METALLICA - DEATH MAGNETIC

[TheLastManWithBetamax]

It sounds to me like Metallica have found themselves once more, i've been listening to it all weekend and for the first time in a long time i was actually excited by what i heard from a Metallica Album.

Rick Rubin has clearly captured the sound of the band and created an environment in which they were able to move on from what they were doing with Bob Rock

Fills the room, rattles your fillings and makes your head bang

10 out of 10.

 

[Liam19]

I'm with you, huge Metallica fan over here, and overall Death Magnetic is very impressive! 'The Day That Never Comes', 'All Nightmare Long', 'Cyanide', 'The Unforgiven III' and (probably my favourite) 'The Judas Kiss' are all great tunes! OK, so it's not 'Kill', 'Ride', 'Master' or 'Justice', but hey, it's not 'Load' or 'ReLoad' either!!! The new album does a nice job of combining the killer riffage of the old school albums with some of the better aspects of the later albums, and it's a hell of an improvement over 'St. Anger' (but that wasn't really hard, was it?)

All in all, for me, it's their best studio album since 1991 and 'Metallica', and it's not too far behind the glory days of the '80s. I'd give it a 9 out of 10.

 

[timwileman]

just had a single run through so far and i agree, the old edge seems to be back all the tracks seem to be beyond the recent stuff and hark back to the early days with out being a copy so to speak, welcome back guys you have been missed

 

[Big Chris]

Kinda agree.

While I don't believe it's a 10 out of 10, I also think it's the best release since the Black album.

Production is good, riffs are good, only issue I have is that some of the riffs don't particularly flow together well. The end of 'The Day That Never Comes' sounds a bit disjointed to my ear.

But, overall glad to see the speed is back!

 

[Anonymous]

Well. Hmm, for me they are still lacking. Downloaded a copy to 'try before I buy', and I shan't be buying... :/

I'll give it another listen, but it aint the Black album, or indeed ...and Justice for all, or in fact original or new in the slightest. Don't get me wrong, it's listenable so far, but I am very dissapointed. I wonder if age has taken its toll.ÿ

 

[Drummerdave]

Not heavy enough for me, and far too many guitar solos. It'll sell shed loads though.

 

[nads]

it is an odd album. sounds ok in the Van and the Car but some track at home are just SSssssSSSsSsSsS It might be one track that is like this but it is annoying.

 

[Craig M.]

i was looking on another forum (not hifi) and most posters there thought the production was terrible, heavily compressed. i was going to give it a whirl until i read that.

 

[Big Chris]

Production is still streets ahead of 'St Anger'.

The more I listen to the album, the more I like it. I think you have to take it for what it is. No they're not the heaviest around (Have to turn to Meshuggah for that fix), and no they don't write the best songs (hello Opeth), but they're Metallica and they've made their best album in years.

I guess it feels like they're into it, which kinda rubs off.

Standout track? 'Judas Kiss' IMO.

 

[aliEnRIK]

Metallica went downhill after the 'black album'

St Anger was awful (And yet the dvd was awesome!)

New albums 'ok'. I certainly wont be getting 'excited' over it............

6 out of 10

 

[aliEnRIK]

Big Chris:, and no they don't write the best songs (hello Opeth)

Opeth ARE the s*it!!

Going to see em again this November. Id put them against Metallica ANY day!

 

[Anonymous]

After the disappointment of St Anger, Death Magnetic is definately a return to form for Metallica. Liked the appearance on Jools Holland the other week too!

 

[Anonymous]

Superb album, but they rarely disappoint me, I listen for each album for what it is rather than comparing it to master of puppets and deciding its rubbish lol

I'm glad they keep on pumping music out, great music at that.

 

[Thaiman]

mrbungle:Superb album, but they rarely disappoint me, I listen for each album for what it is rather than comparing it to master of puppets and deciding its rubbish lol I'm glad they keep on pumping music out, great music at that.

Same here, I love Load and re-load too where many Metallica's fans said they sold out! For me they were showing different song writing skill.

 

[Big Chris]

aliEnRIK:
Big Chris:, and no they don't write the best songs (hello Opeth)

Opeth ARE the s*it!!

Going to see em again this November. Id put them against Metallica ANY day!

Me too!

 

[aliEnRIK]

Big Chris:aliEnRIK:
Big Chris:, and no they don't write the best songs (hello Opeth)

Opeth ARE the s*it!!

Going to see em again this November. Id put them against Metallica ANY day!

Me too!

You have their live DVD? Last track is AWESOME.

 

[Big Chris]

Haven't got it yet, but I was there at that show when they recorded it.

 

[aliEnRIK]

Heres a post on Russ Andrews site about the new Metallica album ~

http://www.russandrews.com/viewindex.asp?article_id=loudness_war_reaction

I must admit, I HATE the production on it (Though still marginally better than the last album)

 

[Craig M.]

download the guitar hero 3 version. although pretty annoying when you've already bought the cd.

 

[TonyHall]

I confess I'm no fan of heavy metal (altho' I did kinda like what I heard from Metallica on "Later...with Jools Holland"), but this album seems to be getting loads of publicity...for the appallingly over compressed CD.

However it does appear the CD is so bad that it's bringing the 'loudness war' complaints away from a minority of audiophiles, to the attention of the mainstream general public - which hopefully may mean some record company folks may take notice and do something about this decade old problem...well, we can hope!

This album is so bad that Radio 4's "You and Yours" did a piece about it. Metallica on Radio 4, what is the world coming to?

Still, the CD is selling brilliantly and only 16,000 fans have signed a petition calling for the album to be remastered or remixed, and only a minority of those are sending their CDs back to the record company; so it's highly likely that nothing will change - huge shame.

Cheers,
Tony

 

[aliEnRIK]

Heres an online petition

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/re-mix-or-remaster-death-magnetic.html

 

[TheLastManWithBetamax]

I dont agree that the album is too compressed, i suspect a lot of what people are attributing to the CD actually occured on stomp boxes between guitar and amp, pre-production.
I also dont beleive that an act with the muscle in the industry that Metallica have would allow something to be released with which they are uncomfortable, and that what we are hearing is their intended vision as artists. We are listening to what metallica want us to hear.

 

[nads]

http://mikemelancholic.blogspot.com/

a bit late but i might send it back as well as it is poor.

 

[aliEnRIK]

TheLastManWithBetamax:I dont agree that the album is too compressed, i suspect a lot of what people are attributing to the CD actually occured on stomp boxes between guitar and amp, pre-production.
I also dont beleive that an act with the muscle in the industry that Metallica have would allow something to be released with which they are uncomfortable, and that what we are hearing is their intended vision as artists. We are listening to what metallica want us to hear.

I cant possibly agree with that ~ except for the whole 'Metallica WANT us to hear it like that', as clearly they do

First up ~ the actual SOUND ENGINEER hates it (Obviously FORCED into making it sound like it does)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/sep/17/metallica.guitar.hero.loudness.war

Also, the GUITAR HERO version sounds infinitely better ~ clearly demonstrating that that the original recordings were of 'sound' quality

http://mastering-media.blogspot.com/2008/09/metallica-death-magnetic-sounds-better.html

St Anger was even WORSE to my ears, and yet the free dvd whereby theyre jamming together sounds awesome (which is what were SUPPOSED to hear on the cd)

They even apologised for st angers terrible production and PROMISED to get it right for the next album (Death Magnetic)!!

 

[Big Chris]

A slight aside.

They're coming back to the U.K next year.

Tickets go on sale this Friday. I know they're playing The Dome....Sorry..The O2, on March 2nd. I'm not sure about the other venues or dates though.

Bet it's gonna cost more than a fiver this time around!!