Metallica released Death Magnetic back in September and I am just now writing my review of it. I am an unapologetic Metallica fan, but I tried as hard as I could to listen to this album critically. I also feel that the new has 'worn off' and I can give a more accurate assessment after 7 months of listening to it. (Note: The 1-10 scale is against other Metallica songs. I feel it is best to judge Metallica against themselves as they have such an extensive catalog and not against all songs of all genres)
Overall: I'll start general and get specific with a track-by-track breakdown. Overall though I would give this album a 7.5 on a 1-10 scale. It is great to hear Kirk Hammett shredding like it's 1986 again, and for Metallica music to have an aggression and thrash again. However, it's not 1986 and this is not Master of Puppets and it's not Ride The Lightning, either. While many Metallica fans would like to hear a rehash of their 80s sound, that is an unrealistic expectation. It is impossible to ask middle-aged millionaires to summon the anger and angst they felt as up-and-coming 20-somethings. Any attempt to do so would come across completely fake. Death Magnetic offers up a band that has not lost their brutality or vitality, but is more energetic and spry than sinister. It is also less of a return to their roots and more of a compilation of all of their previous work and influences. After 7 months it is still on heavy rotation in my cd player, which is a testament to the staying power of the album itself. More importantly, Metallica as a band is relevant again. Despite all of the turmoil with Napster, the dreadful St. Anger, and Jason Newsted's departure they too have proven that their resiliency is as steely as ever.
Track by Track Review:
1.) That Was Just Your Life
This track starts the album off with a bang. It is arguably the best song on the album and their best opening track since Blackened. It has a frenetic pace and is as explosive and volatile as any track the band has to offer. This song unquestionably awakens the demons of the past. Hammett blisters the track with one of his signature solos, further evidence that the lack of solos on St. Anger were a terrible omission. He wastes no time in establishing himself here. This song is an instant Metallica classic. The only slight deduction I would take away from this song is James Hetfield's voice. It is as strong as it can be and sounds better than it has in years, but it's not as strong as the song itself.
Rating: 9/10
2.) The End of the Line
An epic song which mirrors Master of Puppets in structure, this track is standard for a second track on a Metallica album. It has a strong, deliberate opening riff and keeps a rapid pace, although not as fast as its predecessor. This song, like MOP, is about battling addictions and how it can rob a person of their life. It does have a little slowdown in the middle that, to me, takes something away from the song. It does regain momentum but something about the break gives it a radio-friendly, Load-ish vibe that seems a bit forced.
Rating: 6.5/10
3.) Broken, Beat and Scarred
This song is a bit of a conundrum. On one hand it has a really good, Black Album flow to it and reflects well the best elements of the blue collar, 1990s side of the band. It also has a strong resolve to it that gives it a powerful, "us against the world" message. On the other, it has some of the weaker lyrics on the album and can border on corny.
The chorus consists of Hetfield howling out "What don't kill ya make ya more strong!". For some reason the "ya" irritates me. Why could the liner notes not say "you"? I know this is a small annoyance from an otherwise strong song, but it does deserve a deduction to me. This song was very good live, as all of the songs performed from this album were, so that counts for something. This song lends itself better to a tough workout or concert arena than it does in a setting where lyrics are less important than attitude or motivation. What it lacks in brains it makes up for in brawn.
Rating: 6/10
4.) The Day That Never Comes
This was the first single off of this album, and for good reason. It sounds the most polished and radio-friendly. It uses a common Metallica theme in that of an abusive relationship, presumably parental anger directed towards a child. This song suffers from a St. Anger problem, however. It is the most disjointed song on DM. It starts off slow, then builds with some admittedly strong riffs, and then into full crescendo highlighted by a Hammett solo. Unfortunately the parts of the song do not flow as well as they should and it comes across as a modern-day attempt at One. All-in-all it's not one of the stronger songs.
Rating: 5.5/10
5.) All Nightmare Long
This was a song that I tried to dislike. I initially did not like the name of the song and still have an issue with the lyric "We'll hunt you down all nightmare long" (I prefer "It hunts you down..." or "They'll hunt you down...."). I just don't see the fear in four 40-something millionaires - 3 of which are 5'7" or shorter - coming after me. However, the brutality and ferocity of this song won me over. This song is a full blown acoustic assault. It has traces of Iron Maiden and Slayer in it to go along with the unmistakable Metallica elements. The middle of the song features some of the fastest double bass playing Lars Ulrich has displayed in quite awhile and it flows well with the hostility of the track. It does an excellent job of relaying a sense of predator and prey, also. If only James' voice was at it's pre-2000 level....Still, this song is a mosh pit waiting to happen.
Rating: 8/10
6.) Cyanide
This is another good, solid track. It highlights a sound that is somewhat foreign to Metallica, but I can't put my finger on it. It's most aggressive moments are not characterized by the low, guttural grunts of Hetfield and his guitar, but rather a rapid-fire double bass and almost melodic chorus. It is another strong track live that ultimately lacks some substance. Nevertheless it's a fun ride to listen to and can put a hurting on your ears (and speakers). This is a track that does not sound like any previous Metallica-era but yet displays elements of all of their prior work simultaneously.
Rating: 7/10
7.) The Unforgiven III
I have no idea why they named this song what they did. I do not recall the word "unforgiven" even being mentioned in the song. True to the trilogy, it is the slowest song on the album. If the song had a different title I think it would be much more warmly embraced by fans and critics. I like it, but it does not fit on this album all that well. It is a nice change of pace though and does have some introspective lyrics that are very much like the other Unforgivens. Nevertheless it's not a song you'll hear making its way onto many concert setlists.
Rating: 5/10
8.) The Judas Kiss
This song reminds me of Leper Messiah if it were all grown up. It is hard and heavy, and if it were on either of the Loads would have been the hardest song on the album. It has some of the best riffs on the album and finishes strong. It's got the right sound for a radio single. However, it has a slow down in the middle like End of the Line, which hinders it some in my opinion. It rebounds nicely out of it and is a strong track. It also sounds a little bit too polished and fails to maintain its sinister edge throughout. Something about it seems lacking to me, but it's not a track I skip over when I listen to it. This is another track that ends on a strong, raging note.
Rating: 7.0/10
9.) Suicide and Redemption
This is the only instrumental on the disc and the band's first instrumental since Orion. For the record, ...And Justice for All did have an instrumental but I am not counting it as such because it contained about 8 words of mostly spoken lyrics. This song is a welcome change that is well constructed. It does get repetitive and is not as strong as Orion, but is probably as good as (if not better than) Call of Ktulu from Ride the Lightning. The band does a good, cohesive performance on this song and this - along with Cyanide - allow for bassist Robert Trujillo to be heard loud and clear.
Rating - 7.5/10
10.) My Apocalypse
Finally. At long last. This is the balls-to-the-wall, sonic explosion Metallica fans have been itching for since the early 90s. Perhaps the best attribute of this song is that while it has a definitively 80s feel in attitude, it does not try to recreate anything the band made back then. Instead of making an 80s-era thrash track played by men who have changed drastically since then, they made a 2008 thrasher that suits the band members' strengths. Hetfield's voice is at its howling best while Hammett, Trujillo and Ulrich are sharp throughout the song. Combined with some of the most haunting imagery of one's own demise the album has to offer, this is a true return to form for Metallica. This is truly a welcome addition to the band's catalog.
Rating: 9.5/10
