Metallica – Death Magnetic

There is no denying the fact that Metallica have been one of the biggest players in the heavy metal world since 1981. After seminal early albums Kill Em All, Ride The Lightning and the 1986 opus Master Of Puppets, it’s no secret the band changed its direction in the 1990s. The inclusion of Bob Rock behind the producer’s desk on The Black Album gave Metallica a polished, commercially viable sound, which alienated fans.

Successive albums Load and Re-Load continued the watered-down trend Metallica had chosen to follow, before they finally reached rock bottom. After a bitter public dispute against fans and file-sharing source Napster led to the band’s worst album St Anger, it seemed all hope was lost of Metallica returning to the sound of old. As with every Metallica release since The Black Album, many old school fans would build up their hopes only to be let down repeatedly. That is until now.

Death Magnetic is finally here and Metallica seem to have their mojo back. Bob Rock has also finally been kicked to the curb, most likely for the repulsive drum sound achieved on St Anger, which sounded more like a garbage can than a drum kit. His replacement is the legendary Rick Rubin. Yes, the man who has kept Slayer honest all these years (amongst many other big names) finally has his hands on the biggest metal band of all time – and what a fine job he has done. Opening track That Was Just Your Life begins almost like Sanitarium, and before you know it the guitar shredding begins to the welcome sound of double kicks and a pace that is reminiscent of the early days. Don’t expect the dreary commercial formula that has dominated Metallica’s last few releases, as the riffs and changes come thick and fast.

Lars Ulrich finally has that beefy drum sound back and Kirk Hammett is once again gracing each song with his brilliant solo work after so much criticism over the lack of solos on St Anger. The first time I heard his wah-wah pedal here I damn near cried with joy. James Hetfield’s voice is also sounding great. The songs are nowhere near as vocally driven as the last few releases, with none of his trademark “yeah yeah”s to be found. Gone are the wishy-washy nursery rhyme lyrics of recent albums, with the frontman reverting to his original, grittier writing style. His vocals also seem more compressed and bitey and, yes, the gravel of the past has returned.

There is even an instrumental track Suicide & Redemption, fuelled along by Robert Trujillo’s mad thumping basslines, something that hasn’t been done since Justice For All. Also absent are the three-minute made-for-radio songs, with the shortest song here My Apocalypse clocking in at just over five minutes, whilst the rest range between seven and nine minutes long.

The guitars sound razor sharp and chunky throughout, just the way they should be. Trujillo’s bass is powerful and relentless, while Ulrich’s thunderous drumming is full of changes and machine gun double-kicks. Once again we are re-visited by the third chapter of The Unforgiven III, and thankfully it’s not as droll and silly as Part II. The classical arrangements really give this song some scope and highlight Metallica’s ballad writing skills. Other standouts are the venomous My Apocalypse and classic chugger The Judas Kiss.

Death Magnetic is full of reminders of previous LPs. It’s as if Metallica have taken every aspect of their career and managed to combine it into one album. After the expectations of St Anger left everybody scratching their heads, it is really great to see this group of 45-year-old guys buckle down and create something that can compete in today’s competitive heavy metal market.

Many old school fans will still think this is rubbish and many of the newer fans may not enjoy the rebirth of Metallica’s anger. But there is not denying Death Magnetic sums up an amazing career by the world’s biggest metal act. Welcome back Metallica.

Death Magnetic is out Saturday 13 September through Universal.