Metallica - St.Anger
Published June 06, 2003
So here it is, the long awaited St.Anger Metallica's all new album. Somehow I've managed to get my hands on a copy from my friendly local newsagents already - it wasn't scheduled for release in the UK until 09/06/03. To tell you the truth being a bit of an old skool metal fan i was a bit sceptical about Metallica bringing out a new album out with all new material, especially when i heard there wasn't a single guitar solo on the whole album!?
After listening to the album for the first time my initial impressions were that this was a deathbed album, and that none of the band members were playing to their full potential. But upon listening to the album a second time i realised i was wrong, and that this was infact one of the best Metallica album's I’ve heard in a long time! What really sold the album was watching the FREE DVD (don't say they don't love the fans!) You could see that they were having the times of their lives laying down new material! The Pace of the songs and the general Tempo of the album is really upbeat, and they've defiantly pulled on their Thrash roots for a lot of their powerful riffs. No return to the Load / Re-Load style for Metallica in 2003.
Although there are no Solos on the album the Guitar work is very impressive, with a lot of complex harmonies. With James Hetfield playing leading a lot of the songs, it gives Kirk a chance to practice his newly found singing voice for backings on most of the songs. I read a review in Kerrang saying this album was going to rock etc etc. but, that Lars sounds like he's going to fall off his stool at points. Personally i think thats rubbish - Lars has pulled out all the stops for this album with some of his best and most technical drum beats yet (once you get used to his new snare sound).
New Bassist Rob Trujillo really looks like he's part of the family in Metallica, and definitely fits in as part of the band. On the DVD you can really appreciate his energy for the music, and you get to laugh at his Tribal bass dance!! Follow the link to see what the band have got to say about him.
The main tracks to listen out for are the catchy 12 minute single, and title track - "St.Anger." And also "Shoot me again." However i suspect that will change when i get home and listen to the album another couple of times - I don't think theres a weak album track on the whole album.
Releasing a DVD with the album is the best thing Metallica could have done to re-Explode their career, you can really feel their energy for their new songs jumping out of the screen at you. I think, once everyone has had a chance to listen to this album a couple of times; they'll soon realise Metallica are back and they are quite possibly better than ever. Reformed, Remoulded, and sounding as hard fast and dirty, as ever - this is a Modern Metallica who refuse to roll over and Die!
Track Listings:
Disc: 1
1. Frantic
2. St. Anger
3. Some Kind Of Monster
4. Dirty Window
5. Invisible Kid
6. My World
7. Shoot Me Again
8. Sweet Amber
9. Unnamed Feeling
10. Purify
11. All Within My Hands
Also : The extra "St. Anger Rehursals" DVD contains the same tracks recorded live in their practice studio.
- Metallica - St.Anger
- Published: June 06, 2003
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Metal
- Writer: Ian Jeffs
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One of my first reactions to the album was that Lars snare sound was really weird, but it's something i've noticed less the more i've listened to the album. Its also something i've not noticed on the DVD which i tend to watch anyway, this is recorded live at one of their practice sessions and sounds spot on. Also the snare sound isn't as noticable further into the album.
What i also want to say is that its definitely a new sound, they've evolved and it takes a little getting used to - but the album grows on me more and more every time i listen to it. Go and listen to "Invisible kid" or "Shoot Me Again" a few times and i bet you'll be singing it all day just like any other of Metallica's best songs.
Give it a chance!!
And Believe me They still rocked live last weekend @ Download festival, Donnington Park, England
The DVD does sound better than the CD and to be fair, I do like parts of My World. I still say they left a lot potential untapped by not utilizing dynamic variation and Hammett's skills.
It is a new sound, but I'm not sure that it has evolved so much as they deconstructed it.
I will always respect them as musicians, but somehow I don't see St. Anger ever getting heavy rotation in my CD player.
I downloaded "St. Anger" yesterday, and then encrypted the mp3s and deleted them. Why, just because. Suck my online arse Metallica.
My initial reactions:
"Speaking of lousy...er, more like crap, has anyone heard the new Metallica? 'St Anger' at least at first listen is the biggest pile of horse manure that I have heard in many a moon. The sound is horrible, it almost seems as if the CD is defective. The drums are absolute rubbish, I have heard better demos. I am wondering if the rehearsal DVD sounds any better. I had wondered whether all the critical pastings it has gotten were fair, I now tend to agree"
What amazes me is how crap the drums sound...what the hell were they thinking?
Lol, I just plopped the DVD in the ole comp and the rehersal sounds better than the album. Whatever they did to bollox up Lar's drum sound is not on the DVD.
I think Metallica has hit a new low when their new album is worse than Spinal Taps "Break Like the Wind". Don't even steal the MP3's off Kazaa, this stuff kills brain cells you can't get back. If this is what happens when metal musicians sober up, by all means boys start drinking again! I suspect 90% of Metallica fans are now sitting in a corner of their darkened room rocking back and forth hoping the pain will just go away....go away. I'm glad you guys are millionaires, cuz this puppy isn't gonna make you a dime. Make another one like this and I may have to resort to Christina Aguilera music to flush out my brain of any pesky leftover metallica riffs.
this album was bad at first, and still is, just not AS bad. Yeah the drums do suck what i'd like to call major ass, and yeah, kirk has not a single guitar solo. But....But it has what they said they were gonna put out, an angry album, and that's all i was expecting. it ain't bad, but it ain't good. it's mediocre, and that just ain't metallica, so shame on you metallica for putting this out. i hope the next album is just a little better than this one cause even that would be a major improvement. oh yeah, you guys have a new bass player, SO LET'S HERE SOME FUCKING BASS GUITAR!
Alright. So it isn't The Four Horsemen, or anything off Ride the Lightning. So what? It sounds a whole hell of a lot better than Metallica/Load/ReLoad.... At least it is a return to the more speed metal. I was really getting sick of trying to believe that they had an emotion other than pure animosity.
Cheers
The longer I live with it the more I like it. Give it a chance to grow on you.
This album rocks. The first time I heard it my first reaction was "What the fuck where they thinking???", but, as all the old Metallica albums, this one requires you to "get it". This is no Load/Reload, although I really like those records. This is Metallica trying a new style, and hitting the nail in the head big time.
This is one of the best Metallica albums ever, and you will see, after you have heard it a few times, you will get it.
This is not made for l33t downloaders kiddiez, this is for good music lovers, and all time Metallica fans.
The first three or four times I listened to the cd, I hated it. But then I decided to take the Metallica Challenge. What's the Metallica Challenge, you ask? I'm glad you did.
The first thing I needed to do was simulate the emotional and intellectual level of the average Metallica fan. So I removed all reading material above the sixth grade level from my house, and programmed my TiVO to show only wrestling shows, Charles Bronson movies, and pro-war "support our troops" rallies. Even at my degraded intellectual level, I found the last to be particularly stupid.
Then I cut myself off from all contact with the outside world for two weeks, during which time I listened to nothing but the album, approximately 45,OOO times. Didn't work. I still hated it.
So then I sniffed three or four bottles of glue, downed six bottles of vodka, took a few dozen quaaludes, swallowed a bottle of zanax, inhaled liquid valium, shot myself up with heroin, and watched Sean Hammity on FoxNews, all the while listening to St. Anger and banging my head against the chimney. This went on for about three weeks.
I'm happy to say that I have now come to realize that the new album totally rules, dude! Metallica is like, awesome! I pump my fist in the air! Anybody who doesn't like it is a big wuss bag pussy who probably likes Peter Yorn or some other gay fag homo. Metallica! Yeah, dude! They rock! Duhhhhh!!!!!! I have to repeat seventh grade again! Duhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Metallica!!! Duuuhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
St. Anger sucks. I have never heard some crap in my life. Any High-School band can play, sound better and carry a volcal better this this absolute crap. Metalica, you need a reality check, you are indeed out of touch and can now join the ranks of shit bands.
Total trash. The volcals are scratchy and full of cracks. Don't waste your money on this crap. In 6 months they will know that they have hit a new low.
Too bad, but this album sucks!!!!!!!
when we find out who badmouthed metalica we will make you eat are s**t then u will eat your own s**t made up of our s**t which we made you eat then all you sons of b***hes are next love sk8er boi and mr anderson
This album rules man, if ur into heavey trash metal this is the album for you, if your just not into screaming and hardcore playing then this isnt the album for you, i now its abit diferent from the other albums but i really enjoy this album.
i listened to st anger for almost a year before i realized every single note about is is pure masterful.
... Any album that needs to be listened 3000 times to be liked sucks, sorry but thats it, metallica were a great band, they showed that even with change they still could sound good (black album anyone?) but this, this isn't change, its just horrible, i like trash metal and i don't like this, it hasn't got anything good, no solos is ok but the guitar play is horrible, the vocals, did james stick dead animals in his throat? sure seems like it, and the Drums, well there aren't any, just someone hitting cookware with a rock... Oh and lets not forget the production quality wich is worse than the latest ill nino album (wich would be a reasonable album if not for that). Worst metallica album ever!
St Anger is a bloody mess! THE worst metallica album by far. The drums sound like shit, Hetfield vocals are shit, not having ONE solo in the whole album is...well...shit.
I'm madly in anger with metallica for having released this utter piece of garbage.
BTW : 8 minutes per song???? i get it if we talk about dream theater...but this shit is pure copy paste....every single track was meant to be 2 minutes long...but I guess a 15 minutes demo doesn't sell like a full album, does it?
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As a long time Metallica fan I was rather disappointed. Nevermind the fact that they essentially wasted Hammett's skills as a guitarist on this album, what I can't believe is that they actually let this out the door mixed (I use that term loosely) as it was.
Lars' snare sounds like he's banging on a friggin' coffee can and is WAY too loud in the mix. Mostly though, what's missing is dynamics, which is (IMHO) what made the early albums so damn good. When the whole band kicked in after an intro, interlude, or even one of Kirk's solos the drastic change in dynamics made it sound that much heavier.
James was quoted once as saying that they could get onstage and fart in the microphone and the fans would go nuts. Sadly, that would have been an improvement over Lars' incessant banging on that coffee can.