Metallica - Death Magnetic
Warner Bros
By Millie Stein
You only need to look at the cover insert of Death Magnetic, featuring a 3D coffin cut-out, to get the feel of the album: a return to semi-pure thrash metal with super-high production values. In among the obligatory death and biblical references that have come to characterise the genre, we're mercifully reminded why we've been listening to Metallica for over 20 years and why it's become redundant to label them as "definitive". It's no coincidence that the opening track 'That Was Just Your Life' begins with the sound of a heartbeat. Fans have been waiting for the group to come back to life following the 2003 "hard rock" disaster that was St Anger. The first few bars recall ‘Enter Sandman' and suddenly we're reliving the glory days and our hopes are sky-high.
More successes of the Black Album era are revisited, requiring the risky manoeuvre of taking a commercial success and attempting to de-commercialise the music in a storm of publicity. Luckily, 'Unforgiven III' almost out-rocks the original. They even cover some really, really old ground with frenetic build-up-and-breakdown patterns straight out of Master of Puppets. Fans will surely appreciate the new direction formed by carefully retracing what has worked in the past. But for every up there must be a down. No amount of Rick Rubin production or online merchandising can make up for the failing vocal chords of James Hetfield – or the lack of blood and sperm in the album cover art.
Metallica are charging harder, both musically and financially, than ever, and whether it's to prove that they've still got it, or because they actually do still have it, we want more of this.