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Track Listings
| 1. That Was Just Your Life |
| 2. The End Of The Line |
| 3. Broken, Beat & Scarred |
| 4. The Day That Never Comes |
| 5. All Nightmare Long |
| 6. Cyanide |
| 7. The Unforgiven III |
| 8. The Judas Kiss |
| 9. Suicide & Redemption |
| 10. My Apocalypse |
Product Description
Review
It begins with a heartbeat...it could very well be the heartbeat of your average Metallica fan, scared to death, not by the spooky coffin made of iron filings on the cover (see what they did there?) but by the thought that this supposed 'return to form' by the world's once-greatest thrash metal merchants will be lame. Well worry not. After the solo-free St Anger way back in 2003 this is, well, most outstanding.
Never let it be said that Metallica aren't a band of the people, just not the people who file share their back catalogue. You can imagine Death Magnetic blasting out of some tank's soundsystem in the middle east. The closest thing to a ballad is single, The Day That Never Comes, though after a few minutes it descends back into the abyss of raw power. And the only low point comes with the penultimate instrumental, Suicide And Redemption which meanders and has a 'sensitive' solo line at its core that's at odds with the brutality on offer elsewhere.
James Hetfield's lyrics now seem to have become the channel of his post-therapy angst. More cyphers than actual narratives, they come direct from the big book of heavy metal words. Take this example from The End Of The Line, "Need..more and more/Tainted misery/Bleed...battlescars/Chemical affinity/Reign...legacy/Innocence corrode/Stain...rot away/Catatonic overload/Choke...asphyxia/Snuff reality/Scorch...kill the light/Incinerate celebrity/Reaper... butchery/Karma amputee". You get the idea.
But words aren't the major force at work here. It's the irresistible maelstrom of guitars. Kirk Hammett's back to shredding triplets or chiming with Hetfield in Thin Lizzy-esque duels. Balancing vertiginous prog time shifts with chugging power chords, it's amazing how raw and hungry producer Rick Rubin (himself, a thrash connoiseur with Slayer and Wolfsbane albums under his belt) has made the band sound. His greatest contribution is in bringing out the crunch in 'new' boy. Robert Trujillo's bass. On Cyanide he's unstoppable. And, of course, leading the changes is the mighty Lars Ulrich. Possibly the single most erudite expression of metal's paradoxical mix of intelligence matched with dumb, awesome power. If there's a nagging sensation that the drums sound weird, it's because they're REAL. Say what you will about their psychodramas or political leanings, but this is a band that really can play.
Death Magnetic is the sound of a band giving both themselves and their fans exactly what they need. And nothing else matters... --Chris Jones
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CD Description
Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album from heavy metaltitans Metallica, who link up with producer Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Slayer) for the first time. Epic guitar solos from Kirk Hammett, constant speed changes and multiple riffs per song make the follow-up to 2003's St. Anger a throwback to the band's pre-1990s style. James Hetfield's vocals and the pounding rhythms of Lars Ulrich are as powerful as ever, while Bass player Rob Trujillo appears on a studio recording with the band for the first time.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Only for the nutters!,
By
This review is from: Death Magnetic (Limited Edition Coffin Box Set) (Audio CD)
Radiohead did one, Nine Inch Nails did one, The Verve did one, and it seems like every major band's doing one - Metallica no exception.
4 stars goes to both the album itself as well as the set. While Death Magnetic pales in comparison to the first decade of their career, it's easily the best thing they've done since ill trodden attempts at blues rock and garagey nu-metal. Production wise it's good but poor mastering means there is some distortion in unnecessary places, but this is not the band's fault and unfortunately a lot of new albums and remasters are like this. Yet it still doesn't take away the power of the riffage that is a combo of their cult and mainstream years. Hetfield may sound more like an angry teacher than a Sergeant and Lars' beats lack 80's creativity, but they do their best here. And as for Kirk - an explosion of solos is natural after being tied up for the last album. Unfortunately, despite the full band writing effort, Rob is still only a little audible, but that said I think too much bass at the forefront would have diluted the songs. Don't put him up front just because he's 'new' (at least they didn't bury him like Jason on AJFA). The coffin box itself is white, sturdy and about arm's length in size. The CD included is the limited edition Digipak version which looks better than the Super Jewel box version, but it's only drawback is that like the St. Anger case, the cardboard is prone to easy wear and peeling on your shelf. The concentric hole through the pages also obscures the lyrics. Then there is a 'Demo Magnetic' CD which is fairly late stage demos of all the album songs with original working titles. Many songs sound very similar to the final versions, most changes being lyrics or arrangement ideas. For demos, it's quite well produced but you won't listen to it too much. You'll just want to own it as a completist. Then there's a DVD of extra stuff not found on the £10 Mission Metallica site. It's not similar to 'A Year And Half...' or 'SKOM', so just expect raw footage - just longer - on here. It's fascinating if, like with Demo Magnetic, you're interested in seeing the scaffolding of the album. The t-shirt is in the large size only for UK buyers but will be okay for the average person. It's 100% cotton in black with the band logo and album name on the back, and a white coffin attracting 4 Metallica logo M's on the front. It's quite stylish. The flag is a full size flag that you can drape outside your window or whatever...This item though feels a bit like it's padding the set with novelties. The same goes for the very thick cardboard picks and laminate in lanyard (despite the cool ribbon on it with the Metallica logo and album name). The coffin shaped poster is basically a large blown up image of the inner back of the lyrics booklet. Finally there is a credit card with a code which entitles you to download the recently passed Berlin, or upcoming London O2 show for free. It's assumed much of Death Magnetic live has/will be aired, making this essentially a CD of 'Live Magnetic Plus Live Rarities'. Also note the sticky logo on the shrinkwrap doesn't re-stick on the box, which is a small shame. This box is pretty expensive, perhaps less than some but it's just about value for money. You're no less of a fan if you don't buy it, but if you want to be immersed in all things DM to the max, it's a worthy purchase save for the few filler items.
60 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
NORMAL SERVICE IS RESUMED....,
By
This review is from: Death Magnetic (Audio CD)
A BIG return to form here! This album takes all the experimentation of the past (the groove of Load, the raw anger of St Anger & the prog touches of And Justice For All) and successfully melds it with the thrashier elements of Lightning & Puppets.
The problems of St Anger have been erased; the lyrics are far less self loathing and repetitive, the arrangements are more varied and technical, the drums sound like drums, the bass is once again the holding player in midfield and the solos are back in style. This album showcases Hammett's most emotive & powerful lead work in over a decade! And there is also the small matter of some of the band's best riffs since 1986! Hetfield is more 'in control' than on the 2003 misfire, and the production while not in the Black album sphere, is clear and powerful. Personally I would prefer a slightly fuller snare & less clicky bass drum but the guitars and bass are really strong. Had my doubts over Trujillo - not as a player, but more if he was suitable, but I have to say I'm really impressed. There is much for all here; from the symphonic orchestration on Unforgiven 3 (STUNNING lead break) to the all out Thrash Metal of My Apocalypse and the epic The Day That Never Comes (similiar to One but better. Really!). That Was Just Your Life is a corker of an opener and is reminiscent of the St Anger days but with better quality. Instrumental track Suicide & Redemption has a real groove with some seriously crunchy riffs, and tasty leads. Not as good as Orion or the S&M version of Call Of Ktulu but more engaging than the plodding To Live Is To Die from 1988's AJFA. What strikes me here is how clear the influences shine through; the rhythm of Zeppelin, the riffs of Sabbath, the swagger of Motorhead. Even the odd hint of Maiden & Priest. And yet this still sounds very modern. I can't see how any Metallica, or Metal fan could fail to appreciate this. Please don't read too much into all this talk of a distorted sound -it's really not the case. Here's to another good decade from the Masters.... And the second coming of Thrash gathers pace...
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome Back Metallica, We Missed You,
By
This review is from: Death Magnetic Limited Edition (Audio CD)
I think many die hard fans of Metallica will quite easily agree that when compared to the Metallica of old, they started to drift into the realm of commercial mediocrity and delivered a shambolic last album in St. Anger. When Death Magnetic was announced for '08 I think many like myself said "bah humbug." Well, not in those words but you get the metaphor I'm trying to put across here. Our bah humbuggery was put to rest on September 10th when the album was released, with a finger in one ear and our eyes closed expecting the worst, I could finally rest. Metallica had escaped the clutches of that mediocre commercialism and said "hey, we messed up, but we're gonna make it up to you."
Hettfield, Ulrich, Hammet & Trujillo I salute you and thank you for keeping me out of hospital this time around. I couldn't bare another trip to repair my eardrums damaged by terrible music. I've just gotten over the Ashley Simpson album. I would usually just go right ahead and give you my top 5 favourites and let that be that, but I can't pick 5, it would make me feel guilty as I want to pick them all but as you can see there are 10 songs and don't fit into my top 5 charting model. This is just a truly awesome album and is reminiscent of the Metallica of old. Forget St. Anger, Loaded and the other one, cast them out of your mind and replace them with the memory of Death Magnetic, the true return of heavy/thrash metal music and the band that made the genre what it is today.
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