My latest review has received less reads that ever since this new Ciao upgrade. Also on Dooyoo as xB...
My latest review has received less reads that ever since this new Ciao upgrade. Also on Dooyoo as xBorgx
Member since:16.08.2001
Reviews:261
Members who trust:180
I very rarely make money on music reviews on review sites such as this… this is because when I finally get round to writing a review, someone else has already done it! Unless, of course, I write a review on a less 'popular' band. So… knowing I will probably make about 8p on this review, here goes…
Since Metallica's 'Black' album was released I felt that Metallica's music took a very steady downhill slide, with only a handful of highlights such as 'St Anger' - the song, not the album, and it looked like the days of 'Master of Puppets,' or my favourite 'Blackened' were gone forever, lost in time… a bit like teardrops in rain… The 'Black' album (1991) sparked a journey of success for Metallic, though - and included the phenomenal hit 'Enter Sandman.'
A little bird told me about a month or so ago that Metallica were releasing a new album, and thinking
of 'Load' and 'Re-load,' I think I may well have just pulled an 'Ah, well… so what,' face, with a slight shrug to go with it. But the bird in question (actually, it was my brother-in-law, and I think he would be quite mad to know that I referred to him as a bird, so I will drop that), said it was a return to the old stuff, allegedly.
I set sail for YouTube to check out the new single, 'The Day that Never comes,' and I was dumbstruck, awe-struck, thunderstruck… heck, all kinds of 'struck,' in fact! I fell in love with it immediately and thought if the rest of the new album was half as good I would be a very happy bunny. The day for the album's - 'Death Magnetic' - release did finally come and I purchased my copy in HMV for a lovely £9.99.
It took me a while to make up my mind about this album, though: I liked it, but did I love it? I need many listens to any album before I can decide if it is a great album, and this was no exception, but suffice to say it is a great album. Fans of early Metallica can not fail to be pleased with this, it truly is a great.
So… what are Metallica? They are a thrash metal, speed metal or whatever the term is these days, metal band. They play their music uncompromisingly fast and loud, with lots of heavy drumming and thundering bass lines and gritty guitars and meandering solos. Since 'Black' album they mellowed a bit… but not any more. This number one selling album, which topped the charts just about everywhere is true grit.
The band:
James Hetfield: Lead vocals, Guitar Lars Ulrich: Drums Kirk Hammett: Lead Guitar Robert Trujillo: Bass Guitar
Full listing of 'Death Magnetic.'
'That Was Just Your Life' 'The End Of The Line' 'Broken, Beat & Scarred' 'The Day That Never Comes' 'All Nightmare Long' 'Cyanide' 'The Unforgiven III' 'The Judas Kiss' 'Suicide & Redemption' 'My Apocalypse'
The album reminds me a great deal of 'And Justice for All,' but with a fresher production. It is full of fast chord changes and harmonies. 'That Was Just Your Life' starts with a heartbeat, followed by a haunting guitar and, then a glorious epic ensues. 'The End Of The Line' has a slow, but metal start, but stabs a long after a few changes. 'Broken, Beat & Scarred' is very 'Justice,' full of those glorious chord changes.
'You side You fall You're down, then you rise again. What don't kill ya, make ya more strong…'
'The Day That Never Comes' is just great. And extremely emotional number. The acoustic intro gives way to hard drums and a wondering guitar. For Metallica fans, it is a bit like 'Fade to Black.' 'All Nightmare Long' is a catchy one and likeable after only a few listens. 'Cyanide' starts with a 'wow-wow' guitar which sounds a little odd, but then the metal resumes.
'The Unforgiven III' is one I did not like to much to begin with, but it is a grower, A quite song, reaching a hard crescendo. 'The Judas Kiss' is a little bit different - plenty of metal, but more harmonies:
'Into abyss You don't exist Cannot resist The Judas Kiss.'
We round off the album with 'Suicide & Redemption' an awesome instrumental and then the short, but gritty 'My Apocalypse.' I say short, but it is actually around six minutes long and most of the others are between seven and eight minutes… and we all written by Metallica, with lyrics by Hetfield.
Discussing this with a friend, I said I thought it was their best album ever. This is not an easy thing to say, but I feel they got it all right. Their early stuff is excellent, but I always though the production could have been better, 'Death Magnetic' is excellent and has the ideal production by Rick Rubin.
I am happy…
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I got this album on its release date and listened to it 3 times through that very day so it kinda did have chance to grow on me, just kinda hit me in the face. Very thoughtful oppinions especially since I dont hear many off fans who have listened to 'old metallica' whom may i say were and still are amazing.
As many of their early fans would agree, Danish-Californian quartet Metallica seemed to ... more
lose it around the mid 90s. Dropping the hard-nosed, blue-collar appeal they had cultivated with their initial slew of albums, the band began to pander to a more co...
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Advantages: Thundering riffs, great basslines, howling Hetfield, mental solos, brutal drumming Disadvantages: Still not as good as the old Metallica albums, Unforgiven is a bit odd
dan_the_turbanator 22.10.2008 (22.10.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Death Magnetic - Metallica
Advantages: Thundering riffs, great basslines, howling Hetfield, mental solos, brutal drumming Disadvantages: Still not as good as the old Metallica albums, Unforgiven is a bit odd
dan_the_turbanator 22.10.2008 (22.10.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Death Magnetic - Metallica
Advantages: Metallica are back, fantastic partly-thrashing progressive riff based metal music with a contemporary touch Disadvantages: Awful mixing has destroyed dynamics adding severe digital distortion with too much compression used
Oct 12th, 2008
exceptional by (3%):
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