Metallica -- 'Death Magnetic' [review]

Metallica - Death Magnetic
Warner Brothers (9/12/08)
Rock / Metal

Loved and despised. Overrated and underrated. Over a storied career Metallica has managed to both draw in and alienate fans. Once hailed as the masters of metal and one of the innovators of thrash, over the years the band has changed its sound and experimented with a variety of styles, and yet stills manages to be revered as a legend in the metal scene. However, Metallica's last few efforts have led many to question whether they really had anything left to offer the scene. After the critically panned St. Anger, the band must have surely felt the pressure to send some sort of message, or statement, to critics and fans. Or perhaps, just to prove something to itself. Enter: Death Magnetic.

This album is not vintage Metallica by any means, though the band has managed to re-create its Master of Puppets/...And Justice for All-era sounds very nicely. No, instead this is a completely new monster, and die-hard fans can hear tiny elements from all of the previous efforts. There’s a raw element, especially in the almost-tinny drumming, on “All Nightmare Long”, which is very reminiscent of St. Anger, surely killing some fans. There’s a thrash feel on “My Apocalypse”, a throwback to the closers of old (“Damage Inc.” and “Dyer’s Eve” specifically, though not quite as extreme, for lack of a better term, in nature). Mid-tempo rocker “The Judas Kiss” draws allusions to the Black Album or maybe, in some way, either of the Load discs.

Where the band is able to pull pieces from its entire career into one song, like on “The Day That Never Comes”, is not only a testament to the band and the album, but also producer Rick Rubin, who’s made a name for himself for not only historically bringing the best out of bands, but also for pushing them to explore directions they might not regularly take. It’s become clear that Metallica needs someone to oversee and guide the group. Ultimately, the biggest issue stemming from St. Anger was that Bob Rock, the man who should have been helming the ship, was really playing the role of the fifth bandmate on that record. Rubin, on the other hand, gives Metallica enough leash while still guiding the direction.

There are some really strong elements on Death Magnetic: Kirk Hammett unleashed for the entirety of the album; the crazy groove on the aforementioned “All Nightmare Long”; and check out the spotlight on Robert Trujillo with plenty of bass riffing taking center stage on “Cyanide”. While token instrumental “Suicide & Redemption” may sound a little bloated at times (clocking in around 10 minutes in length), it’s nice to see the band have a little fun and jam out for a while.

The only real weakness with this album would be the lyrical content, but James Hetfield practically wills his voice into another instrument most of the time, so it’s easy to overlook.

This is the “statement” album Metallica needed to make. Regardless of drummer Lars Ulrich's claim that the band is still the forefront of the metal scene, the fact of the matter is that an entire new generation has grown up since the release of ...And Justice for All. There was no reason for the band to sit back and live off those first handful of albums, and while later releases ran the gamut from pretty good to nondescript, there were always glimpses of Metallica’s brilliance. With Death Magnetic they show why so many bands still point to them as a major influence. Perhaps no longer the standard-bearers, Metallica can still crank out a kick-ass metal album when pushed to do so. Sometimes there's nothing quite as good as a legend out to prove something.