Metallica - Death Magnetic

* - This article is composed mainly from an article I published September 15, 2008 on facebook. The article was a comparative between two different albums that came out around the same time. I've now crafted it into a review of just one album.

Metallica's Death Magnetic has left me kind of on the fence. I heard somewhere along the line that Metallica said this album is the album that should have been between ...And Justice For All and The Black Album. This is a very accurate description for this album. So, if you love those albums this is a good album for you to pick up. It's a million miles an hour, with riff after riff crashing down, and blindingly fast solos, as well as all that other fun stuff. All this and it still is somewhat commercial sounding. Total fucking head banger music for the masses.

At this point I'd like to mention that I have no use for the black album, except for maybe four songs. Justice on the other hand is a great album, but leaves me wanting to slit my wrists after one too many listenings. I've also kind of grown out of my angry youth, so banging my head doesn't mean as much as it once did. At least not banging my head that fast anymore.

However, after a couple listenings, the album has kind of grown on me. Sadly, I do like The Day That Never Comes, the lightest and most commercially friendly song on the album. It grew on me like a bad fungus.

Cyanide and Broken, Beat & Scarred both hooked me right away although I find the songs ran a little longer than they needed to, but that's due to the million different riffs jammed into one song. Just a little on the excess side I think.

The Unforgiven III was another great song and nothing like the other two previous songs sharing the same name. This one felt like it had more depth than the others, and went on more of a journey.

The Judas Kiss had me almost turning off the CD. Sorry guys but that was a steaming pile, and an early indication of what was coming with Lulu. All though I would still listen to it before Nothing Else Matters, which is the biggest pile of shit ever written by Metallica. I will go to my grave swearing Mama Said is still fucking cooler.

After years and many listenings All Nightmare Long has probably turned into my favourite song. Or at least the one that I listen to the most. I love the animalistic chasing vibe. I find myself dreaming of hunting as a werewolf.

My Apocalypse, the last track on the album, and is okay too. But this album does contains a song that I do believe should be in the Top Five Metallica songs of all time.

Sandwiched between The Judas Kiss (steaming pile of shit) and My Apocalypse (pretty fucking cool) is the most ballsy, in your face, heavy as hell, mother fucker Metallica has released in years. Well, that might be slightly over stated.

Suicide & Redemption is not only the longest song on the album, but it's also an Instrumental. It can come off sounding a bit like a jam session, but that only makes it that much fucking better, in my opinion. This song saved the album for me, originally, just based on it being so mesmerizing.

I no longer consider it the best song on the album, I save that for Cyanide and All Nightmare Long to duke out. Suicide & Redemption is still a top three for me. In fact those three songs plus The Day That Never Comes are the only ones I still listen to on their own, without being mixed in my CD player on random.

7/10 - content

8/10 - production

6/10 - personal bias