From Worst To First: Metallica albums

So our journey through the discography of Metallica is now over, and unlike my previous look backs, I will just settle with a simple ranking of the album, mostly so I can stop myself from rambling too much. But before we go into the ranking, what did I learn from Metallica's roller coaster of a career. Well, they have maximized every opportunity they have gotten to become even bigger, gaining a fan base that goes well beyond the realms of regular metal heads, even if some quality had to be sacrificed along the way to fulfill those prophecies. I also learned that this is one tough band, having dealt with death, betrayal, and a lot of other shit over the years, but some how have gotten out of the tunnel stronger than ever. Yes, Metallica is a metal band that could be seen as larger than life, one that everyone knows of and has an opinion about, no one is left untouched. A true telling that their music is important, whether you like it or not.

Anyway, enough rambling, let us rank the albums, from worst to first, and just like the review series, I only count original full length albums by the band, so you will not see "Garage Inc." (because it is a cover album), "S & M" (because it is a live album), or "Lulu" (because it is more of a Lou Reed record, but we all know where that would have landed if I included it).

10. St. Anger

Out of all the ten records Metallica has done over the years, there is no album that is sparked as much discussion as "St. Anger". This angry record was the bi-product of the band's inner struggles, creating a complete mess that no one could enjoy, not the thrash lovers of the 80's, nor the fans that got into the band during the more mainstream 90's. For many, it is even in the running for the worst metal album ever created, and while I personally do not think "St. Anger" is wretched enough to be in that particular discussion, I honestly can see why others would. It is a chapter of Metallica we all would like to forget.


9. Load
8. Reload

Separating the "Load" and "Reload" records apart is a tough task since they are basically twin brothers, being written at the same time and released one year apart from each other. Both are overly long and boring, filled with a lot of failed experimentations that (fortunately) did not make a lasting impact in the future sound of the band. I like "Reload" slightly better since it has a couple more interesting ideas, it has the two best songs in "Fuel" and "The Unforgiven II", and it is a little shorter. Still, the improvement is minimal, so it cannot crawl out of the bottom tier of this ranking.

7. Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

It has been almost two years now since this record was released, and it seems like it is the first Metallica record since "The Black Album" that has at least gotten a stamp of approval from the metal community. "Hardwired..." certainly turns out some strong material and show that the fire in the band burns stronger than ever. The reason it is this low though is because it is the most inconsistent Metallica record to date, with some magnificent highs like "Moth Into Flame", "Spit Out The Bone", and "Halo On Fire", but it also has some unbelievable lows like "ManUNkind" that just kills the flow of the record. I really do not like that it is split into two discs as well, but that is more of a minor issue. Great that you guys seem to like this one, and to some extent, I do too, as long as I can skip some of the tracks.

6. ...And Justice For All

Now this album is a classic, an album that has spawned several amazing songs like "One", "Dyers Eve", and "The Frayed Ends of Sanity", so naturally it should be higher up on these rankings if it was not for one crucial flaw. Yes, I sound like a broken record when I say that the production on "...And Justice For All" is garbage, but it is the most glaring problem with this record, one that cannot be ignored all that easily. It is the only thing holding this album back from reaching those crazy levels that both "Lightning" and "Puppets" reached, and it is still a discussion about who is to blame for this mistake. It is still a strong record, and it is only down here because it faces some stiff competition, a testament on how good Metallica actually has been.

5. S/T (aka The Black Album)

Since it is the most popular metal album to date, "The Black Album" automatically becomes overrated simply because there are more people speaking up against it. While I am kind of with these naysayers that this album does not deserve the immense success that it has gotten, it is still a record with a lot of quality in it. Yes, songs like "Nothing Else Matters" and "Sad But True" are just boring, but we have several songs like "Enter Sandman", "Wherever I May Roam", and "Of Wolf And Man" that still hold up very well today, showing a new side of the band that we have not seen before. We cannot ignore the importance of this record, and even if it is not as good as the sales numbers suggest, it is still a pretty darn good effort from the band.

4. Kill 'em All

Ahh, the dirty little debut record that put the band on the map. "Kill 'em All" has a very primal feeling to it that really makes it stand out amongst its more polished brethren, speaking a good tone to that inner caveman. The simplicity in riffs and song structures merges really well with the aggressive tone the band had during their early days, setting up for great success in the future. Gotta give some credit to Dave Mustaine though here, because "Kill 'em All" is basically a Megadeth record, this just would not have been the same without MegaDave.



3. Death Magnetic

So this is probably my most controversial placement in this edition of "From Worst To First", but I have to be brutally honest here, I freaking love this record. "Death Magnetic" is a fun as hell ride from first to last minute, showing off some fantastic riffs and solos along the way, stuffing your ears full with it like a turkey gets stuffed with stuffing on Thanksgiving. It is an album that I know as well as the back of my hand, I know every riff, word, and tempo change in here, and I would not want the band to change any of it... well, with the exception of that 10 minute instrumental "Suicide & Redemption", fuck that song.


2. Master of Puppets

A lot of hearts will be broken here when I have to decide which of the two clearly best Metallica albums gets to be the first loser, and I am sorry "Master of Puppets", but you are the runner up. It is still a brilliant album through and through, kicking a ton of ass with a lot of challenging songs, both length wise and through complexity in riffs and structure. I do not think there is any metal head who can dismiss the title track and its massive nature, the highly addictive main riffs, the tempo shifts midway through the song, the seemingly endless solo, and those classic words that is burned into most of our brains. "Master, Master, Master of Puppets pulling your strings". Oh how they pull mine.

1. Ride The Lightning

"Ride The Lightning" is the perfect bridge between the simplistic "Kill 'em All" and the progressive "Master of Puppets", combining the two styles into one magnificent record. It has the aggression in songs like "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Trapped Under Ice", but it also has the smart delicate delivery in the title track and "Fade To Black". And to top it all off, the band pulls out some extremely creepy emotions in the instrumental "The Call of Ktulu", like it is a ritual taken straight from the "Nekronomikon" to start the apocalypse. Man, this album has it all, it has every little bit in what makes Metallica such a great band, and for them to gather it all into a single record is nothing but an incredible achievement. A magnificent masterpiece of near perfection.

And as a bonus, here are also my 10 favourite Metallica tracks, in alphabetical order

All Nightmare Long
That second solo alone gives it a spot here.

The Call of Ktulu
One of the best instrumentals out there.

Fade To Black
The emotions are taking over completely.

Fight Fire With Fire
Speed! Shredding! More speed!

Master of Puppets
It is the master for a reason.

No Leaf Clover
A very underrated song made exclusively for the "S & M" record.

One
No other song has turned up the intensity so god damn well.

Ride The Lightning
A early rendition of "Master of Puppets" is still a fantastic rendition.

Wherever I May Roam
Wherever it may roam, I shall follow.

Whiplash
It makes me act like a maniac.

So now that that is settled, let us attack another band. I think I am a little hungry for some German power metal.

Until next time, do not forget to stay metal.
Robert "Sharkruisher" Andersson

Metallica - Death Magnetic (2008)

So after the extremely turbulent time during the making of "St. Anger", Metallica was ready to move on. First on the agenda, recruit a new bassist, and after a three month long search, the band settled down on Robert Trujillo, who at that time was most known from Suicidal Tendencies and being the touring bassist for Ozzy Osbourne. Looking back at it, I think most of us are happy the band chose Trujillo, he is a fantastic showman on stage, and did bring some extra energy to the band, which was certainly displayed on their 9th studio effort, "Death Magnetic".

To help out the band in the recording process, they reached out to Rick Rubin to produce the record. Rick ordered the band to go back and listen to their older stuff, to be inspired when the time for writing was nigh. The result ended up being kind of a direct opposite to the primal nature of "St. Anger". Instead of simple, angry songs with no solos, "Death Magnetic" offers a style that is more like "...And Justie For All", long and complex songs with riffs to the absolute brim.

So all is well, right? Wrong, because everyone started to find new ways to complain. The songs are too long, they all sound the same, the production is way too clean. Out of those three main complaints, I can only really agree with the last one. Sure, Rick Rubin did a nice job on the production, but just like with most of his recent productions, the cleanliness takes away the soul and personality of the album, turning it into a sparkling clean machine, something that certainly does not fit Metallica. It does not bother me that much though, but I would have liked it even more if it had some dirt under its nails.

As for the two other complaints, I can only agree to disagree. Sure, the songs are long, and so is the album (1 hour and 14 minutes), but unlike "Load" and "Reload", there is a pace to the songs that makes that time go by much more smoothly. Instead of getting bored to death, you fly by at the speed of sound, so while the "Load" brothers might feel like 1 and a half hours, "Death Magnetic" feels more like it sits just around the hour mark. And while I do understand that there are similarities between the songs in structure, they still have their own personalities thanks to the riffs, solos, and choruses being as strong as they are. Songs like "End of The Line", "That Was Just Your Life", and "The Judas Kiss" certainly have a similar feel, but are still strong, catchy efforts.

This is certainly no flatline record, and one song that definitely shows that is "All Nightmare Long", a riff fest that transitions smoothly from segment to segment, turning out one of the heavier performances from the band in several albums. Also, that second solo gives me the goosebumps every time, makes we wanna live this nightmare over and over again. Then we have "The Unforgiven III" as another stand out, and it is pretty clear that the "Unforgiven" series are sort of like the "Toy Story" movies. The first one was good, second one was arguably better, and the third one is the best, but both number two and three are completely unnecessary. I do like though that there is a new structure to this song, even if the opening piano intro is overstaying its welcome.

Unfortunately, we also do have some lows in here. Besides the production, I feel like the song "Cyanide" could do better with a tougher chorus, the current one is really lame. It is not as lame as the instrumental track though, because "Suicide & Redemption" is literally all suicide. This is a 10 minute instrumental that repeats itself a couple times too many, and never really seems to go anywhere. There is no real emotion to the song, so it becomes an agonizing slog. Worst part is that it might have the best solo in the entire album, buried 6 minutes into the song, with Kirk taking the first half and James the second, creating a sort of guitarist duel that is cool to see. Two guys, same segment, two completely different solos.

Despite those issues, I still love this album to death. This is an extremely consistent record that knows what it is, and knows what it want to accomplish. After a bunch of bad and boring records, "Death Magnetic" was the fun pill that not only the band needed, but that the fans needed as well. It is not a full on back track to the glory days (I consider this to be more of a straight up heavy metal record than a thrash one), and it might be one of the less experimental albums from the band in a while, but there is one simple fact it has going for it, it kicks ass, a lot of it. That is good enough for me, time to take it for another spin (minus the instrumental).

Songs worthy of recognition: All Nightmare Long, The End of The Line, The Unforgiven III, The Judas Kiss

Rating: 8,5/10 Cyanides

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More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
S/T
Load
Reload
St. Anger
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - St. Anger (2003)

Everyone handles setbacks differently, trying to tackle the hard times as good as possible, but in almost any case, it ends up changing yourself in one way or another. Metallica certainly experienced a lot of hard ships between "Reload" and their 8th studio effort, "St. Anger", starting with bassist Jason Newsted leaving the band, then singer James Hetfield was forced to enter rehab because of drug and alcohol issues, which eventually sparked a lot of internal struggles within the band (and let us not forget the whole Napster thing, which forced this album to be released 5 days before the intended release date). Out of these dark days emerged a rugged Metallica, a more passionate band that had a ton of anger to ventilate, and they used their new record to do so. But as Kratos from the "God of War" series would tell all of you, anger can cloud one's judgment.

Over the 15 years that "St. Anger" has been out for the world to see, it has gotten a very rotten reputation, one that I hoped would try to counter at the end of the day, but nope, I can only agree with most of the negative criticism that has been spewed all over it. Let us tackle the two most common complaints first, the drumming, and the lack of solos. Now, an album certainly does not need solos to be good, and with the more punk vibe that this album has, I kind of get why the band did not add any, but I think it is a waste of talent when neither Hammett or Hetfield get to show their chops. As for the drumming, I have been trying my hardest to stay away from it in previous reviews, because it is like beating a dead horse, but here, it just cannot be ignored. The ringing sound of Ulrich's drums sounds like those modified oil drums you find on Caribbean calypso bands, and they do stick out like a sore thumb. God damn it.

But there are more problems with this album, unfortunately. Just like with the last two albums, the length is a huge issue here, but unlike "Load" and "Reload", where the albums where filled with dull fillers, "St. Anger" do have a good amount of energy, but a lot of repetition that feels completely unnecessary. Several songs just repeats themselves way too much, making you feel like you are stuck in an endless loop. "Invisible Kid" is the perfect example of this, a pretty fun song actually, but it has a length of 8 and a half minute, every line in the verses start with the title, and it goes on and on and on and on, IT NEVER ENDS! A good idea completely wasted.

And that is probably the saddest part about "St. Anger", that there is some amount of good, or at least interesting, ideas in here, once again showing that Metallica is not afraid to experiment with their music. Even if most tracks in "St. Anger" feels really strange coming from Metallica, like they do not belong at all with this band, there are still songs like "Frantic", "The Unnamed Feeling", "All Within My Hands", and even the title track have some really neat tricks that certainly works, but I feel like the anger of the band kind of ruins the quality of the craft. Hetfield does not sound as crisp as usual (in fact, he sounds really, really bad in some places), Hammett does not get any room at all to shine, and Lars... is Lars. It is perfectly obvious that this is not a band in harmony, a group that still needs some healing before being 100% again.

With all said and done though, there is one thing that I do not agree with most naysayers about "St. Anger", that it is a candidate for the "Worst metal album of all time" award. Sure, "St. Anger" is a rotten album, it is a record only a mother could love, and it is without any shadow of a doubt the worst Metallica record out there ("Lulu" not included, because it is more of a Lou Reed album), but it does at the very least have some neat ideas that might not have been given the best opportunities to shine, but they are still there to behold. This is an angry record that tries to maul everything in its path, without any real sense of direction, which makes it difficult to get a grasp on. So let us all do what Hetfield say in the title track, flush it out.

Songs worthy of recognition: Frantic, The Unnamed Feeling

Rating: 2,5/10 Sweet Ambers

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More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
S/T
Load
Reload
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Reload (1997)

If it is something that I really dislike about the summer, it is that there is nothing to watch on TV. Sure, you are supposed to be outside and enjoy life, but when it rains (which it does quite often here in Sweden), the TV will not be of any use since every channel just show re-runs all the time (unless there is some sporting event going on). What does this have to do with "Reload"? Just check the first syllable of the album title, it explains close to everything.

"Reload" is exactly what it say it is, a re-run of its predecessor "Load", with the same style of music, around the same play length, and even the album cover is more or less identical. And with each album being released just a year apart from each other, it is easy to get a deja vu feeling over the two records. Sure, there are differences between the twins, but they are so minimal that you need a magnifying glass to spot them. So let us bring out our inner Sherlock Holmes and find them.

On the musical side of things, "Reload" still has some country influences, but not as much as "Load", instead we have more of the straight out rock that was some of the better parts of the predecessor. While it does not take over the album, it does make "Reload" a little more dynamic in its approach, even if there is a lot of slow, uneventful songs that makes the long run time even longer. Another thing "Reload" has over its brother is that it has a better highlight in the speedy opener "Fuel", a song that blows fellow opener "Ain't My Bitch" over the water with its furious riffs and solo, and also a James Hetfield that is having a little too much fun. It also has a great chorus to scare the crap out of Drive-In cashiers (Give me food, give me fries, give me salad on the side!).

I do also think that the extra year of work that was put into this record only benefited it, because it sounds overall more crisp. Fine songs as "Devil's Dance", "Prince Charming", and "Where The Wild Things Are" got an extra pop to them, so even if they are no show stoppers, they do gather some attention here at least with a neat production, and some good performances from the entire crew.

Although, it does not salvage the overall bleak aura that surrounds "Reload", because as previously stated, there are simply too many songs in here that are either boring, uninteresting, meaningless, or all of the above. We got "Slither", which feels like a strange Alice In Chains cover, the overly corny "Bad Seed" and "Attitude" does not help things either, and while "Low Man's Lyric" might have had some good potential, it is thwarted by its 7 and a half minute length. Also, while "The Unforgiven II" is one of the main highlights of this record, why the hell did the band feel like they needed a sequel for one of the singles of "The Black Album"? You just had to squeeze in yet another track in here, didn't you?

Now, while I do think that both "Load" and "Reload" are both over bloated and bland, I do admire the band and their urge to push themselves musically, because there is some genuine good music to be found. The problem is that they felt like everything had to be included, so the gold is easily lost among the dirt. If Metallica just had some restraints, taking a couple of songs from each album and fuse them into a 50 minute album, then you would have a great record. Sadly, we are left with a lot of fillers, and while "Reload" is a slight step forward, it is not nearly enough to make it acceptable. So stop wasting my time and bring me something... angrier. Oh wait...

Songs worthy of recognition: Fuel, The Unforgiven II, Where The Wild Things Are, Prince Charming

Rating: 5,5/10 Bad Seeds

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More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
S/T
Load
St. Anger
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Load (1996)

With half of the discography reviewed, we now step into the stranger part of Metallica's career, where the band started experimenting more and leaving their thrash roots. While the departure from thrash did sort of start in "The Black Album", it was fully realized in the middle of the 90's with the release of the double trouble known as "Load" and "Re-Load", a duo of records that today are seen as the two outliers of Metallica's discography, not even considered as metal records. It is a strange duo that we will now dive deep into, so let us start with the first of the twins.

So knowing how incredibly successful "The Black Album" was, Metallica probably knew that it was going to be hard to follow it up, so they opted for going all in, write a ton of songs, and put them all in two albums, a tactic that is really risky, because it is so easy to go for quantity over quality, and unfortunately, that is exactly what happened here. With a play time of 79 minutes, "Load" is the band's longest album to date (yes, even longer than "Hardwired..."), and it is very much notable, being very tough to get through in one sitting, not because it feels long, but because the setlist is filled with fluff.

With a total of 14 songs, "load" is simply just loaded (hehe), mostly with blanks though. This album is filled with songs that simply does not feel like Metallica songs. At times, you wonder if the group wrote this songs, or if they stole them from Guns 'n' Roses and slapped a Metallica sticker on top of it. Most of this album consists of hard rock and country rock, with only "King Nothing" having some type of metal element to it, and most of these songs are mediocre at best, confusing at worst.

Now, just because the band completely changed sound direction, it does not automatically have to be a bad thing, and I could have certainly enjoyed this experiment if the song quality was up to par. "Load" certainly has some neat tracks, like the possible "The Black Album" outcast "The House Jack Built" where the band creates a nice mood and uses Peter Frampton's guitar effects to some good use. Then we have "Bleeding Me", a mellow tune that sits just right in your ear. Finally, the two most stand out singles "King Nothing" and "Until It Sleeps" are a nice double header at the end of the first half.

But as previously stated, there are just too many fillers in here for one to muster through. There is not any song that makes me mad, or any song where the performance or song writing is embarrassing. It is just a bland mess of songs that does not really give you any reasons to be mad. I was kind of annoyed that James Hetfield had a couple of spots where he did not seem fully focused (Adoobalee adoobalee!), and "2 x 4" just baffled me in every sense of the word, but otherwise "Load" left me quite indifferent, or at least kind of bored.

So even if the album cover looks like the inside of a lava lamp, it does describe the album quite well actually, it is a gooey mess that one probably could stare (or in this case, listen) for hours and do not get anything significant from it. "Load" is definitely not a good album, it is way too long, does not have enough stand out tracks, and the experimentation is far from bulletproof. However, I do not think "Load" is a bad record more than it is a forgettable one. Close to nothing in here is memorable, and since nothing makes you mad either, I just suggest that we just let it slide by and do not care too much for it. Onto its brother it is.

Songs worthy of recognition: Bleeding Me, Until It Sleeps, King Nothing

Rating: 4,5/10 Cures

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More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
S/T
Reload
St. Anger
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - S/T (1991)

It seemed like every legendary metal band fell flat on their asses as soon as the 90's began, with one after another churning out mediocre records and losing popularity. Well, somehow Metallica only became more popular, at least amongst the more mainstream crowd, and most of that is thanks to their self titled fifth studio album (or as it is more commonly called, "The Black Album"). It saw a complete shift in the band's sound, from the progressive thrash that they have refined over the last three records, to a more direct, catchier, and slower heavy metal sound, a change that made this cheap rip off of Spinal Tap's "Smell The Glove" one of the most successful metal records of all time.

One reason to why "The Black Album" became so successful was that it had no less than five major hits in "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam", and "Sad But True", all of them becoming some of the band's most famous songs. Talking about them in an extensive way is pretty useless, so let me just put out my quick thoughts about them. "Wherever I May Roam" is hands down my favourite track of the entire record, with "Enter Sandman" right behind it. I can deal with the dark nature of "The Unforgiven", but for a band that has not written any ballads before, adding two is at least one too many. Also, "Sad But True", a sluggish boredom of a song, is one of the most overrated songs by Metallica ever.

Once you look past those spotlight stealers, you will realize that "The Black Album" does have some meat on its bones. Sure, it is not something you would want to brag to your thrash buddies, but there is certainly some serviceable metal in there. The heaviest of the bunch is "Holier Than Thou", one of few opportunities Hetfield and Hammett can go wild with their riffing, and also spark a fire under Lars' drums. A fun song that gets the blood pumping, for sure. I also like "Of Wolf And Man", it showed just how good this newer side of Metallica could be with a catchy beat, bone hard riffs, and a nice attitude. I do love the build up in the chorus as well, and I often replace the "shape shift" with "oh shit", it just sounds so much better.

The rest of the "forgotten" group are a mixed bag of sweet and sour. "Through The Never" is a fun little quick tune, and "My Friend of Misery" has some good moments too, but then we have "Don't Tread On Me", "The God That Failed", and "The Struggle Within", none of which really connected with me, being pretty forgettable. It is a trio of songs that I could live without, giving this album some mediocre moments that it does not need at all with its run time of just over an hour.

And that is probably my main problem with this record, there are simply too many songs in here. Metallica should have definitely dropped some songs to make "The Black Album" tighter, killing off the dead weight. So instead of going with several long songs that together made the run time too long, they went with a bigger quantity that also padded the run time a little too much. So in a strange way, that problem from "...And Justice For All" stuck around for "The Black Album", just in a different shape.

Now, it is easy to see why this album is so successful. The surprising amount of hits did give it a ton of buzz for a long time, and there are a bunch of nice songs to discover beyond them. Still, I feel like there is a little too much useless padding in this record, dragging it out a little more than it should.  Do I consider this as an all time classic? Absolutely not, but it is still an enjoyable record with some fantastic highs, but also some annoying lows. It is a reboot of the band that gave them millions of fans, but did not necessarily make them better, enough to get through the 90's.

Songs worthy of recognition: Wherever I May Roam, Enter Sandman, Holier Than Thou, The Unforgiven, Of Wolf And Man

Rating: 7,5/10 Gods That Failed

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More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
Load
Reload
St. Anger
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - ...And Justice For All (1988)

Well, this album would fit nicely in a "Top 10 most ironic album titles ever" list. After the tragic death of Cliff Burton, Metallica was left without a bassist, eventually recruiting Jason Newsted from Flotsam And Jetsam. Apparently, the rest of the group did not seem to have much faith in the new recruit, because he is close to completely absent in this record. The bass is non existent, and still to this day it is not sure who is to blame, whether it is the influence of Lars Ulrich, the mixer Steve Thompson, or someone else. What we do know is that Jason was the victim, and that he did not get any justice.

So now that we have taken care of the clear ear sore of this record, let us focus on the other stuff. "...And Justice For All" saw Metallica going to a more progressive style, going for longer and more complex song arrangement, even more so than what both "Ride The Lightning" and "Master of Puppets" presented. There is no song under 5 minutes in here, and three even going over the 9 minute mark, surely making lovers of "Kill 'em All" a little uncomfortable when finally diving into this 1 hour and 5 minute long beast. This album is surely creative, but it might have taken one too many liberties.

Exhibit A on when the prog side of Metallica goes wrong, the instrumental track "To Live Is To Die". It is a 9 minute and 49 second song with very little substance in it, some nice licks for sure, but it does not lead to anything. No climax, no epic solo, no emotional roller coasters, just a complete waste of space and time. The band knows how to do great instrumentals, so what happened here?

Fortunately, the other longer song on the album is more than passable. The title track has a nice catchy tone to it, both in riffs and in structure, while "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" has a fantastic flow to it that feels completely natural. Then we have "One", the most famous song out of this record (and the first song Metallica accompanied with a music video), a two part song where the first half is slow and moodful, and the second half is complete madness. It is a great display of the band's diversity, and both the lead up to the solo and the solo itself still gives me goosebumps. Just masterful.

Not only is this the most progressive record in the Metallica discography, it might even be the heaviest. Songs like "Blackened" and "Dyers Eve" are really fast and heavy maulers that definitely rank among the heaviest that the band has ever done. Then we have more slow heavy songs like "Eye of The Beholder" and "Harvester of Sorrow", two songs that may not stand out amongst the crowd, but fills the holes of the album nicely. This makes "...And Justice For All" an unique step for the band, trying to evolve even further in their sound, unfortunately with mixed results.

So while this record is overall a very nice experience when you only look at what the songs are like, it is fully spoiled when the production is added. Sure, neither "Lightning" or "Puppets" have perfect production, but this album is just so flat, not giving that extra oomph that every song needed to truly pop. That is what hinders "...And Justice For All" from becoming another master staple in the band's discography (and maybe that instrumental too). It is a nice album, but the major flaws are simply too hard to ignore, even with a blindfold.

Songs worthy of recognition: One, Blackened, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, Dyers Eve

Rating: 7/10 Shortest Straws

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Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
S/T
Load
Reload
St. Anger
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)

It might be considered the never ending argument in the metal universe when you are discussing which is the better Metallica album. Either you go with "Ride The Lightning", or you stick with "Master of Puppets" (or maybe some other album if you have literally no taste in metal). Both albums are unique masterpieces, but also have a lot of similarities. They are kind of like twin brothers, even if they were conceived two years apart, and separating the two from each other would be kind of unfair. Then again, I am here to review, so I guess I have to do that anyway. Oh well...

So I probably do not have to talk too much over how much this album means to the band, but in short, this is the last album Metallica created before bassist Cliff Burton was tragically killed in a car crash in Sweden (not too far off from where I live actually), so it obviously has a special place in the hearts of the other members. Most just might not notice the contribution of Burton all too much, since he is a bass player, but his musical knowledge is crucial to a lot of the songs Metallica has done, it is what made them so dynamic and diverse. It is safe to say that the band was never the same after Cliff left our world.

Anyway, more about "Master of Puppets". Just like its predecessor, "Master of Puppets" is chock full of great tracks that just took the thrash metal genre to whole new levels, both increasing the intensity, but also taking it to a more diverse direction. Just take the title track as the perfect example, with its 8 and a half minute run time it is almost classified as a progressive metal track, but it is still rooted in thrash thanks to its incredible riffs and aggressive chorus. It is a multi layered song that you could dissect for hours on end.

Close to all 8 tracks on this record are just fantastic, showing off different tricks that makes Metallica so great. We got "Battery" as a strong, aggressive opener that just destroys you with its galloping main riff and insane solos, but "Disposable Heroes" does exist too to finish off the left overs, pummeling with that intense riffing speed. "Damage Inc." brings some heavy pieces too, while the double sandwich "The Thing That Should Not Be" and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" slows down the album in two different ways, with the former being creepy and ominous, and the latter more deceiving before going into a nice finishing move in the form of a solo. They both bring a nice variety to the album.

Then we have the two low points of the album, still good tracks that just does not match up to the rest of its brethren. First is "Leper Messiah", which is just weak in its execution. It does not have much power to it, and while the solo is nice, it just does not have the same quality as the other solos on the record. Then we have the instrumental "Orion", which seems to be fairly beloved by the public, for reasons I do not understand. Personally, I think "The Call of Ktulu" is a much better instrumental track, because it has so much emotion behind it. Sure, "Orion" is more diverse, but it also has several dull moments in it that I simply cannot get behind. It is a decent instrumental, but it is no where near the quality of its predecessor.

So if we get back to the debate, I think I have to stay with the "blue" side of the argument. While "Master of Puppets" is a masterful record in all its means, it just does not have the same consistency as its predecessor in my books. It might have a higher high point, but with simple math, we can see that having two mediocre songs is not better than just having one. Still, "Master of Puppets" do deserve every praise that it has gotten over the years, it is a classic thrash record that still holds very well today. It is certainly a master that we would love to come back to time and time again.

Songs worthy of recognition: Master of Puppets, Battery, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Disposable Heroes

Rating: 9/10 Leper Messiahs

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More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
...And Justice For All
S/T
Load
Reload
St. Anger
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984)

Despite only being released almost exactly one year after their debut "Kill 'em All", the jump Metallica took with their sophomore effort "Ride The Lightning" is one of the biggest any band has done from first to second record. While the debut had its own great charm, "Ride The Lightning" was way more ambitious in almost every other way. It got more complex song writing, cleaner production (not too clean though), tighter chemistry between the instruments, and a broader variation in the set list. It is more or less the perfect continuation for a band that helped start up a big sub genre.

Even if the band has evolved to this point, there were still some elements of that raw power and speed that was the trademark of "Kill 'em All", not making the changes all too drastic. The opener "Fight Fire With Fire" do open with a little acoustic bit, but then turns into the younger, angrier brother of "Whiplash", shredding everything with its furious speed. "Trapped Under Ice" also falls under the same category, a pretty simple and aggressive piece that also could have been on the debut, but each song do have a bit that shows how the band has changed, something different to weigh up the aggression, which is really nice.

Something else that showed the band's evolution was in the lyrics, which tackled a wide variety of subjects, from thoughts of suicide in "Fade To Black" to the biblical story about the plagues of Egypt in "Creeping Death". The guys certainly showed that they were not any old numbnuts, just going fast for the sake of going fast, and singing about any random shit. There is genuine thought behind the music and lyrics, and the work behind it all is certainly impressive.

As far as the overall track list goes, "Ride The Lightning" is filled to the brim with some fantastic tunes, 8 in total. The most noteworthy is probably "Fade To Black", just for how delicate and dark it is, with its theme about suicide. It is a beautiful track with an amazing emotional solo that captures you in an uncomfortable way. The most famous song though is probably "For Whom The Bell Tolls", a really nice song for sure, but just like with "Seek And Destroy" from "Kill 'em All", it is one of the lower points of the record.

Nah, my personal favourite have to be the title track, maybe because it could almost be classified as a progressive metal track, but also because there is a lot happening in here, so you wanna come back to it and hear it again and again. I also love the instrumental "The Call of Ktulu", it certainly has that ominous creepy feeling of a ritual song that would summon the famous slumbering overlord monster. It is also hard to dismiss "Creeping Death", just for the flow that it creates, a great live track that works really well on record as well.

The only real miss in this record is "Escape", a fine track that just does not seem to fit in here. It is not aggressive, it does not have any drive to it, and among the other songs, it just fades in comparison. It is hard to follow through with the mantra "all killer, no filler", so I can forgive the band for including "Escape", but it does keep me from counting this album as one of the greatest ones in existence.

No matter what though, "Ride The Lightning" is still a brilliant sophomore effort, one that every up and coming band hopes to create. It takes what the band did great in the debut, improved on the parts where they did not do so good, and also showed growth in their writing and playing. This album is a thrilling ride with twists and turns, with every song acting like a chocking jolt going through your body, releasing a fantastic feeling. So strap into the electric chair, and join the ride.

Songs worthy of recognition: Ride The Lightning, Fight Fire With Fire, Fade To Black, Creeping Death, The Call of Ktulu

Rating: 9,5/10 Bells tolling

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More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
S/T
Load
Reload
St. Anger
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Kill 'em All (1983)

No matter who you talk to, old or young, everyone knows Metallica, and everyone certainly has an opinion about them too. Arguably the biggest metal band to ever exist, the legendary group from Los Angeles has had quite a career with multiple ups and downs, and the whole world is surely watching every time they make headlines. But every band has a start, and back in the early stages of the 80's, the group was not nearly as prolific, even if that would change as soon as the debut record was released.

The debut was meant to be called "Metal Up Your Ass", but the band was forced to change it to "Kill 'em All", officially going from a "Dropping the soap in prison" title, to something more "Motif for a super villain". It is still kind of a daring title for its time, and it certainly caught the attention of young teenager who searched for the toughest music available. Fortunately for them, the title does encapsulate the sound fairly well, a fast and muddy brawler that was as fast as punk, but had the technical riffing of the NWoBHM movement.

Listening to it today though, one cannot get away from the fact that "Kill 'em All" sounds more like a Megadeth record than a Metallica one, and there are good reasons for that. Dave Mustaine is the original guitarist of the band, but was kicked out for his drug and alcohol issues, eventually replaced by Kirk Hammett. While Dave was no longer a member of Metallica when the debut rolled out, his mark was still there, being credited for 4 out of 10 songs ("The Four Horsemen", "Jump In The Fire", "Phantom Lord" and "Metal Militia"), all of them having the now trademarked Megadeth style, with tons of guitar work, not too much vocals, and a juggernaut mind set.

While Mustaine did not contribute with the remaining 6 songs, most of them followed along in a similar fashion. Songs like "Hit The Lights", "Whiplash", and "No Remorse" are all really fast tunes that did not take any prisoners, just pure primitive bangers that instantly hits the right nerves. I especially love "Whiplash" just for how simple it is in its execution, and that it is the overwhelming speed that does the talking. "Hit The Lights" also have a similar strategy, but it pounds you with solo after solo until you get dizzy. Those with an allergy for guitar wanking should stay away.

Despite there being so many bangers on this record, I kind of hate that the only song from "Kill 'em All" that is still a main stay in the band's live setlist is "Seek & Destroy". It is an okay song, but it is dull as hell when compared to the rest, feeling like a slightly heavier version of AC/DC. It does have an exciting solo, but that is it, the rest of the track does not have the fire like the other 9 songs. It is slightly better than the bass instrumental "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" (sorry Cliff), but it is also the only song it beats.

The grittiness of "Kill 'em All" is ultimately its strongest point, because it brings out the band's personality at the time in a way you barely can do anymore. So while it has a lot of dirt under its fingernails, "Kill 'em All" is a very enjoyable debut record with a lot of bite to it, a young band that burst through your speakers in a very impactful way. It laid the foundation on one of the most successful careers in metal history, cementing an impressive legacy from the very start. It certainly killed the opposition, close to all of them.

Songs worthy of recognition: Whiplash, Hit The Lights, The Four Horsemen, Jump In The Fire

Rating: 8,5/10 Phantom Lords

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More reviews of Metallica
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
S/T
Load
Reload
St. Anger
Death Magnetic
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct (2016)

The day that never comes is finally here. After 8 extremely long years, the thrash legends of Metallica finally released their tenth full length album "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct". So what has the band been doing all of these years? Well, after releasing "Death Magnetic", the band has started their own record label called Blackened Records, started a short lived festival called Orion Music + More, made a full length movie called "Through The Never", made a collaboration with Lou Reed that no one expected (or wanted for that matter). They played countless of tours and shows, including one in Antarctica, and they have been bragging and teasing us about how many ideas they have had for this album (even losing about 250 riffs along the way), which is also why this album is 77 minutes long and spans up to 2 CDs (or 3 LPs).

My expectations for this record were, not surprisingly, big, for several reason. The first reason is that I highly enjoyed "Death Magnetic", and its mix of modern metal and old school thrash. It was a fresh breath of air that rejuvenated the band in a way I did not see coming. Second, the band have had a long time to perfect this album, and the longer you have to wait for new music, the higher the fall could be if it does not kick ass. Third reason is an obvious one, it is Metallica we are talking about, one of the most important metal bands in history. No matter if you love them or hate them, your eyes and ears will be on them when they release new music. Okay, enough rambling, let us talk "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct".

Before the last couple of days before this album's release, the band had given us three tastes of the album already, and all three songs is found on the first half of the first record. The title track "Hardwired" opens things up, and this is as thrash as you can almost get. It is fast, have tons of cool riffs, and an in your face attitude that many thought Metallica had lost over the years. It is also a very short song, and it works in favour for the band, giving the album a kick start that we have not heard since "Blackened". Unfortunately, this is the only short song of the album, with the remaining 11 songs spanning between 6-8 minutes, so it does not represent the album very well. The other pre-tastes do though. Both "Atlas, Rise" and "Moth Into Flame" borrows elements from the predecessor "Death Magnetic", showcasing some incredibly fun guitar work and arena friendly choruses. Hell, the chorus to "Moth Into Flame" is one of the most melodic I have heard from the band, and Hetfield kills it so god damn well. A very impressive start from the band.

After that though, the album starts to lose its way, trying out several different angles and sounds that just ends up feeling more random than well thought out. "Dream No More" tries to act like it is the next "Sad But True", with some inspiration from the "Necronomicon", but the way Hetfield sings this is so god damn weird. It sounds more like Zakk Wylde, without the guitar wanking. "Confusion" is... well... confusing... and sluggish. Then we have "Here Comes Revenge" and "Am I Savage?", both very forgettable songs that does not stick out in any way.

The song that makes me rage the most though is "ManUNkind", not only because the title is stupid as hell, but simply because this song makes no sense what so ever. It got some groovy riffs here that are nice and all, and Trujillo gets some moments to shine here, like the intro, but it is a very unappealing song overall. The chorus is extremely boring, the overall sound is very monotonous, and it just does not fit the record at all. It has some Mercyful Fate mentality in it (which explains the music video, which is just footage from some black metal concert), but it is as demonic as me. In other words, not at all.

And that is probably the main problem with "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", that it just does not seem to have any direction at all. The album has a little of everything that Metallica has presented us with over the years, some "Kill 'em All", some "Black Album", and, believe it or not, some "St. Anger". The roots are still planted in "Death Magnetic", but all these new angles just makes the album confused, missing a clear cut personality. And it does not help the fact that several songs just goes on for too long. Even if I am not bothered with the length, I know a lot of people will get annoyed by it (because that was the main complaint with "Death Magnetic").

Fortunately, there is enough brilliance here to make the album enjoyable. I have already mentioned the first three songs that was released as great material, but I also want to mention "Halo On Fire", which is a fantastic semi-ballad that goes in the same spirit as "Fade To Black" and "The Unforgiven", mixing some great guitar work with swell emotions, and Hetfield is once again utilizing his voice in a fantastic way. I also like the Lemmy tribute in "Murder One", where the band makes several references to famous Motörhead songs, and the final song "Spit Out The Bone" ends the album in the same way it started, with fast, rifftastic thrash (or thrashified skate punk if we are picky). Such a shame that we do not get to hear more of this in this record, because this is Metallica at their best, and I am not saying this to act like a "old school" Metallica fan, I say this because they show the most fire and passion in these songs, bringing out their youthful spirit.

So let us sum it all up. "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" could have absolutely been better if the band had tightened up things a bit, by either cutting some songs or made them shorter, and the classic Metallica problems are still there (production that is far from perfect and Lars' drumming), but the album is still good. It has a fire that burns strong, and the band is showing a versatility that they have not shown since "The Black Album", and some songs here are really strong. The inconsistencies does force me to put this album below "Death Magnetic" in terms of overall quality, but there is enough good stuff here for the common Metallica fan here to enjoy. So even if it may be a confusing mess (just like the cover art), it is still an entertaining mess. Maybe not worth 8 years of waiting, but it is at least far from shit.

Songs worthy of recognition: Halo On Fire, Hardwired, "Atlas, Rise!", Moth Into Flame

Rating: 7/10 Savages

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twitter.com/metallica

More reviews of Metallica
Kill 'em All
Ride The Lightning
Master of Puppets
...And Justice For All
S/T
Load
Reload
St. Anger
Death Magnetic