Review: “Death Magnetic” (Metallica)

I can’t believe how excited I am about this album. Bluntly put, Metallica’s last album, “St. Anger”, was a complete piece of shit. It was sad how one of the best metal bands of the eighties had become a mere shadow of their former self. Because of this, I approached “Death Magnetic” with apprehension. I reminded myself that Metallica hadn’t put anything good in almost two decades and that the claims it would be a return to form was probably just marketing hype.

Therefore I was completely blown away within minutes of my first listen. This album actually sounds like Metallica! Their signature sound of the eighties, fast and heavy thrash weaved into seven minute suites, was back and sounds fresher than ever. Guitar solos were almost entirely absent on “St. Anger”, but they’ve returned with some incredible riffage on the side. Also an improvement is Hetfield’s singing, which fits great with the music. Musically speaking, this truly is a return to form.

Before the album came out it was said that it would sound like what could have been recorded after “…And Justice for All” if they hadn’t sold out with the self titled ‘Black Album’. This claim is true, it sounds like the classic Metallica we all love but it does so without sounding rehashed. While it’s true that it certainly has the same feel of their first albums, it also is an evolution of the sound. Metallica wisely knew that we didn’t just want a copy of their early albums, and delivered us something unique yet still distinctly Metallica.

The album starts off fast and furious with “That Was Just Your Life” and doesn’t let up one bit for “The End of the Line”. It’s been a long time, but Metallica is actually playing thrash metal again, not the slower hard rock they sold us in the 90’s. The third track, “Broken, Beat & Scarred”, makes one think of “Enter Sandman” if it had been recorded during their thrash era. It’s certainly slower than the first two songs, but it still rocks hard, and certainly isn’t the sell out single that the aforementioned track was. 

“The Day That Never Comes” is the first song that will really divide fans. From the instant I first heard it I immediately thought of “One” because it follows a very similar structure. The first four minutes are fairly slow and ballad-esque, about halfway through it starts getting heavier, and it features some great solos at the end. If that sounds appealing to you, you’ll like this song, if it doesn’t, you’ll accuse it of being the album’s attempt at a popular song. I personally think it’s a good song. It’s not a highlight but to be honest the album needed a slower song after three fast tracks. Metallica has made much worse songs and I don’t think this song hurts the album at all.

Next is my favorite track of the album, “All Nightmare Long”. This song fucking rocks. It’s fast, it’s heavy, and it riffs hard. The second half of the song in particular really blows me away. Next up is “Cyanide”, which I was pleasantly surprised with. It’s a solid song from start to finish.

“The Unforgiven III” is the only song on the album I was worried about even after I started listening. The first two were basically a summary of their 90’s albums, poppy hard rock. And to be perfectly honest, it is the poppiest song on Death Magnetic. However, like with “The Day That Never Comes”, I feel that this song doesn’t really take away from the album. Many people will skip it, some will hate it, but for people who think that the ‘Black Album’ is Metallica’s finest album, it may be the reason that they pick up this album, in turn exposing them to the band’s real sound. And for that, it’s almost necessary.

To keep this review under a thousand words let me sum up the last three songs of the album in four words; great, heavy, fast, and fun. “The Judas Kiss” is already becoming a favorite among fans of the album, “Suicide & Redemption” is a welcome return to the long instrumental that would always be present on their first albums, and “My Apocalypse” ends it with a bang.

This album has been divided the fanbase quite a bit. Critics have (for the most part) been praising this album, as have a lot of fans. However, many are expressing discontent, even hatred, for this album. Personally, I think they’re just being a bit stuck up in the past. Metallica isn’t ever going to make another “Master of Puppets”. But the question is, do we want them to? I honestly think that “Death Magnetic” is the best album that they could have put out at this point in the career, it’s all I could have hoped for and more. 

Don’t get me wrong though, this album isn’t perfect. Not close. I feel it goes on a bit too long (74 minutes is a long time to headbang), and the lyrics border on laughable at times. “The Unforgiven III” is a forgivable mistake, but one that should have probably been left in the nineties. Despite all of this I can finally stop saying that Metallica was a great band and start saying that they are a great band. Strongly recommended!

Rating: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. That Was Just Your Life [7:08]

2. The End of the Line [7:52]

3. Broken, Beat & Scarred [6:26]

4. The Day That Never Comes [7:56]

5. All Nightmare Long [7:58]

6. Cyanide [6:40]

7. The Unforgiven III [7:47]

8. The Judas Kiss [8:01]

9. Suicide & Redemption [9:58]

10. My Apocalypse [5:01]