Author's Note: The following article was originally written in 2008, just a few weeks prior to the release of Metallica's "Death Magnetic" Album
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To
be honest, I'm not really sure that this is a subject I even want to
speculate on. I have always been a huge fan of Metallica's early
work, but I have to confess that I have been sorely disappointed by
all of their more recent releases. In fact, my feelings on this
matter are so strong, that after hearing the songs which were
released as singles from these records, I have emphatically refused
to buy any of their albums that came after their 1991 self-titled CD,
often referred to as “The Black Album.” Yes, I am one of those
old-school metal-heads who feels that the real
Metallica has not made a record since their 1988 album ...And
Justice For All.
Being
a musician myself, I understand the artist's need for growth; artists
must grow and change to stretch their creativity. However, I do feel
that if the change is too drastic, then it begins to feel fake. This
is what happened to Metallica. The musical style that was embraced by
the band on their Load album, as well as its successor,
the redundantly titled Reload, was just too much of a
curve ball for many fans to accept.
The
songs on these records were well written and well performed, so the
quality of the music is not what I took issue with. These songs
sounded like a completely different band; the music just wasn't
Metallica. I felt that they were trying to be something they weren't
just so they could appeal to a wider audience. I felt that they
cheated their loyal fans by doing this, because there was still a lot
of unexplored territory and potential for artistic growth within the
framework of their former style, and they took the easy way out by
making more accessible music that appealed to those who would jump on
the bandwagon of any artist who happened to be hot at the moment.
The
band's next release did very little to help matters. The album,
1998's
Garage, Inc., was a collection of cover
material. While the guys did return to their metal roots on some of
the songs, playing tunes by Black Sabbath and Mercyful Fate, there
were also some very odd song choices made. To me, this band just
sounds completely out of their element when covering tracks by the
likes of Bob Seger and Queen!
Needless
to say, this album was another letdown for me; so you can imagine how
stoked I was when in 2003, I heard that Metallica was planning a new
release, and that said album would be a return to the old days. I
waited eagerly for the release date, and when it came, I dropped by
my local record store to preview the album before buying. I have to
say, St. Anger was not a complete disappointment, as it was heavier
than the previous records had been, and some of it was actually
tolerable. But again, I just felt like they had missed the mark. This
album sounded to me like an attempt at the more modern metal sound
that was getting big at the time; lots of dropped-tunings, very heavy
on the bass, and no guitar solos. I was crushed.
While
I am interested in seeing what the next CD sounds like, I'm sure you
can understand that after so many letdowns, I am a bit wary; I don't
want to raise my hopes again, only to see them dashed in the end. I
know that the talk about this album is that it will be a return to
Metallica's former glory. I very much hope that this will be the
case, but I have heard that song before, and I will not hold my
breath to see it happen this time!
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