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Metallica reviews
Metallica: Ride the lightning
In my opinion, by far the best Metallica
album, if only due to the virtue of four of its songs are some of the best
thrash metal songs ever written. Metallica’s
“fast songs – slow songs” approach never really interested me though, as thrash
ballads never really worked for me. Still, this album has the best of Metallica’s faster music, and is far more polished than
their debut “Kill ‘em all”. “Fight fire with fire”
the first track on the album, is in my opinion the best song Metallica ever made. Indeed, it is easily their fastest,
and the production, clear, but still a little raw, allows this song to really
get you in the head banging mood. The instrumental intro to that song really
does tip it upside down.
The title track is a good solid clout of a song. The riffery
reminds me of Soundgarden for some reason, but it
does not stop this song being a solid performance.
“For whom the bell tolls” is a bit of a progressive song, the main
problem is that the intro does drag on a bit, and the main chunk of the song is
too short. A song which though really good, could have been
so much better with a little extra length.
“Fade to black” is Metallica’s first ever
ballad, and does not bode well for their future in that department. Personally,
this song is always skipped on this one. I remind musicians again “Thrash
ballads do not work”
“Trapped under ice” is another nice slab of thrash. It is runner up
however to the first track, but still zips on at quite some pace.
“Escape” has dated worse than any other track on the CD. It is the only
track that really sounds “80’s” to me, perhaps because of the initial guitar
riff. The song is good however, if a bit of a grind.
“Creeping death” is also a decent thrash song. Not a zipper, but has
some really prominent lyrics. Not bad at all.
The closer “The call of Ktulu” is quite an
epic instrumental. Persionally, I think it worked
better live, {even if that is because Hetfield
couldn’t get his now dreadful vocals on it} only the last minute really grabs
my intention still.
Despite the gripes, this is Metallica’s best
release, and really shows what this band did best, and sadly, will most likely
never be again.
9 out of 10
Metallica: Master of puppets
Often regarded as Metallica’s best album, it
is certainly the bands most technically complex release. However, the metallica ballad was already gaining a grip over these
guys, and even if the amazing Cliff Burton had not so regrettably passed away a
few months after the release of this album, I fail to see what he could have
done to stop Metallica’s “Decline” into a pop band.
That said, this is certainly not pop. The
opener “
The title track is a great song, though I think it suffers greatly due
to the mellow center section. Of coure
I am writing this from a “warring headphones on the way to college” point of
view, not a “wow these are great musicians” point of view. The chorus and
generally all the lyrics of this song are brilliant.
However, I think, despite the fact that many will disagree with me, that
“the thing that should not be” is a terrible ballady
song, and “welcome home sanatarium” is not much
better. Indeed, much of this album has a “snooze” factor to it. “fast slow” is ok, but between songs – not between parts of
the same one. If I want a slow song, I’ll listen to a ballad, if I want a fast one,
I’ll listen to a thrashy one, I disapprove when a
band dose both in a single song, and that is the flaw
of “master of puppets”
That said, “Disposable heroes” really gets the speed moving again, and
really stops the centre of this album collapsing to me. However, “Leper
Messiah” and “Orion” while good songs, are to much like what Metallica was to become, not what they were {a bad thing}
“Damage inc.” is another good closer. The one minute of silence before
it starts really works against it however. They could have at least done a
proper instrumental. That said, the song itself roars along at a mighty pace,
and so it ends.
In all, I was disappointed with this album, the production, while very
clear, often lacks power at crutial moments.
Controversial as always, I must say that it has the signs of a weakening band.
However, their next was a surprise in that respect.
8 out of 10
Metallica: …and justice for all.
Often sighted to be Metallica’s weakest album,
I find it to be one of their best. The production is sparse, and the bass is
nowhere to be found, but that said, the good songs on this album are very good
indeed.
Opening with “Blackened”, yet another repeat of “Fight fire with fire”
this album heads forth in style. It is not their best opener, easily the
weakest of their three greats, but its good enough.
The title track is another song entirely. Save the one and a half minute
instrumental, this sounds very much like progressive thrash. I thought it good,
not great, but certainly good, very good. The chorus
is very memorable, though I have long mistook “the halls of justice painted
green, now you saw it..” for the incorrect, but much
more appropriate “Hail the justice pain and greed, now you suffer”
“Eye of the beholder” comes next. Quite a memorable riff, and
interesting lyrics, politically charged, that’s what we want!
“One” is almost self explanatory, my third favourite Metallica
song, though the short video destroys the story. The thrash bit at the end much
rank as their best.
The next song “The shortest straw” is a decent paced rocker with again memeorable lyrics. However “Harvest of sorrow” is a bit
sluggish, and is a mid album disappointment.
That said “Frayed ends of sanity” is a stomper.
Well placed indeed and the chorus is amazingly well done.
However, if there is one great disappointment on this album, it is the
nine minute! Ballad “To live is to die” the most
boring song Metallica did in their first four albums.
Its seems a prelude to what is to come.
The closer, “Dyer’s eve” is a massive song. The “parent hate” lyrics are
great, but it is Hammet’s solo which marks his
greatest moment. The sheer speed is great. But after this, it all goes downhill
very fast.
Despite its problems, this, very uncommercial
album is not their worst, in fact, save for
8.5 out of 10
Metallica: The black album
Well, if releasing a self titled album half way through your career is not
the most “selloutable” thing a band can do, then changing your sound completely and thus turning your
back on those which made you rich certainly is. The Metallica
“sell out” debate rests on this album, and though I am part of that group, I
have simply showed my dissatisfaction by not buying “load” or “reload”, which
are ten times worse than this.
That said, I shall be a bit objective.
Certainly, those who have said Metallica have
constantly evolved have missed the fact that no band can change from “…and
justice for all” to the “Black album” without consciously saying “right, I
don’t want to do this any more, let write simple poppy songs”
That said, The “Black album” has dated very badly indeed as I write this
it is almost exactly twelve years old, but it sounds much older than that. Which is really the worst thing about it, save everything that is
on it of course.
Such with the opener “Enter sandman” certainly not “pop” but certainly
not “thrash” either. Its simplistic riffage holds
little intrest to me, though the lyrics are the only
thing which are still reminiscent of old Metallica.
I’m not going song by song, but I shall mention a few things. The best
and worst points on this album are the two ballads. “nothing
else matters” is the worst metallica ballad up to
this point, while “the unforgiven” is the only thrash
ballad I have ever liked,
The worst song for me though, as a fan of old but not new Metallica is of course “Holier than thou” a band who is no
longer thrash trying to do a thrash song and doing it very badly indeed. It
sounds a hollow as a five miles cavern and really shows how Metallica
have fallen.
Honestly, despite my obvious biases, this album has suffered both to the
fans, and much more to the ravages of time. Even in 1991 it was only average,
now it survives only on its history. A sad day it was when Metallica
took this route, a sad day indeed.
4 out of 10