This is the first review of anything on the Blog. Since I decided not to take any particular political stance I need to voice my opinion about something, cause that's what blogs are. A voice for the dilettante.

~

Metallica has just recently come out with their newest album "Death Magnetic". The purpose of this album is basically to "rally the base" which has become cranky after the whole Napster thing, the whole "we kinda sucked during the late 90's" thing, the whole "St. Anger really sucked" thing and the whole rehab thing.

It's billed as a return to the roots of the most influential metal band ever. Fast, hard, frenetic and propped against the heavy metal conventions of death and anger are what most Metallica fans are hoping for. So in that sense "Death Magnetic" really does deliver. It sounds like old Master of Puppets Metallica.

The speed of the music is not a clever disguise for poor musicians to make a buck. There are complicated notes and it's obvious that Rob Trujillo was a positive influence on the band.

The woe of the album is twofold: There is no hook for the majority of the songs and James vocals are a mish mash, never really making sense or going along with the music. I explain further. Any good song has a hook; the one melody or whatever that carries the song. It's what you can hum along with or air guitar along to. Listen to Frayed End of Sanity or even St. Anger and you'll notice the hook. Except for Cyanide, My Apocalypse and The Day That Never Comes there's no real hook in the other songs.

I love James Hetfield but his vocals in "Death Magnetic" are borderline student theater monologues. Considering how the vocals in Creeping Death flow and ebb to tell a story, it's the way for most of Metallica's entire song list. But in "Death Magnetic" the vocals are seemingly thrown in because Rick Rubin didn't know what to do with them. And then I heard The Unforgiven III.

The original Unforgiven is in my top 5 favorite songs ever, and the follow up isn't that bad. But when I heard this new version I wept a little inside. Whereas the original song was long, slow, heavy and had a distinct western sound to it, III destroys the spirit of the song in every way. It starts off so well but after about a minute thirty it veers of into Coheed and Cambria territory. Lets compare lyrics.

The Unforgiven
They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me


It sounds poetic and almost Frostian if I'm allowed to say that.

The Unforgiven III
His sinking life
Outside it's hell
Inside, intoxication

He's run aground
Like his life
Water much too shallow


It sounds like some fairy dust moans from 30 Seconds To Mars. I hate it.

Buy those three songs I mentioned on iTunes, they are pretty good. Overall I'd have to give the album a C. Get a better producer guys, please.