Metallica is.....well c'mon dude, their Metallica. One of the longest running and most successful metal bands ever. Their output in the 80's practically invented the Thrash Metal genre with album's like "Kill Em' All", "Ride The Lightning" (My favorite Metallica album), and "Master Of Puppets". By the time we hit the late 80's and early 90's though, Metallica was clearly going for a new sound. "...And Justice For All" showed the band going in a more progressive direction (I'm not a fan of it, I'm super picky when it comes to Progressive Metal), and attempting a more cleanly produced Metal sound on their gloomy, classic self titled album (An album I feel a lot of people under-appreciate, however I never.....want to hear "Nothing Else Matters" ever again). As far as the rest of the 90's went, Metallica absolutely went through some dark times. "Load" is painful to listen to, with James Hetfield's vocals going from aggressive and monstrous to borderline obnoxious. Kirk Hammett's guitar solo's became less pronounced and more run-of-the-mill. Not to mention it took like 5 years to record "Load", what in the hell were they doing that entire time?! "Reload" which was released shortly after wasn't necessarily any better, but it did have a few passable singles. But even those singles on "Load" and "Reload" didn't have nearly as much punch as their early classics, however I am partial to "Fuel" (Don't be judging). However, "Load" and "Reload" we're nothing, and i seriously mean NOTHING compare to the mess that is "St. Anger". Yes, everybody and their mother can make jokes about how bad "St. Anger" really is. But you really have no idea until you sit and listen to it do you realize just how un-listenable the material on there really is. It would be quite a few years before Metallica once again graced the studios for their follow-up, "Death Magnetic". Now honestly, I think over the years "Death Magnetic" has gotten a bad reputation, it's not THAT bad of an album, and it's certainly more listenable than their 90's and early 2000's output. That being said though, "The Day That Never Comes" is the epitome of what's made Metallica so cringe-worthy in their later years, and NOBODY wanted "The Unforgiven III". So that brings us to 2016, and going into this album here, I didn't know what to expect. Was it going to be the decent Metal album I've been waiting for years to hear Metallica come out with? Or was it going to be another desperate, mid life crisis fueled metal disaster by one of Metal's most respected acts. Well lets find out shall we!
(Let's get that blood pumpin')
Lets get this bad boy started. This album starts off with “Hardwired”, and I gotta really give it to that opening instrumental. Ten seconds into the album and we’re already dealing with some of the heaviest material we’ve heard from Metallica since I can remember. Ok ok, so maybe not the heaviest or the loudest, but the this is the truest Metallica has sounded to themselves. They seriously sound completely unhinged here, hell I would even say this is the closest thing to a thrash metal sound I’ve heard since the 80’s from them. Kirk’s riff is solid, and Lars’s drums are some of his most pronounced in quite some time. But most importantly, all the members of Metallica here sound all on the same page. When the main riff of the song speeds up, nothing comes off really sloppy. When James Hetfield’s vocals come in, to be honest they sound damn near monstrous, when was the last time anyone has thought that? He sounds a whole lot younger too, delivering urgent vocal performances, angry ones at that. No, this isn’t your Mama’s Metallica, far from it. But at THIS stage in their career, tracks like these are freakin solid man. Kirk’s solo here is actually really solid, I mean clearly he’s done crazier, but this is still really legit. Not to mention, that one last verse of "Once upon A planet burning, Once upon a flame, once upon a fear returning all in vain" is absolutely intense. Hell, "Hardwired" has a few moments that seriously feel like Metallica may go off the rails completely, which is honestly what I want to hear. Well done. Next up is "Atlas, Rise!", which doesn't waste a single second of anyone's time to bring in another straightforward riff. For the most part, Metallica continue to sound like everyone is on the same page. James's delivery remains fierce and energetic, he doesn't sound like he's really planning on slowing down either. Not to mention, oddly enough that hook seriously encompasses everything that was really great about the 80's and Metallica, yep I said it. The verses here continue on being just as pummeling, personally I would have liked to hear Kirk's solo more at the forefront, but that's OK. At times, it's more on the tame side, but Kirk's later solo really livens up everything. "Atlas, Rise!" continues to be really solid, just you know, don't expect to be getting off without dealing with any Metal cliche's. The album hits it's first massive bump in the road with "Now That We're Dead". Instantly, Metallica jumps back to the constant chugging that dominated "Load" and "Reload". Lars' drumming here comes off awkward here, never really sticking around like it should. I understand the effect that they're going for here with the drumming and all, but it's just not coming off really well. At it's best moments, "Now That We're Dead" comes off as a "Black Album" ripoff, one that's a little more upbeat. It seriously though is doing almost nothing for me. For one, that intro took way too long to get us where it was supposed to be taking us. Trust me, if there's anyone and can appreciate decent buildup, it's me, but this literally goes nowhere! But my biggest complaint comes in the form of James's vocals. James, what the hell is going on here? These vocals have seriously taken the sharpest of turns from aggressive to simply obnoxious. To be honest, while I do dig the pre-chorus, the chorus itself is borderline not-listenable, hell it almost comes off as a super cheesy.....Megadeth chorus (Yea, I went there). There are a few bright moments here and there, but overall it's completely flavorless. and more or less this is just going down a road I don't want to see Metallica even touch. Some of the instrumentals in the last minute or so are pretty intense though, so there's definitely SOME good happening here. "Moth Into Flame" on the other hand is just the opposite. The instrumentals immediately are anything but sluggish, and to be honest this sounds like a proper Metallica intro. Every member here does exactly what you want to hear from them, leading up to actually a really intense riff. Occasionally, "Moth Into Flame" drifts into the more technical side of metal, which I can already hear metal snobs getting a little angry with. But I think it's a solid tune, and it's melodic just enough to seriously stick with you once it's over. Lars is featured just as he should be to be honest, as the backbone of one of Metals finest acts. Not to mention, while this track is seriously almost 6 minutes long, there's no fluff and not a second of it seems overblown. It's moments like this that really make me thankful for Metallica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhBHL3v4d3I
We've reached the middle of the album, which honestly is probably the weakest section here. Starting things off we have "Dream No More", with a nice beefy intro. While that may not be for everyone, it's certainly more interesting than the "tinny" sounding "St. Anger". This one just overall seriously irks me though. There are so many tracks here that are seriously tasteful throwbacks to Metallica's 80's output. Then we have tracks like "Dream No More" which sound like a rehashed "Black Album" sound. But the biggest problem here lies in James Hetfield's vocal performance. James's vocals here are literally the culmination of everything that has become truly cringe-worthy about Metallica in these later years. Here, James doesn't sound like an animal, he sounds like himself. And by that, I mean he sounds like an aging dude trying desperately to fit into the genre, it's not even close to . Behind the constant chugging guitars, there's absolutely no soul or emotion behind this performance. Hell, this doesn't even sound like them, this sounds like a band parodying Metallica, and THAT is when things get seriously bad. And on top of that, I can assure you I can't take these lyrics seriously in the slightest bit. James Hetfield these days looks like a soccer dad that may or may not kick your ass, and here he is screaming "Cthulhu Awaken" like he's an edgy 16 year old. Simply put, I don't but it. This isn't fierce, this isn't original, this is Metallica trying to fit in. Even the solo's towards the end are just bland. "Halo On Fire" for a few minutes get's things back on track. From the intro though you seriously wouldn't know it at first, as it really sounds like more of the same honestly. However, it's when things smooth out into a gloomy main riff that this track starts to turn around. It goes from being weak to being one of the brightest moments here very quickly. There's a real murkiness here, and while James's vocals still aren't what they used to be, here at least they sound like they belong. Even though this is a slower track, it comes off at a good pace, it's overall a solid track. While there are some seriously goofy and cringe-worthy tracks on here, there are tracks like "Halo On Fire" that show Metallica really staying true to their sound. Yes, the lyrics here are so over the top it's not even funny, and you bet your sweet ass it's cheesy. But there comes a time in metal music where when things get so over the top that things work. Some of these murky passages remind me so much of their 80's output, at the very least instrumentally. As far as the vocals go, yea I wish I could get a little more of a snarl, but I don't really think that I can expect that at this point in Metallica's career. Even when things pick up, this is Metallica at their most confident. "Halo On Fire" is the longest track here, and yea it has a slightly progressive edge, but it remains likable the whole way through. On to disc 2! "Confusion" starts the second disc off on a low note. While the instrumental starts off sounding pretty straightforward, but as things move on this is seriously some of the more gimmicky material here. Once again, this kinda sounds like a current metal band trying on their best Metallica impression. I mean, when things straighten it does get a little more listenable, but this sounds so skill-less. This isn't a thrash metal riff, not even close, it's not the worst riff I've ever heard, but it's just so meh. When the lyrics come in, boy oh boy. It's just one cringe-worthy line after another. "All sanity is but a memory"? How about no. James is back to sounding more on the obnoxious side, and even worse, he sounds uncomfortable to be honest. As the track goes on, the instrumental does get more interesting. It's still tightly wound and completely by the books, but it's certainly not terrible. But God these lyrics get worse and worse, every other word is "war" I feel like. Newsflash Metallica, that's been done before, and even worse it's been done by YOU. But not even at "Confusion"'s worst is it anywhere near as bad as "ManUNkind", oh boy. Right from the intro to this one, we can tell that Metallica are back to their gloomy sound. But here it seriously just sounds doom to be a big disappointment. When things pick up, it's exactly as I feared. The instrumental is seriously sloppy as hell, and the production which up to this point hasn't been that bad at all takes a huge nosedive here. Metallica at this point are going for almost a groove metal sound, but everything is just so off kilter that it comes off sloppy. And then we have these lyrics, again. "I've become hostage to my mind"? Not really James, not really. They've once again seriously went from "tasteful throwback" to "literally everything that's bad about Metallica in 2016. As "ManUNkind" continues, it get's even harder and harder to listen to. The solo's towards the end are just plain awkward, they literally sound like they were copy and pasted from another Metallica track. Metallica are slowly losing their grip on this comeback album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbxH5S9_A3M
Man who the hell decided this should be a double album, this thing is long as hell. "Here Comes Revenge" starts off with, you guessed it, another muscular sounding riff. This intro actually has a really nice bite to it, and the riff that comes out of it is definitely one I can sink my teeth into. Here, Metallica really don't do anything at all to reinvent their sound. They stay in their comfort zone, but just enough to do what they do best. James here really sounds like he belongs, and while they're piled high with every cliche in the book, everything works nicely. So no, this doesn't sound like any reincarnation, this doesn't sound out of place, this literally sounds like Metallica and where they should be in 2016. "Am I Savage?" starts out by sounding like a legitimate flashback to "...And Justice For All". The main riff when it drops is honestly really ugly to say the least. And once again, we have Metallica going for a really awkward groove metal feel that I just don't feel like hearing from Metallica. The vocals here aren't necessarily bad. They're just seriously some of the most forgettable, bland performances here. This album seriously needed to be trimmed, this could have easily been 10 times better if it was a respectable 8 track album (and it STILL would have been over an hour). In the last two tracks here though, Metallica DO in fact leave on a high note. Firstly, we have "Murder One". Right from the intro of this, I absolutely get the chills. This literally sounds like the long lost Metallica track we've all been searching for. There aren't many thrash elements here, but everything else is a culmination of everything that was once so wonderful about Metallica. The groove presented during the verse comes off as it's supposed to, and Hetfield sounds rejuvenated in his vocal performance (he almost sounds like he seriously could kick your ass). Everything about "Murder One" makes for an amazing Metallica track, one that I seriously wouldn't mind coming back to at all. Finally, we have "Spit Out The Bone", which seriously has a ridiculously nasty upbeat flair. It's easily the most pummeling track here, I'm exhausted just listening to it. Yes, the lyrics are cheesy as hell diving into robots and I don't even know what else, but at this point who cares, this is heavy as hell. This album isn't going to be for everyone, but from Metallica at this point in their career, it's probably the best thing we can expect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m46Z0-HXySo
Rating 6.8/10
Give A Listen To: "Hardwired", "Moth Into Flame", "Spit Out The Bone", "Murder One"
Overall Thoughts: You know, in a lot of ways this is seriously a huge improvement for Metallica. They've been wallowing in "has-been" status for years, constantly pushing put cringe-worthy material. While there is seriously oodles of cringe-worthy material here, there's also a lot of very tasteful throwbacks that even the most uptight Metallica fan can appreciate. I still think this would have been so much better if it was trimmed a little more to a shorter album, but what can I say. No, this album isn't perfect. But fpr a band 35 years into their career, it's absolutely not terrible either.
Lets get this bad boy started. This album starts off with “Hardwired”, and I gotta really give it to that opening instrumental. Ten seconds into the album and we’re already dealing with some of the heaviest material we’ve heard from Metallica since I can remember. Ok ok, so maybe not the heaviest or the loudest, but the this is the truest Metallica has sounded to themselves. They seriously sound completely unhinged here, hell I would even say this is the closest thing to a thrash metal sound I’ve heard since the 80’s from them. Kirk’s riff is solid, and Lars’s drums are some of his most pronounced in quite some time. But most importantly, all the members of Metallica here sound all on the same page. When the main riff of the song speeds up, nothing comes off really sloppy. When James Hetfield’s vocals come in, to be honest they sound damn near monstrous, when was the last time anyone has thought that? He sounds a whole lot younger too, delivering urgent vocal performances, angry ones at that. No, this isn’t your Mama’s Metallica, far from it. But at THIS stage in their career, tracks like these are freakin solid man. Kirk’s solo here is actually really solid, I mean clearly he’s done crazier, but this is still really legit. Not to mention, that one last verse of "Once upon A planet burning, Once upon a flame, once upon a fear returning all in vain" is absolutely intense. Hell, "Hardwired" has a few moments that seriously feel like Metallica may go off the rails completely, which is honestly what I want to hear. Well done. Next up is "Atlas, Rise!", which doesn't waste a single second of anyone's time to bring in another straightforward riff. For the most part, Metallica continue to sound like everyone is on the same page. James's delivery remains fierce and energetic, he doesn't sound like he's really planning on slowing down either. Not to mention, oddly enough that hook seriously encompasses everything that was really great about the 80's and Metallica, yep I said it. The verses here continue on being just as pummeling, personally I would have liked to hear Kirk's solo more at the forefront, but that's OK. At times, it's more on the tame side, but Kirk's later solo really livens up everything. "Atlas, Rise!" continues to be really solid, just you know, don't expect to be getting off without dealing with any Metal cliche's. The album hits it's first massive bump in the road with "Now That We're Dead". Instantly, Metallica jumps back to the constant chugging that dominated "Load" and "Reload". Lars' drumming here comes off awkward here, never really sticking around like it should. I understand the effect that they're going for here with the drumming and all, but it's just not coming off really well. At it's best moments, "Now That We're Dead" comes off as a "Black Album" ripoff, one that's a little more upbeat. It seriously though is doing almost nothing for me. For one, that intro took way too long to get us where it was supposed to be taking us. Trust me, if there's anyone and can appreciate decent buildup, it's me, but this literally goes nowhere! But my biggest complaint comes in the form of James's vocals. James, what the hell is going on here? These vocals have seriously taken the sharpest of turns from aggressive to simply obnoxious. To be honest, while I do dig the pre-chorus, the chorus itself is borderline not-listenable, hell it almost comes off as a super cheesy.....Megadeth chorus (Yea, I went there). There are a few bright moments here and there, but overall it's completely flavorless. and more or less this is just going down a road I don't want to see Metallica even touch. Some of the instrumentals in the last minute or so are pretty intense though, so there's definitely SOME good happening here. "Moth Into Flame" on the other hand is just the opposite. The instrumentals immediately are anything but sluggish, and to be honest this sounds like a proper Metallica intro. Every member here does exactly what you want to hear from them, leading up to actually a really intense riff. Occasionally, "Moth Into Flame" drifts into the more technical side of metal, which I can already hear metal snobs getting a little angry with. But I think it's a solid tune, and it's melodic just enough to seriously stick with you once it's over. Lars is featured just as he should be to be honest, as the backbone of one of Metals finest acts. Not to mention, while this track is seriously almost 6 minutes long, there's no fluff and not a second of it seems overblown. It's moments like this that really make me thankful for Metallica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhBHL3v4d3I
We've reached the middle of the album, which honestly is probably the weakest section here. Starting things off we have "Dream No More", with a nice beefy intro. While that may not be for everyone, it's certainly more interesting than the "tinny" sounding "St. Anger". This one just overall seriously irks me though. There are so many tracks here that are seriously tasteful throwbacks to Metallica's 80's output. Then we have tracks like "Dream No More" which sound like a rehashed "Black Album" sound. But the biggest problem here lies in James Hetfield's vocal performance. James's vocals here are literally the culmination of everything that has become truly cringe-worthy about Metallica in these later years. Here, James doesn't sound like an animal, he sounds like himself. And by that, I mean he sounds like an aging dude trying desperately to fit into the genre, it's not even close to . Behind the constant chugging guitars, there's absolutely no soul or emotion behind this performance. Hell, this doesn't even sound like them, this sounds like a band parodying Metallica, and THAT is when things get seriously bad. And on top of that, I can assure you I can't take these lyrics seriously in the slightest bit. James Hetfield these days looks like a soccer dad that may or may not kick your ass, and here he is screaming "Cthulhu Awaken" like he's an edgy 16 year old. Simply put, I don't but it. This isn't fierce, this isn't original, this is Metallica trying to fit in. Even the solo's towards the end are just bland. "Halo On Fire" for a few minutes get's things back on track. From the intro though you seriously wouldn't know it at first, as it really sounds like more of the same honestly. However, it's when things smooth out into a gloomy main riff that this track starts to turn around. It goes from being weak to being one of the brightest moments here very quickly. There's a real murkiness here, and while James's vocals still aren't what they used to be, here at least they sound like they belong. Even though this is a slower track, it comes off at a good pace, it's overall a solid track. While there are some seriously goofy and cringe-worthy tracks on here, there are tracks like "Halo On Fire" that show Metallica really staying true to their sound. Yes, the lyrics here are so over the top it's not even funny, and you bet your sweet ass it's cheesy. But there comes a time in metal music where when things get so over the top that things work. Some of these murky passages remind me so much of their 80's output, at the very least instrumentally. As far as the vocals go, yea I wish I could get a little more of a snarl, but I don't really think that I can expect that at this point in Metallica's career. Even when things pick up, this is Metallica at their most confident. "Halo On Fire" is the longest track here, and yea it has a slightly progressive edge, but it remains likable the whole way through. On to disc 2! "Confusion" starts the second disc off on a low note. While the instrumental starts off sounding pretty straightforward, but as things move on this is seriously some of the more gimmicky material here. Once again, this kinda sounds like a current metal band trying on their best Metallica impression. I mean, when things straighten it does get a little more listenable, but this sounds so skill-less. This isn't a thrash metal riff, not even close, it's not the worst riff I've ever heard, but it's just so meh. When the lyrics come in, boy oh boy. It's just one cringe-worthy line after another. "All sanity is but a memory"? How about no. James is back to sounding more on the obnoxious side, and even worse, he sounds uncomfortable to be honest. As the track goes on, the instrumental does get more interesting. It's still tightly wound and completely by the books, but it's certainly not terrible. But God these lyrics get worse and worse, every other word is "war" I feel like. Newsflash Metallica, that's been done before, and even worse it's been done by YOU. But not even at "Confusion"'s worst is it anywhere near as bad as "ManUNkind", oh boy. Right from the intro to this one, we can tell that Metallica are back to their gloomy sound. But here it seriously just sounds doom to be a big disappointment. When things pick up, it's exactly as I feared. The instrumental is seriously sloppy as hell, and the production which up to this point hasn't been that bad at all takes a huge nosedive here. Metallica at this point are going for almost a groove metal sound, but everything is just so off kilter that it comes off sloppy. And then we have these lyrics, again. "I've become hostage to my mind"? Not really James, not really. They've once again seriously went from "tasteful throwback" to "literally everything that's bad about Metallica in 2016. As "ManUNkind" continues, it get's even harder and harder to listen to. The solo's towards the end are just plain awkward, they literally sound like they were copy and pasted from another Metallica track. Metallica are slowly losing their grip on this comeback album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbxH5S9_A3M
Man who the hell decided this should be a double album, this thing is long as hell. "Here Comes Revenge" starts off with, you guessed it, another muscular sounding riff. This intro actually has a really nice bite to it, and the riff that comes out of it is definitely one I can sink my teeth into. Here, Metallica really don't do anything at all to reinvent their sound. They stay in their comfort zone, but just enough to do what they do best. James here really sounds like he belongs, and while they're piled high with every cliche in the book, everything works nicely. So no, this doesn't sound like any reincarnation, this doesn't sound out of place, this literally sounds like Metallica and where they should be in 2016. "Am I Savage?" starts out by sounding like a legitimate flashback to "...And Justice For All". The main riff when it drops is honestly really ugly to say the least. And once again, we have Metallica going for a really awkward groove metal feel that I just don't feel like hearing from Metallica. The vocals here aren't necessarily bad. They're just seriously some of the most forgettable, bland performances here. This album seriously needed to be trimmed, this could have easily been 10 times better if it was a respectable 8 track album (and it STILL would have been over an hour). In the last two tracks here though, Metallica DO in fact leave on a high note. Firstly, we have "Murder One". Right from the intro of this, I absolutely get the chills. This literally sounds like the long lost Metallica track we've all been searching for. There aren't many thrash elements here, but everything else is a culmination of everything that was once so wonderful about Metallica. The groove presented during the verse comes off as it's supposed to, and Hetfield sounds rejuvenated in his vocal performance (he almost sounds like he seriously could kick your ass). Everything about "Murder One" makes for an amazing Metallica track, one that I seriously wouldn't mind coming back to at all. Finally, we have "Spit Out The Bone", which seriously has a ridiculously nasty upbeat flair. It's easily the most pummeling track here, I'm exhausted just listening to it. Yes, the lyrics are cheesy as hell diving into robots and I don't even know what else, but at this point who cares, this is heavy as hell. This album isn't going to be for everyone, but from Metallica at this point in their career, it's probably the best thing we can expect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m46Z0-HXySo
Rating 6.8/10
Give A Listen To: "Hardwired", "Moth Into Flame", "Spit Out The Bone", "Murder One"
Overall Thoughts: You know, in a lot of ways this is seriously a huge improvement for Metallica. They've been wallowing in "has-been" status for years, constantly pushing put cringe-worthy material. While there is seriously oodles of cringe-worthy material here, there's also a lot of very tasteful throwbacks that even the most uptight Metallica fan can appreciate. I still think this would have been so much better if it was trimmed a little more to a shorter album, but what can I say. No, this album isn't perfect. But fpr a band 35 years into their career, it's absolutely not terrible either.
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