James Hetfield howls the title of this review at the very beginning of 'Broken, Beat and Scarred'. Pretty appropriate if you ask me after the disappointment that was St. Anger. So yes, Death Magnetic. It's a stonking album, one that clearly puts Metallica right back on the top of the metal tree. At 75 minutes long, this is about as epic as your going to get, with all of the songs being 5 minutes plus, and some straying very close to the double figures minutes mark. This album is significant as it marks the first time new bassist Robert Trujillo, joins the usual line-up of James Hetfield on vocals and rhythm guitar, Kirk Hammet on lead guitar and Lars Ulrich pounding the pig skin on drums. I'm not normally one for doing structured reviews, but I want everyone to buy this CD so I'm going to try and make this as helpful as possible.

It's really been a long time coming - 1991 in fact - since we last had a decent Metallica album. The lingering feeling that there still was another decent record within Metallica was beginning to fade after Load, ReLoad and St. Anger. St. Anger in particular was very disappointing. It was more of a counselling session sold in a CD form, with Kirk Hammet practically switched off and the crazy riffs of 'Master of Puppets', 'Ride the Lightning' and '…And Justice for All' a distant memory. The announcement of Death Magnetic didn't exactly have me clicking on pre-order instantly as a result of the last 3 albums. Nevertheless, I was intrigued. When I did go out and get it on release date and first put it into my CD player (didn't have the patience to wait until I got home and put it on iTunes) I was transported back to the good ol' days. The riffs are heavy, some of the bridges sound like entirely new songs and it does so simply what St. Anger failed to do - go back to doing what Metallica do best. The production (with Rick Rubin now at the helm) sounds immense and the general sound of it echoes quality and as though this was recorded in a recording studio, rather than a shed which St. Anger seemed to be recorded in.

James Hetfield is once again howling down the mic again, but in a slightly more 'gruff' tone than we're used to. Whether it's the age slowly catching up with his throat muscles, it still is a cracking voice. Some hardcore Metallica nutcases may be off put by the fact it's a really different voice to the ones heard from the albums in the '80's, but it still compliments the anarchy that is happening behind him from the other guys. The lyrics aren't really what you'd call top notch. You only have to look at the title of 'All Nightmare Long' to notice that writing the lyrics clearly took a back seat compared to writing the music. And trust me, that's not a bad thing when you do hear the music. And besides, Metallica never really have been about storming lyrics. Asking Metallica to write great words in songs is like going to a KKK meeting and asking them to take the moral high-ground.

Robert Trujillo is a great bassist and is no wonder Hetfield and co. were so impressed when he played at the auditon. The bass lines are thumping and are way more clear and present than any other Metallica album and especially in 'Suicide and Redemption' where he really does drive that instrumental. Some may consider the drummer to be the glue that keeps a band together, but in Death Magnetic's case, it's the long haired, crab-walking 4 string player who fills that role; and how he fills it.

----The Songs----

End of the Line (7:52) It's a very similar track to That Was Just Your Life, but the riffs are super aggressive, sounding as though this could have quite easily been on 'Kill 'Em All'. Another excellent track.

Cyanide (6:39) If you've seen Metallica live recently, chances are you might have heard this song already as they've been playing it live recently. Following All Nightmare Long is tough, but Cyanide holds it's own. The bridge sounds like a different song keeping listeners interested in what is a fairly average Metallica song unfortunately.

The Judas Kiss (8:01) Some reviewers have quoted the quality of the lyrics in this track, but the musical element is still brilliant. The riffs again are thundering and Hammet's solos continue to be consistent throughout. There's a 'One' moment with Hetfield roaring down the mic "Judas lives recite this vow, I've become your new god now" and transporting me back to the times when I used to howl over and over again "Darkness, imprisoning me…" - Metallica fans will know what I'm talking about.

My Apocalypse (5:01) The shortest song on the album concludes the record. Although Hetfield randomly shouts out the title of the album in an erratic manner, this song is all about thrash. The drums are anarchic and Hammet finishes on a high with a mental solo. It's a cracking end to the album, although not quite up to the insanity that is 'Damage Inc.' from 'Puppets'.