Amazon.co.uk Review
This double-CD, all-covers release could come to represent a vital turning point for Metallica. While Disc 2 is a straightforward collection of every cover the group have recorded in its 16-year history, Disc 1 comprises 11 new selections drawn from the oeuvres of such exciting and diverse artists as punk rockers
Discharge and the nefarious
Nick Cave. The heavier songs, such as the Mercyful Fate medley,
Black Sabbath's "Sabbra Cadabra" and the
Misfits' "Die Die My Darling", prove that nobody delivers a crunching riff better than these metal veterans. But it is vocalist-guitarist James Hetfields's confident approach toward the likes of Cave's "Loverman" and Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" that delivers the most electricity; here his raw, heartfelt vocals are largely untouched. Given that the recharged group spent only three weeks in the studio recording these tracks, it appears that these guys have remembered the value of studio spontaneity over laborious pontificating. Hopefully, that mindset will resurface in future projects. --
Steffan Chirazi
CD Description
Anybody who's anybody in rock has been in a cover band. Although "cover" has a negative connotation, it is the playing of others' material that forges the identity and agenda of future superstars. Every recorded cover tune from Metallica plus 11 newly recorded covers are included in this double-CD set. They combine to give fans a glimpse into the wide variety of influences that have shaped metal's mightiest band.
Disc one is the new material, and Metallica place their undeniable stamp on each track. Transforming Bob Seger's midtempo "Turn the Page" into a real rocker, and converting Nick Cave's "Loverman" into sheer brutality. Closer to the mark ofMetallica's style, a Mercyful Fate medley retains the spirit of the original. James Hetfield's growls give an extra dose of attitude to Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey In The Jar", while anacoustic radio station jam of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" is a southern delight. Disc 2 contains GARAGE DAYS RE-REVISITED, which had been out of print and heavily bootlegged. Rounding out the package are B-sides and one-offs including four Motorhead covers the band rehearsed for Lemmy's birthday party.