Metallica Album: “Death Magnetic [Coffin Box Deluxe Edition]”

Going from my review of the CD version, I will say that these tracks are the closest Metallica has gotten to pre-Metallica/Black Album days since ...And Justice for All. The tracks are all really good.

However, there is a huge problem. There is clipping on the CD version. What this means is that you will hear distortion and popping on the CD version, along with a muddying of the instruments, that isn't intentional. They also turned the volume on the CD all the way up on the authoring side, so the CD is also overly LOUD.

So you think to yourself, "I can avoid all those digitally introduced problems; I can just buy the vinyl." Well here's where the problem arises. These tracks were recorded digitally from start to finish so there is no original analog master. The problem isn't that it's digital, it is that Metallica allowed the producers to record their instrument/vocal tracks at or very close to the 0 db level. This means that when mixed for the final stereo mix, the music is already maxed out on the volume side. This means all the clipping they recorded while in the studio made its way into the final mix. This INCLUDES the vinyl mixes as they went with the final mix tapes/files for the vinyl.

So if you are buying this to avoid the horrible authoring on the CD, save your money as the quality, for all intents and purposes, is just as ruined as it is on the CD.

...about the butchering job that is the production on this album, and on an increasing number of other records nowadays.

To be clear: I think this is a GREAT comeback by James, Lars, and Co. Probably a 4.5-star effort on the merits of the musical content. Highlights for me include "All Nightmare Long," "Unforgiven III," and "The Judas Kiss."

What isn't a highlight for me is having my speakers sound like they're falling apart during all but the quietest portions of this record. It's completely unacceptable. For anyone reading this who has listened to either RHCP's "Californication" or Rush's "Vapor Trails," you probably noticed an oddly dissatisfying sound quality on those; lots of crackling and distortion where it shouldn't be. Well, "Death Magnetic" takes that phenomenon to a whole new level. As others have suggested, look up "loudness war" on Wikipedia if you want to learn more about why this album (and several others released from about 1999 onward) sounds so abysmal.

On the incredibly heavy, addictive and adrenaline-pumping chorus of "All Nightmare Long," when I should be banging my head in euphoria, I'm instead trying to keep my lunch down because I'm hearing more crackles and pops than I am actual guitar tones.

If you enjoy this record, that's great; as I already stated, I love the music on it too. So please, don't just casually dismiss this because I gave 1 star. I'm doing it because the only hope we have of preventing future albums from Metallica and other artists from being similarly butchered is to speak out against it, and let the music industry know that this practice is NOT going to increase sales, as they seem to believe.

[EDIT- 9/2/10: Originally in 2008, I had rated this CD "only" 4 stars, as for whatever reason, it felt sort of off to give Death Magnetic a full 5 star review, given a few issues I had with it. Even though I still stand by my assessment of those flaws, the fact that almost 2 years later, the songs still consistently find their way into my playlist (for a while, it was the semi-regular soundtrack to my commute a year after its release) requires me to change this to a "5 stars with a qualification" rating!]

There's no doubt that Metallica is one of the most influential metal bands out there, along with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and a handful of others. Starting with the raw, street-level thrash/speed metal of "Kill 'Em All", Metallica raised the stakes with the more epic and polished "Ride the Lightning", and created a bona fide masterpiece with "Master of Puppets", which managed to be incredibly brutal yet melodic. 1988's ".....And Justice For All" saw the band attempt to merge the ambitions of progressive rock with a sort of ultra-technical brand of thrash, and surprisingly enough, yielded their first hit single. When they released their self-titled 1991 album, Metallica made a conscious break from the frantic and dense structures of their prior efforts in favor of a much more radio-friendly, arena-metal sound. While it made the band incredibly successful and popular, it also was the first sign of trouble for many fans. While "Metallica" (aka the Black Album)could boast great production and tight (if somewhat mainstream) songwriting, 1996's "Load" was, for many, a kick in the gut. While the album was promoted as containing as much music as a CD could hold, too much of it was filler, and the music itself was often incredibly unambitious. Songs that started as promising would end up flogging the same 2 riffs to death for far too long, while other songs were filler tracks that were dead on arrival. The new "bluesy hard rock" twist on Metallica's approach to metal was applied in a rather sloppy and undeveloped fashion, something that continued in "Reload", 1997's companion piece to "Load". While both albums did have some decent singles fodder and some "experimental" songs that were not half-bad (yes, I did actually like "Mama Said"), the overall results weren't good. Metallica continued to buy time with their "Garage, Inc." covers compilation, and the live orchestral "S&M" CD, until 2003, when "St. Anger" was released amidst promises of a "return to form". The energy was there, but everything else went painfully and horribly wrong, and the CD has been gathering dust in my collection since the first couple of listens. Suffice it to say that after St. Anger, I would no longer buy a Metallica CD on pure faith.

Lars and those other guys must have been reading my mind, because they actually put up the full songs in streaming format on their website right before the launch of "Death Magnetic", allowing me to judge for myself. And you know what? I bought it as soon as I could, because "Death Magnetic" is their best album in years, finally following up on the tease of a return to form I heard in their 1998 "Mercyful Fate" medley (on "Garage Inc."). While the end result shows that Metallica wasn't lying this time about the quality of their new release, it does show them to be liars in a different way. Namely, Metallica tried to justify their mid-90's direction by claiming they were "playing more naturally", thus requiring them to be much more simplistic and sloppy.

The thing is that "Death Magnetic" shows that they could've been more organic than "...Justice", yet still interesting and ambitious. On songs like "End of the Line", "Load"-era groove and swagger will inundate one riff, only to have the band suddenly kick into a "Master of Puppets"-inspired tight and heavy barking gallop. Indeed, vocals that are reminiscent of 1990s Metallica (and occasionally "St. Anger"), but more energetic, can be found layered on top of song structures that recall past songs such as "No Remorse" and "One". Guitar harmonies simply abound throughout this album, sometimes even evoking Iron Maiden. "Cyanide" rides on a groovy flow that would be at home on "Load", with a "Black"-album catchy melody, but seemlessly incorporates a much more complex song-structure midway through. And while other reviews indicated that "Suicide and Redemption", Metallica's first new instrumental since 1988, was disappointing and repetitive, I'm not sure which song they were listening to, as it has plenty of variety, and hits hard. The whole CD exudes a shockingly effortless and unlabored feel in general, given how hard Metallica tried to disassociate themselves from metal in general.

That being said, "Death Magnetic" occasionally stumbles, making what could've been a masterpiece merely a very good album. The production is too dry for my tastes, and there are times when James Hetfield's voice is strained beyond capacity (such as the mid-point of "The Day That Never Comes"). While "The Unforgiven 3" is a good enough song (with a nice piano intro), a questionable "emotive" lyrical decision midway through the song reeks of cheesiness. In addition, while the constantly shifting and syncopated riffs and beats keep things from becoming too repetitive, there are times when putting in a total shift in key for a few moments could've taken the music to a higher level. The truth is that other bands, such as Rage and Blind Guardian, have been filling in admirably in Metallica's "absence", and have raised the bar (even if Metallica innovated first). As a result, Metallica is at a bit of a disadvantage, despite the obvious effort they put forth. But that's like complaining that the pretty Asian girl next door isn't Helen of Troy. While "Death Magnetic" can't rise to the level of "Master of Puppets" (few bands ever can top their truly definitive album), it may well knock "...And Justice For All" or "The Black Album" out of their current spots, being less stiff and stilted than "Justice", and more complex and aggressive than "Black".

In the end, I can't help but recommend this album. For the first time in a long while, my first listen to a new Metallica album was actually a fairly pure joy, where I didn't feel I had to self-justify enjoying any of it, or where I didn't cringe that often. Get the album, crank "My Apocalypse", and you may actually find your head bobbing. Sometimes people do deserve a second chance, and Metallica has re-earned my faith, at least for the time being. Go buy yourself a Jaegerbomb, Lars.....you've earned it.

I Love the songs on this CD. It is the best Metallica CD in a very long time. The problem is the sound distorts so bad that I cannot listen to it. Even when it's on the local radio station I have to turn it off because the sound is so bad. Do not waste your money on this CD until they remix and relase again. In It's current form it is not something you can actually listen to. My copy sits in a drawer wasting space. One day I hope to be able to enjoy this CD. This will only happen if Metallica decides it's worth losing some profit in order to make their fans happy. I do no count on that ever happening.

Close your eyes...

Pretend that the Black album, Load, St. Anger, etc. never happened.

Pretend that after "...And Justice For All" came out that Metallica broke up, they laid low for 20 years, then came back together for a reunion album.

They announce the news in a press conference where they tell the world that Rick Rubin (famed producer of such gigantic heavy metal luminaries as Weezer and the Beastie Boys, and also that one other band that did that "Raining Blood" song for Guitar Hero 3) will produce the thing.

They announce that their new comeback album, 5th studio effort overall, will be called "Ride The Lightning, Part III: Master Of Justice For All" and will be similar in sound to the last 3 albums.

Rick Rubin convinces them that the album name is too long and they change it to "Death Magnetic."

That is how you should view this album.

Metallica is kickin' it old school again and guess what??? THEY... STILL... HAVE IT!!!!

This album is EVERYTHING fans of the early Metallica could hope it to be, long songs, aggressive lyrics, deeply intricate riff structures that change and weave into many parts during the course of several minutes, and lots of loud guitars going "jiggajiggajiggajigga" all over the place.

Simply put, this album features the Metallica that dealt in thrash, and they still do it VERY VERY WELL...

Is it perfect? No, Hetfield's vocals ARE showing their age just a bit, and any album over 70 minutes long is bound to have SOME lesser parts, but except for "Unforgiven III" and just a few, once-in-a-great-while weak riffs, the album is quite a stunner.

The production could be just a bit heavier (I miss those LOUD Metallica drums) but praise can be given to the crisp, organic sound found on this album. It sounds like the guys are playing these songs live, together in a studio, and that's honestly pretty darn cool.

Grab a copy, turn it up loud, and bang your head. Metallica still has it!!! Let's hope it doesn't take them another 20 years for an album this good!