New Metallica Album

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New Metallica Album

2003-06-14 01:38:48

Yesterday I went to my local music store to buy the new Metallica album St. Anger. Unfortunately, there was not a single cd anywhere, so feeling very dejected I returned home. I have listened to a lot of the songs though and I have got to say I am a little disappointed. The new album is good but I don't believe that it is anywhere near what I expected from Metallica. Even more disappointing I think that they have bought into the status quo of many bands today. There was a time where Metallica said they really didn't give a f**k if they didn't get played on the radio or if everybody hated them, I fear this may not be the case anymore. There was a time when this band was the standard for heavy metal now they seem to want to sound like the flavour of the week which some might classify as nu-metal. Honestly, they seem to sound more like some of the bands they will be touring with like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit. My biggest compliant against this new album is the lack of lyrical complexity that they are usually known for, in fact the lyrics are quite repetitive. There is a lack of melody, harmonics and guitar solos. Let me elaborate. Lars' snare drum is awful and the symbals are far far too loud. The nice guitar riffs fairly simple and sound the same from each song to song. James singing is definitely not what I would expect either. I am a fan of their work in the 80's and this release seems to be aimed at teens who gobble up acts like Limp Bizkit (I am a teen btw) which is sad. Don't get me wrong I don't hate it all, Dirty Window and Sweet Amber are two of my favourites. However, I really don't know what to attribute this poor performance to exactly. I can think of a couple of reasons firstly, the departure of Jason Newstead. I am sure that Jason did contribute a lot to the sound of Metallica but I think his contribution was in some ways limited. I have heard Lars say before that Jason wasn't ever really treated like he was really part of the band and it actually surprised him that he stuck around for so long. So I am inclined to believe this isn't the reason. The second reason I can think of is the production of Bob Rock. Bob Rock is a great producer I think, but I think he has encouraged them to re-invent their style much like he did with bands like Our Lady Peace. But with not such great results, see a band like Our Lady Peace needed to re-invented, I'm not sure Metallica does. I have also heard that they didn't write anything but they just put the cd together from various 'jams', I think this might be a mistake too. Anyhow, I will still buy the new album, I plan to return next week when I have time and buy it. I would like to hear the opinion of other fans though.

New Metallica Album

Reply #1 – 2003-06-14 02:19:11

To me, the thing that really makes this album sound bad is the drums. They are the worst sounding drums I've heard on a Metallica outside bootlegs. They are mixed near mono and just sound weak most of the time. The album sounds more like a 4-track demo than a studio album. Production aside, I think it's an OK album. Nothing really interesting. But I really dig the fact they included a DVD, I hope that's the start of a new trend with album releases. To me the live DVD sounds better than the actual studio recordings.

New Metallica Album

Reply #2 – 2003-06-14 05:16:21

Very much disapointed.

New Metallica Album

Reply #3 – 2003-06-14 06:26:23

I lost all respect for Metallica when they attended "MTV Icon", a show that was dedicated to honoring the band Metallica. I have no problem with bands being honored for their influence on todays music. I have no problem with a band getting a surprise tribute show. But when a band is so full of themselves that they attend their own tribute on purpose with plenty of advanced notice (which coincidently came just before their new single was released) and promoted this tribute for weeks, the term sell-out really comes to mind. Not to mention that this supposed return to their roots was pretty much a lie. Sure they are "heavy" again, but St. Anger is not a heavy metal song, it is worse then even the crap off of ReLoad (I actually liked Load). The riffs and drums don't flow in the typical Metallica tightness, the singing is downright awful, and there is not one solo.

Seeing them attend their own tribute show made me think of that "king of pop" Michael Jackson tribute show a few months ago that had him and others honoring how great he is, when he isn't nearly what he used to be.

New Metallica Album

Reply #4 – 2003-06-14 09:28:01

except for the piss-poor mastering, I like the album, myself. With a bit of Cool Edit Pro's clip restoration, I feel a little safer turning it up now. I was afraid for my tweeters before that.

New Metallica Album

Reply #5 – 2003-06-14 12:43:43

I heard St Anger downloaded from Internet - this album sucked so much that most of ppl told: ITS FAKE! We were sure that it was fake - Metallica "can`t" make such bad album...

Anybody BOUGHT album in store and think it sucks? Metaliica is one of leaders or evil RIAA so they could relase FAKE album to Net...

New Metallica Album

Reply #6 – 2003-06-14 13:13:47

i only like the slow songs of metallica like unforgiven, one, nothing else matters and songs that still have a melody like enter sandman. actually i don't like any of these louder-harder-louder-harder bands and in my opionion the new album is just like that

there's not too much metal music i like

i like oldschool metal like led zeppelin but stuff like rage against the machine and audioslave. good guitar riffs and at least a melody not just playing the guiter as fast as possible as well as the drums with tripple ultra bass shit.

listening to kula shaker - Last Farewell right now

New Metallica Album

Reply #7 – 2003-06-14 22:14:18

I prefer Voivod With Metallica's ex-bassist

A group coming from where I live

New Metallica Album

Reply #8 – 2003-06-14 22:27:14

Newsted's in Voivod now?

<edit> /me throws on some Nothingface

New Metallica Album

Reply #9 – 2003-06-14 23:38:25

Yes, Newsted is in Voivod now

he's tired of metallica. I understand why.

New Metallica Album

Reply #10 – 2003-06-14 23:51:31

It's only us$10 here in Australia with a DVD that contains a live show so I was going to buy it however with the comments I have heard here I'm rethinking it.

BTW does it contain copy protection?

New Metallica Album

Reply #11 – 2003-06-15 00:27:27

no copy protection on the one in Canada

New Metallica Album

Reply #12 – 2003-06-15 00:48:00

besides the much discussed mastering (which consisted solely of glueing the raw streams together in Nero wav editor or whatever), the lyrics and songwriting are very emberrassing.

Not even for 5$ and 3 Bonus DVDs, sorry guys

New Metallica Album

Reply #13 – 2003-06-15 01:20:30

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no copy protection on the one in Canada

Wow, thats really very surprising, no copy protection you would think they would have it for sure.

New Metallica Album

Reply #14 – 2003-06-15 01:25:47

The impression I got from it after listening once through was that it was extremly tedious and boring. The first couple of songs had some interesting riffs, but it was downhill from there.

As far as production goes, it was bad as far as mainstream albums go but I guess I've gotten used to worse than that. The snare is a bit ringy, granted. I stopped noticing it. The vocals were certainly annoying, but again, I've heard and gotten used to much worse.

So... I wouldn't say it's terrible, but it's unexceptional and -- I want to say "disappointing" but I didn't really have high hopes for it in the first place.

EDIT: Death to redundancy.

New Metallica Album

Reply #15 – 2003-06-16 02:42:20

Amazon.com review:

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Never underestimate the regenerative powers of Metallica. Following the stripped-down Load and Re-Load, they've returned to the raw, vitriolic savagery of their earlier canon, using 1984's Ride the Lightning as a template for St. Anger. The title track provides the psychic lynchpin of the album by combining the bombast and defiance of the band's earliest high-water marks with more deliberate lyrics and emotional nakedness. Equally cathartic is "Some Kind of Monster," a lumbering beast of a song that declares, "This is the voice of silence no more." Despite that claim, there's an economy to these lyrics; James Hetfield's raw-toothed growl only occasionally punctuates the menacing soundscapes. In fact, "Dirty Windows," the standout track here, is a shimmering five-minute instrumental that's free of the baroque trappings that sometimes clutter the Metallica landscape. --Jaan Uhelszki

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using 1984's Ride the Lightning as a template for St. Anger

I still haven´t listened to the full St. Anger , but from what I´ve heard until now , it´s completely different to RTL.Where´s Fade To Black´s template? Where´s Creeping Death´s style showing in St. Anger?.Where are RTL´s title track solos?
RTL is full of unbelievably good solos and melodies!!
I can´t believe the way the drums sound , never thought Metallica drums would sound that way , I just don´t like it.

When (if) I have a chance to listen to the full album several times I´ll give a fair opinion , ATM I don´t like the drums sound and the full-aggro-no-melodies style of this album.Any "yo nu-metal band" can do that.But then again , when I first listened to Kill´em All I thought it was lousy and now after a thousand and one listenings I think it´s a great album.
I just don´t have many hopes on this one.

New Metallica Album

Reply #16 – 2003-06-16 06:47:12

New Metallica Album

Reply #17 – 2003-06-16 07:16:40

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no copy protection on the one in Canada

Wow, thats really very surprising, no copy protection you would think they would have it for sure.

That would have definately been the final nail on Metallica's coffin...

I

New Metallica Album

Reply #18 – 2003-06-16 09:57:18

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New Metallica Album

Reply #19 – 2003-06-16 19:15:57

This is when you KNOW things are going downhill...

http://pocket.ign.com/articles/422/422534p1.html

New Metallica Album

Reply #20 – 2003-06-16 20:38:07

Honestly, I think it sucks really, really, bad. Was that actually Hetfield trying to rap on one of the songs? Good grief...

Time for those guys to take up golf. And no, it's not copy protected

Edit: even I noticed the snare drum had a really bad ring, and usually don't notice things like that

New Metallica Album

Reply #21 – 2003-06-16 21:40:35

I haven't heard the full album yet, but the songs I've heard on the local hard rock radio station haven't really impressed me. I feel Metallica was at the top of their game with "...And Justice For All" and it's been a slow down-turn since then, so I'm not surprised that Saint Anger isn't that great. Just my two cents.

New Metallica Album

Reply #22 – 2003-06-17 00:52:29

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I feel Metallica was at the top of their game with "...And Justice For All" and it's been a slow down-turn since then, so I'm not surprised that Saint Anger isn't that great. Just my two cents.

Yes, I certainly can't disagree. I sort of thought too Saint Anger wouldn't be very good but you can always hope.

New Metallica Album

Reply #23 – 2003-06-17 08:01:15

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I haven't heard the full album yet, but the songs I've heard on the local hard rock radio station haven't really impressed me. I feel Metallica was at the top of their game with "...And Justice For All" and it's been a slow down-turn since then, so I'm not surprised that Saint Anger isn't that great. Just my two cents.

well, I don't know about anyone else, but I can't count how many times some band has released a new album and the majority of people I know that like past work from that band instantly dislike the new material...and then a month down the road they can't stop listening to it. It's the "this isn't exactly the same as the previous stuff" syndrome. Seriously, if you like any given band, listen to their latest album five times before you decide it's the worst crap you've ever heard. More times than not, if you've already been enjoying any of their music, you'll end up enjoying some of their new stuff too. Hearing a chorus once on the radio isn't going to give you much of an idea about anything, ya gotta hear it a few times in your favourite listening environment.

New Metallica Album

Reply #24 – 2003-06-17 10:58:29

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I haven't heard the full album yet, but the songs I've heard on the local hard rock radio station haven't really impressed me. I feel Metallica was at the top of their game with "...And Justice For All" and it's been a slow down-turn since then, so I'm not surprised that Saint Anger isn't that great. Just my two cents.

well, I don't know about anyone else, but I can't count how many times some band has released a new album and the majority of people I know that like past work from that band instantly dislike the new material...and then a month down the road they can't stop listening to it. It's the "this isn't exactly the same as the previous stuff" syndrome. Seriously, if you like any given band, listen to their latest album five times before you decide it's the worst crap you've ever heard. More times than not, if you've already been enjoying any of their music, you'll end up enjoying some of their new stuff too. Hearing a chorus once on the radio isn't going to give you much of an idea about anything, ya gotta hear it a few times in your favourite listening environment.

As a general statement, I fully agree here. Many albums that are now classics and considered masterpieces got their share of bad reviews and negative comments when they were released. And the comment "oh, <insert title of any previous album> was sooo much better" is also used quite often.

For example, anybody who owns the Shine On box by Pink Floyd can check the reviews of Dark Side of the Moon in the book: a lot of those are like "Pink Floyds earlier work is great, but this is pretty weak", etc...

Now, about this new Metallica album.

I haven't listened to the full album yet, but based on the title song I think the music itself is not that bad. I'm certainly glad Metallica decided to play long, fast and agressive heavy metal songs again (I've missed that for a long time).

However, the terrible mastering is simply unforgiveable. What the hell were they thinking ? I also think And Justice for All is somewhat ruined by poor mastering, but it's nowhere near as bad as this.

I've also read many times that there are no guitar solos on the album. What's up with that ? I love good guitar solos, and it used to be one of Metallica's strengths. Part of the reason why One is such a great song is the awesome guitar solo at the end.

My feeling is: the potential was there, but ultimately it is ruined by these bad points I've mentioned.

Lastly I want to mention that overall the critics don't seem to agree with the immense bashing the album received in this thread so far. If you look at MetaCritic, 7 of the 11 reviews (at the time I'm writing this) give a rating of at least 80%.

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