Metal Reviews

your score is outrageous

Seriously, your're giving this album too much credit. You are so enamoured with Metallica that you forget the basics of being objectif. I've listened to DM well over 10x, and it's not as complicated as your're trying to make it be. The guitar work is good yes, but somewhat repetitive. The songs could benifit by being a little shorter which would make them go straight to the point instead of circling around with the same riff for 8 minutes.
The Long songs aren't that bad because the riffs are decent or above but the whole thing would sound tighter with some minutes shaved off. James singing is decent and good most of the times but does have some cringe inducing moments like on 'The Day That Never Comes" where he sings "The sun will shine, This I swear, This I swear, This I swear!".

So this album is far from being perfect and even more from being a masterpiece. A rating that falls between 73-78 is more than fair for Death Magnetic and anything above that is pure aficionado madness.

But if you give Load or Reload a 7xs rating - Death Magnetic MUST get more points, because it's much better.

This is REAL Metallica, and no country-heavy-rock wannabe bullshit.

Compared to anything after TBA it MUST get a higher rating, because it IS so much much better.

And I think it is very objective, that DM is that good - at least way over 80 points.

From 10 songs are 9 very good and 1 is just good.

And: A very critical german metal page (metal1.info), has two reviews. One reviewer gave 8,5 and the other 9,5 of 10 points. And this says much. [e.g. Soulfly conquer got 6 of 10 Points - but from a different reviewer]

And even on metal-archives it has an average rating of 71, which is very high for this page.

Circular argument much?

I agree that DM is the best Metallica album since the Black Album, but arguing that Death Magnetic is automatically better because it is better doesn't give any points to your cause.

Ok, some arguments:

It's hard, fast, thrash metal, has many good soli, many good riffs, many great goosebumps moments and it's what I am expection from a typical Metallica album. It fits perfectly into the first four/five. It has the complexity of AJFA and the "delight in playing" of KEA. It drives and it pushes forward.

Forget the thin vocals and the not so good production. Dream Theater have the same problems - and their albums are all far from beeing bad.

BTW, the new Trivium Shogun has mostly 5 minute tracks, but most of them drag on and you think that they last 10 minutes or more.

But its not hard, fast, thrash metal. Sure, there are a few thrashy songs and some more thrashy riffs here and there, but like the recent Megadeth albums, for example, it is extremely watered down thrash. It definitely does not have the raw, fun feel of Kill'Em All, and just because the songs are long does not mean they are complex. And I refuse to forget the atrocious vocals- as for the production, I don't have much of a problem with it. So yep, an average album sounds about right to me.

Now, you may love the album, and thats fine. It may fit right down your alley. But please, do yourself a favour and stop trying to shove an objective truth down our throats, ie, that this album is completely awesome and everyone who doesn't think its completely amazing is just biased. Its pretty bloody annoying.

It's also annoying, that here everybody talks it worse than it is. It IS FUCKING HARD FAST AND THRASH METAL!!! Or have you only listened to the Unforgiven III???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o-k_OONt0w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTijENoePBY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu2UF1wAGws



and is it really soooo much different to this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlGjonzE424
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6kb5fvv6_A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1pO77cFQ5Q


Maybe you have something in or on your ears. Thrash Metal is NOT only Slayer, Kreator and Destruction. Thrash Metal is also the Bay Area, and it just sounds more varied. Like Metallica, Megadeth, Testament and so on.

I'm too lazy to argue about Metallica for the ten billionth time so coining the easy out works best for me.

^^
It's hopeless.

If you want, I can make a track by track analysis [in the review thread] incl. rating for each track and then you wil see, why it is definitely a very good comeback.

Thanks, I know what thrash metal is- it is the genre I listen to the most. But I'm going to give up on this conversation. You're perfectly welcome to think that Death Magnetic is 100% thrash metal if you want to, or as you say, FUCKING HARD FAST AND THRASH METAL. And I won't disagree that there are thrash elements and thrash songs on it, just like as on The System Has Failed and ReliXIV. But like those albums, I still maintain that large portions are not thrash, and are not particularly well written. And thats about it for me. Though:



As Dago says, it really is hopeless. People don't like the album or think its average, you think its awesome. Get over it.

Who you trying to convince anyway you say it's awesome they say it's not your opinion their opinion get over it.

You're not going to change their minds so stop trying you like the album cool and you stated that opinion over and over quit sounding like a broken record and move on.

It's not better than Load, because Load has more good songs. This is 2008, we don't need to clutch at a band that plays thrashy riffs and reward them simply because of that. Don't you ask more of Metal than it simply being Metal? Metal's supposed to transcend. Death Magnetic barely leaves the ground, let alone start flying.

Man you are very strange people. Load has more good songs than DM??? Has Load more than 10 good songs? Not really. Load has maybe, at the utmost, 4 or 5 really good songs - of 14. Death Magnetic has at least 7 very good songs - of 10.



What the fuck? In the 90s, Metallica WEREN'T EVEN METAL. And even as Rock Albums, the Loads are FAR FAR away from the best like e.g. ACDC Back in Black, Guns n Roses Appetite for Destruction, Def Leppard Hysteria or Aerosmith Get a Grip. Far Far away.

So it is not enough that Metallica playing thrash again? It has to be transcend? But why? Are ACDC bringing Metal to a new level? Are Slayer bringing Metal to a new level? Are Motörhead bringen Metal to a new level? Are Kreator, Destruction, Testament, Sodom or Megadeth transcending to anything else just to make what they can best?

Can't you be just simple be happy, that Metallica have overcome their stupid rock phase and are back to what they belong?

And if you really want a band, thats transcending to a new metal level, I can recommend "Dragonforce", because THEY DO INDEED bringing metal to a new level. But that's another story...

Death Magnetic has less good songs than Load.

Metallica have always been Metal, Rock/Country influence or no.

Aerosmith are rubbish. Def Leppard are rubbish. Guns N Roses and AC/DC are very overrated.

You're damn right it's not enough. Who gives a fuck about what another band are doing? Transcending doesn't mean knocking everyone that hears it dead. It means being so damn good that you're stunned the first time you hear it. Many bands can manage this. Metallica managed it with Master Of Puppets. Testament's new album did that to me, when I finally listened to it properly. Megadeth's last was a highlight of last year for me. Metallica? Death Magnetic. Big shitting deal, the main difference between it and St Anger is the production and the riffs. And the riffs aren't even that good. If a band releases an album, I'm not going to mark it high simply because it's Metal, even if it's Metallica.

Metallica's classics were as much about the songwriting as anything. The songwriting on DM is shit. And recommending Dragonforce as a band that transcend Metal, when their newest is the first album that they've actually bothered to write songs, and even then half-heartedly... Jesus Christ.

And yet it was awarded with 85... Anyone care to rethink their score?

No, Load or Reload were not real Metal. There were 90% Rock Riffs and harmonies. And how you evaluate those listed bands, which are the BEST in Hard Rock genre, I'm not surprised about your opinion.



I totally disagree! Hell I like the Formation of Damnation and United Abominations! They are good! Very good! BUT I was more stunned by the first listenings to Death Magnetic, because:

a) Testament were never Country Rock in the 90s - The Gathering was already pretty damn good!
b) Megadeth had their comeback already with the good The System has Failed (but UA is better).

Instead Metallica had a very bad phase from 1991 to 2008. With Load and Reload, they betrayed the Metal scene (look at their outfit and look at that time and their statements like "metal is dead" and so on).

But now they came back with vengeance and expecially the first two songs are driving through the loudspeaker like never heard since 1988!

Because Metallica were so much away from Thrash/Metal, DM is such a big surprise! And I was more stunned by That was just your life as from Sleepwalker, because Megadeth had already Blackmail the Universe and Kick the chair, which are stunning even more!



The Songwriting of DM is not shit, it is complex and actually very good - compared to St. Anger! It needs some time to realise how good it is. It's not 3 Minute Pop Metal like on Megadeths Risk or 4 Minute Heavy Country Rock like on Load *ZZZ*.

But it kicks seriously ass!

How does what other bands have done in the past influence the value of what Metallica just did now? Death Magnetic is more stunning than say, The Formation of Damnation just because Testament never changed style like Metallica did? How does what Testament did have to do with how good DM is?? If anything, it makes The Formation of Damnation even more impressive, because it's such a damn good album and it's a testament (pun intended) to the band's ability to produce killer records even 20 years after their scene.

Because, Testaments Formation of Damnation is not a surprise - Death Magnetic IS! NOBODY expected something like this. The past doesn't influence the value, BUT the value is very high - and that came very unexpected. The surprise is, THAT DM is very good - even compared to The Formation of Damnation or United Abominations or Christ Illusion or The Atrocity Exhibition or Sodoms self titled last record or Destructions Devolution.

That was just your life, End of the Line, My Apocalypse, All Nightmare Long, The Judas Kiss or Broken Beat and Scarred are nothing innovativ or groundbreaking BUT they are damn good!

Eh? I think the whole world knew that this would be far from the doonez that is St Anger. It's hardly fantastic, though.