U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

‘St. Anger’ never happened

By Steven Patrick

Like many metal fans, I had a terrible dream that in 2003 the mighty Metallica released an album so drastically different and misguided that many thought it would spell the end of the last shred of the band's credibility within the metal community. Thankfully, I woke up on Friday, went to the local record store, and found out that "St. Anger" never happened and that the real Metallica was in fact frozen in the late '80s, only to be thawed out in 2008 to release the sonic atom bomb known as "Death Magnetic." All joking aside, Metallica's latest album is an absolute treat for longtime fans to listen to, for several reasons.

First of all, all the guys in the band sound great. Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett was finally allowed to suspend his awesome guitar solo-drought that was imposed on him sometime in the late '90s. The first track, "That Was Just Your Life," has a guitar solo worthy of the band's first four albums, and will put a guaranteed smile on your face. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield sounds like an absolute monster on the record, so he must be on a break from therapy and taking his daughter to ballet lessons. Drummer Lars Ulrich has returned to his ultra tight and heavy drumming, thankfully straying from the banging on trash can lids approach on "St. Anger."

Metallica has finally rediscovered the element that made their early work so revolutionary. That element is groove. The source of this groove is not only the combined experience amongst the three veteran members of the band, but also the addition of bass-ace Robert Trujillo to the writing process, which seems to have returned Metallica's music to its heavy-as-f*** roots. The track "All Nightmare Long" is a freight train. Apart from being the heaviest track on the album, it also contains lyrical gems like "We hunt you down without mercy! / We hunt you down all nightmare long! / Feel us breathe upon your face! / Feel us shift, every move we trace!" This leads straight into the first song on "Death Magnetic" that the band debuted live in concert, "Cyanide." The song has a bouncy yet very metal riff that is delightfully similar to "Seek and Destroy." Later in the album, there is an equally monstrous song called "The Judas Kiss," so thankfully Metallica re-opened their Bible since shelving it after writing "Creeping Death." Returning to the subject of groove, the instrumental track "Suicide & Redemption" is nearly ten minutes of nothing but the heaviest music this band has written in two decades.

Secondly, most of the songs on the album are in the 7 to 8 minute range, echoing the musical epics found on 1988's "…And Justice for All." Songs of this length compliment Metallica's musical style because they allow room for experimentation. This experimentation can be heard on "Death Magnetic" in the form of tight time changes, interweaving guitars, and vocal fluctuation. Only two tracks on the album, "The Day That Never Comes" and "The Unforgiven III," can be construed as vocally tedious. Their tempo is more reminiscent of Metallica's work on the "Load and Reload" albums. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it provides a level of continuity to "Death Magnetic" that keeps it from sounding like strictly a throwback album. This is probably why the band chose "Day" as their first single off the album, since it was the least shocking of a musical shift for their late-career fans.

Lastly, the whole album gives the impression that Metallica is overcoming the obstacles that have plagued them in recent years. As Hetfield insistently screams on "Broken, Beat & Scarred," "What don't kill ya make ya more strong!" It honestly sounds like Metallica is in fact stronger for having gone through the departure of the ex-bassist Jason Newsted, Ulrich's anti-Napster fallout, the s*** stigma surrounding "St. Anger," and perhaps the most difficult task of trying to stay musically and culturally relevant after a quarter century of playing together. "Death Magnetic" is the product of a tight band with a great deal to prove, and reminds their fans of why they are who they are. Thankfully, people will always need Metallica to bang their heads to, and "Death Magnetic" proclaims loud and clear that Metallica has no intention of going anywhere anytime soon.

Originally Published: September 17, 2008

↑ Back to the top