METALLICA: Death Magnetic

Produced by Rick Rubin

Released: 2008

After twenty years, Metallica has finally made an album that I can listen to all the way through without getting bored or skipping tracks. Almost. I'm left aghast at how anyone could have thought the directionless instrumental "Suicide and Redemption" needed to be ten minutes long, and why "The Unforgiven III" was a good idea. But at least the rest of the tracks make up for them. Like just about everyone else who came through the 80s listening to Metallica, I really wasn't getting very excited about Death Magnetic, what with its stupid title and the inconceivably awful mess that proceeded it.

There was a lot riding on this album, Metallica knew that. St. Anger may have been a huge commercial success, but five years on remains one of the most critically reviled rock albums ever and with good reason. For a band with a reputation for incredible arrogance, Metallica seems to have realised that another disaster like that would put an end to them and set about trying to revitalise. With Death Magnetic, they have come close to completely succeeding. It's not a total triumph as the two examples I've already cited show, but it's easily the best thing they've done in a long time and certainly one of the best albums of 2008.

With Rick Rubin providing a lean, dry and bare production, Metallica sounds energetic again. Lars still plods along doing just what's needed to drive the songs, and Robert Trujillo's bass is way down low in the mix so that, like his predecessor, he's virtually making up the numbers. But Hammett and Hetfield shine. Kirk Hammett is indeed this album's big surprise. He simply hasn't sounded so vital and frantic since Ride the Lightning, and maybe not even then. After being left off the last album, Hammett shows what a foolish idea that was, unleashing solos I didn't think he was capable of. Hetfield's back to his best, bringing back his spiteful bark and snarl and he's remembered how to write meaningful lyrics again, although there are some clunkers here and there. That most of the tracks are an examination of mortality is no real surprise for such a death-obsessed band either. Back too are the wrist-breaking riffs and epic, epic songs. Intros become jams then bust out into parts that sound like different songs before jamming and coming back to where they started. It's almost like the two decades since ...And Justice for All never happened.

Metallica have still to fully redeem themselves as they'll need another album at least as good or better than this to do that, but silly name and all, Death Magnetic is a return to the band's glorious past, and it doesn't even sound forced. As I've mentioned before, the "black album" may have been the album they needed to make, but this is what they should have done next.

Welcome back.

1. That was Just Your Life
2. The End of the Line
3. Broken, Beat & Scarred
4. The Day That Never Comes
5. All Nightmare Long
6. Cyanide
7. The Unforgiven III
8. The Judas Kiss
9. Suicide & Redemption
10. My Apocalypse

Rating: 92%