over the years. I look forward to seeing if I like the new stuff. The rest of the hyperbole and angst can go pound sand.

They are somewhat lacking in direction.

I agree. Everyone knows that the post-black era is when things went wrong for Metallica. I noticed when Load came out that the production quality was horrible. It sounded to me like they came in and did everything in one or two takes. I always imagined that up to that point they spent hundreds of hours in the studio making sure every note was perfect. As they released more albums not only did the production value suffer, it seems like there was not much effort put into writing the stuff either.

As a side note, a lot of fans disliked the Black album, but I think it was still a good effort. Good production, albeit a slightly different direction, but still rockin. And it is an excellent workout CD.

At least there is new goodness such as Dethklok so I never have to waste any more time with the gods that (epically) failed.

Aaron D. wrote:

Actually, Justice was the first album to feature J. Newsted on bass. For me, it sounded totally different than the first three albums, and for the most part I felt it was not a good thing.

The post-production mixing quite frankly stunk, imo. Lars' bass drums sounded totally flat and had zero punch. The double-bass sounded more like "clicks" than meaty percussion. The new kid on the block, Jason Newsted, had terrible mixing with his bass. There was no definition to his notes and it all seemed to blend together in a distorted kind of low-end mush, as though you were listening to his tracks through blown-out speakers.

The album wasn't a complete loss or anything, but it marked a definate departure from the tight, intricate, fast and clean sounds laid down for the first three albums.

It wasn't Newsted's fault. He was really pissed about the way the album was mixed.

I tend to think of Metallica the way I think of Star Wars: I try to ignore everything that's happened since flannels were cool.

wordsmythe wrote:

I tend to think of Metallica the way I think of Star Wars: I try to ignore everything that's happened since flannels were cool.

I like this outlook.

I mean, still, f*ck Metallica, but wordsmythe is on the right track.

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