Metallica – Death Magnetic

Post-Master-of-Puppets/post-Cliff-Burton, Metallica sounds pretty stale. There are moments on Justice, but they really jumped the shark with their self-titled album. I finally gave this one a listen and was, sadly, as underwhelmed as ever. This is metal for dads who golf.

The album is so compressed its unlistenable. Ears get fatigued within minutes. There is only one good track on this album. "All Nightmare Long" is fantastic and could be on any Metallica release. To me Metallica has been in a tough spot since the mid 90's with the Load/Reload releases. While I do not like them, the albums do sound like its what they wanted to do at the time. With releases afterwards it sounds like they are trying to please old school fans and it comes across as they are making these songs because they have too and not because they want to.

On one hand, it's nice to hear Metallica playing actual bona fide metal again for the first time in almost 20 years. On the other hand, it's kind of frustrating to hear material that is so close to harkening back to their classic 80s work... but is held back by Rick Rubin's signature production style. It reminds me of what happened in ye olden tymes, back when Slayer's first records were produced by Brian Slagel and had a lot of reverb and space in the mix- and then Rick Rubin produced Reign In Blood, which had NO space at all. It sounded like the band was playing six inches in front of your face. And It Was Good; it was exactly what Slayer needed. But this is the other side of the coin. It sounds like Metallica is playing right in front of me in their little rehearsal space... but these songs yearn to sound as though they're being played from a mountain top and into the very face of God. Which is pretty much how most of their other records sound. Rubin's intimate style is perfect for many records, but it's just not working for me here. I'm going to give this many listens and let it have a chance to grow on me. For now, I'm a bit on the disappointed side. Ironically, I can hear the clipping so many other people are in an uproar over, but I find that to be a pretty minor issue compared to the production itself. Again, the songs themselves absolutely @#$%ing SHRED. I expect them to sound much better live.

Back to the music itself... I think DM might end up being Metallica's "White Album". Not in The Beatles sense... but rather as an opposite counterpart to "The Black Album". TBA was a transitional record, it was the bridge between the epic RTL/MOP/AJFA work and the Load/Reload approach. Perhaps DM is the bridge that will lead them back. I don't think they're there yet.

Once Rick Rubin said "I like things that are unique and extreme." he was probably talking about this album hahaha.

So, I finally get the call from my local record dealer that the vinyl release of Death Magnetic is available. I immediately jump in my car and drive down there to pick up the thing, and it's surprisingly cheap for the double-LP. Only $18CAD.

The first thing I do when I get home is break that baby open and give it a whirl, and since I'd been saving my first audition of the album for this moment, the whole thing was new to me, save for The Day That Never Comes, which I've heard numerous times prior.

Immediately I think of their old school heavy guitar riffs and insane solos. It is reminiscent of ...And Justice For All. We are back into the days of old, with classic Metallica 7 and 9 and even 10 minute long songs. Insane solos and man drumming. Enjoyable through evey track, despite what people say about Metallica since St. Anger, which by the way wasn't even that bad of an album.

The double-LP vinyl edition came with a standard gatefold case and plain jane paper sleeves for the disks. The vinyl seems heavy enough, but I'm not sure what they consider to be heavy vinyl anyways. The sound quality is good. I won't say that I am amazed with this press. It does sound excellent. And unlike the compact disc version is impervious to the clipping errors. But there are times when the percussion sounds muddled due to poor mastering. I would imagine that is simply how it sounds. It just doesn't always sound clean.

Overall an excellent album. I urge you to go out and buy this album on whatever medium you prefer. Definitely worth every penny.

This is a fairly average release plagued by poor recording quality; a fair portion of the album clips/distorts, especially the percussion. However, those disappointed with St. Anger will be happy to hear that this album sounds (stylistically) a lot more like Metallica's ...And Justice For All / "Black Album" material (no "banging on metal pots" drums, for one).

I was disappointed to see that the silver "Metallica / Death Magnetic" labeling that appears to be printed on the front flap is actually just a sticker on the shrink wrap. The paper case has a coffin-shaped hole that continues all the way through the booklet (the booklet was printed around the holes so the content is still readable, though awkward).

I got this album as part of buying concert tickets, but I expect the major allure of that venture is being able to a recording of the concert you attend. Overall, I would recommend looking for this at your local library or borrowing it from a friend before deciding to purchase the album.