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Unless you’ve managed to completely seclude yourself from popular music, you’ve most likely been bombarded with all of the hype regarding the latest Metallica CD, Death Magnetic. Personally, though I was a huge Metallica fan back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, I questioned whether their music would still be relevant 20 years later. After all, music needs to evolve—and metal definitely has. For that reason, so many veteran artists can still put on an exciting live show, but their new recorded material just doesn’t cut it.
After examining Metallica’s bleak CD cover and browsing over the familiar dark song titles, my skepticism strengthened. I also doubted that we needed a third installment of the “The Unforgiven.” Still, despite my hesitation, I decided to plunk down eleven bucks and pop the CD into my car.
Right from the opening cut, I knew that I had come home—and I’m still loving it. The first track, “That Was Just Your Life,” beats with the pulsating riffs and grinding rhythms that this classic band is known for. The intensity continues with the next two songs, “The End of the Line” and “Broken, Beat & Scarred.” The pace may slow, but lead singer James Hetfield’s gritty vocals don’t in “The Day That Never Comes.” Then it’s back to the intense shredding in “All Nightmare Long.”
My favorite cut, the instrumental “Suicide & Redemption,” clocks in right under ten minutes, complete with tight rhythm and, of course, Kirk Hammett’s speeding guitar. With typical Metallica pace variations, I keep wondering whether redemption is actually meant to be purgatory—but maybe I’m thinking too much into it. In any event, the order of the ten songs is deliberate, and the tracks flow well together. Most of the cuts are close to eight minutes, with the exception of the concluding cut, “My Apocalypse,” which is only five.
Hetfield, Hammett, and drummer Lars Ulrich are still at the top of their game, along with bassist Robert Trujillo, who joined the group in 2003. Hammett’s ecstatic guitar solos are legendary; there’s clearly a reason why he was named the 11th Greatest Guitarist of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine.
If Metallica was never your thing, you’re better off skipping this CD. If you were a fan and you’re looking for something innovative from these guys, you may be disappointed. They played it safe, choosing not to venture into foreign territory. For me, however, it translates into pure metal—and it still works.
