There are two distinct factions in the very divided Metallica fan base that exists today. On the one side resides those of the long haired, ripped jeans, and classic concert t-shirt wearing ilk. They are a beer drinking, joint smoking, devil-horn raising, tribe of metal fans of yore who swear by the band's early thrash metal opuses and recoil at the group's current devolution into a sellout, pop-metal band. They scorn their once beloved group for making music for the masses, while abandoning the tastes of their core group of fans who have followed the band since their earliest days, playing dive bars and small downtown venues; when the fan base, along with the money, was small, and the scene was anarchic, grimy, and real.
The second group is predominately made up of younger fans whose first exposures to the band were the Bob Rock powered, commercially mammoth eponymous record Metallica and, more destructively, the follow up record Load. The band's sanitized sound being blasted through towers of amps and speakers, the fans filling massive arenas and witnessing exploding stage shows of fire, explosions, and theatrical metal pomp, changed the perception of Metallica forever.
These fans vehemently defend the bands "evolution" and various directional deviations, and laud them for the bravery in undertakings such as their collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony on their S&M record. The division is fierce and has raged on for many years. But now—with the release of this year's Death Magnetic—the division, much like the band, has draw to an interesting crossroads.
While still possessing many of the traits that annoy older fans, such as the ridiculous accentuation on syllables in Hetfield's much deeper (as appose to the early records) vocal style, and the obvious decline in lyrical quality continuing the trend of the later albums, Death Magnetic is, admittedly to nearly all, a quasi-return musically to the sounds of the holy-trio of Master of Puppets, Ride the Lighting, and ...And Justice for All. So what does this mean for a band that has been labeled everything from the greatest band to the greatest sellouts in metal history?
Quality assessments aside, the one thing that is certain is that Death Magnetic is yet another example that, like them or not, Metallica will continue to be relevant because they continue to, in at least a vague sense, act as a barometer for the climate of heavy metal music in America.
When the raucous, speed-metal banger Kill 'Em All was released in 1983, Metallica signaled a paradigm shift in the sound and direction of heavy music. Building on the initial groundwork of the genre's pioneers Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and most notably Motorhead, Metallica played harder and faster than any band before or during and thrust thrash metal into the main stream consciousness with a violent and appealing force.
Metal was changing and Metallica played the lead on this new precipice. Through 1986 the band led the charge of the new thrash metal sound that continually grew harder, faster, and darker with each new release. The band's seminal albums of this period—Master of Puppets and Ride the Lighting—stood at the forefront of the genre as groups like Megadeth, Pantera, Anthrax, Sepultura, and Slayer took over the reigns as the metal gods of the scene, exposing a generation of fans to a powerful sonic experience that was both aggressive and skillful, polished and yet primal and raw.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - F U
If you don't believe in Metallica anymore why are you writing about them?
Metallica Rules, your rambling sucks.
2 - Tony
I thought I made it pretty clear that I wrote about them because they were a once amazing band that turned into a parody of themselves. I also tried to illustrate how, as Metallica went, so did Metal for the most part.
I think your comments illustrate the division between metal fans who were into stuff like Pantera, Slayer, and old Metallica and fans of the new stuff who are into bands like Avenged Sevenfold, or whatever.
3 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Metallica Rules, your rambling sucks.
LMAO! It's obvious that this guy/gal doesn't have a clue.
I have to give you credit for taking the time to write a fairly honest article. I can only agree that Metallica's first 4 albums were a huge part of my initial Metal experience. Unfortunately, I don't agree with the article as a whole because after '88, IMHO, Metallica were no longer relevant and in that time span between "And Justice.." and the Black album there were plenty of metal bands that offered up superior material. Personally, I think anyone that truly was a metalhead,who wanted fresh ideas & musicianship, during those times could have cared less for the new Metallica album once they heard "Enter Sandman" BUT, in the U.S. we were a rare breed!
Metallica played harder and faster than any band before or during...Through 1986 the band led the charge of the new thrash metal sound.
I would have to disagree just because of the fact that "Show No Mercy" from Slayer was released in 1983 and from there on out they gradually got more brutal with every release up till 1990's "Seasons...".
4 - Tony
You're right about Slayer in a sense but I would cite the "Haunting the Chapel" EP as more of the start of the Slayer thrash sound. Than obviously "Reign in Blood" which did come out in 1986, was obviously the official album when Slayer totally went thrash.
Either way there is a good debate there. The point I guess, is that Metallica was the most visible embodiement of metal as it progressed.
I have absolutely no problem conceding that Slayer played a major role in thrash metal -- or whatever you want to label it -- as did Motorhead (and they were doing it easily before Metallica) but as great as the output from the those bands was, it's hard to argue against the influence of "Master of Puppets." I love Slayer, but I would still argue that "Master" is the greatest post Sabbath metal album ever.
As for the period where Metallica was irrelevant, I have to disagree. The influence that their early albums had dictated a lot of the direction of metal, if only because they were popular. Of course there was a ton of great metal that came out between ...And Justice and the Black album, and there was even some after. I mean, if you look at Pantera, Dimebag and Vinnie are/were amazing musicians (Vinnie Paul would blow Lars away in the battle), and their output was stellar.
In no way, shape or form am I trying to argue that there was no good metal without Metallica. There will always be good metal, even if it is underground. My point was, that the metal that was popularized and splashed all over the radio was mistaken for real metal, and this was the true problem that the popularity of the Black Album and Load presented.
5 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
I agree with you 100% that Metallica was a huge force to be reckoned with in their earlier days & that "Master" was a phenomenal record that still holds true to this day. Honestly, I think Motorhead f*cking sux and, at best, they have one album that is worth spinning(Orgasmatron).
I think you may have misread my words. But, I don't have the patience to type out my thoughts and I think we agree for the most part on a lot of things, so, maybe one day I will write out.
Till then...
6 - Tony
Yeah, I'm sure it was my response that was convoluted because I was actually kind of trying to agree with you.
I think the only points we semi-disagree on are when Slayer got thrashy and how relevant Metallica was when they weren't making records.
Motorhead isn't a great band, i used them as an example simply because we were talking about bands they began playing thrash metal and they were definately one of them. They definately are not in a class with Metallica, Slayer, or Pantera.
I hope you do decide to write about your thoughts on the genre. The more print that is out there about real metal the better. If the debate is between who was more relevant or had more of an impact, and we are talking about Slayer, Metallica, ect, then we are in a good place regardless of the conclusion.
7 - Jordan Richardson
I hope you do decide to write about your thoughts on the genre. The more print that is out there about real metal the better.
He's done a lot of that. Brian's one of our resident "real" metalheads.
8 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Thanks Jordan, I appreciate it. I figure, the more I can inform people about the Metal I grew up with & hold close to my heart, the better the picture people will have of one of the greatest times in music!
But, what I was referring to was something that Mr. Beaumont had enlightened me about which is writing a canon(?) of sorts on Metal. That's if I ever finish with what is saved on my computer...
9 - Tony
Writing a cannon on metal would be hard because it's so debatable where to start the story. Some people think Zeppelin was metal, others believe it started with Sabbath. Some people would call bands like the Misfits or Black Flag metal, some call them hardcore, some call them punk.
There are metals fans who don't consider Randy Rhoads and his two albums with Ozzy metal and some who consider it some of the finest metal craftsmanship ever (the solo on Suicide Solution on the tribute album never gets old). Even with my own tastes, I -- as a I voiced in my article --don't think much of the newer bands that have come out while others love this nu metal stuff.
Either way, it would definitely be an entertaining project. Metal and its musicians are by far the most under-appreciated in all of music.
10 - Tony
Going back to the former train of thought: My basic premise was not that Metallica was necessarily the unquestioned "best" from a critical standpoint. My assertion is only that they had the most impact because of their broad appeal. Like it or not, its the masses that dictate the direction of what is released, not the hardcore fan base.
It's like when Nirvana broke out and all of a sudden a huge number of bands, totally different from what was previously popular, were enabled to get record deals. Nirvana's success made the success of a lot of bands no one would have heard from otherwise, possible. That doesn't mean they were the best "grunge" group -- although some argue they were -- but it does mean they were the most influential band affecting what music was signed, produced, distributed and marketed.
Once A&R reps saw that thrash metal could move units relative to the industry standards, it gave other bands a shot at big record contracts. When they released the Black Album and it sold even more copies than the old stuff, they once again changed the industry standard for what was most marketable. The after effects of the Black album combined with the release and success of Load, further affirmed the idea that this new kind of metal sells more than the old stuff.
Now, Slayer is still around but how many more years are they going to tour (although they still tear it up live), Pantera is gone, Metallica sucks, Megadeath was opening for a reunited Sabbath with Dio (last I heard).
Things are pretty barren on the scene although I have heard some bands I've liked, namely The Sword and Superjoint ritual was ok although I'm not a huge fan of Phil's side projects. I think they're better than Down though.
11 - El Bicho
You left out a faction of fans. Those of us who enjoyed the band when they broke onto the scene but don't punish them for their success or because they aren't making Master of Puppets II by continually whining about how they suck.
It's hysterical to read you call them out for imitating themselves, when your article is just an imitation of so many disgruntled fans who have been belly-aching since the Black album. If they aren't making the music you want, then move on or do it yourself.
You really should watch throwing around the word "ineptitude" when you miss the year Cliff died by 12 freakin' years. That and the misspelling of Megadeth calls into question your metal cred, so why should people trust your judgment on the matter?
12 - Tony
First of all, not wanting them to make Master again. Just wanting them to make anything of quality.
Secondly, obviously I meant that ...And Justice came out in 1988, that's a typo, but good catch.
I guess if my poor editing skills call into question my "metal cred" that so be it. I would say that the fact that you like Metallica after the black album calls yours into question, but then again what exactly is "metal cred" really anyway.
13 - Mark Saleski
>I would say that the fact that you like Metallica after the black album calls yours into question...
this is the same cliche that gets tossed about all the time. frankly, i think the new album is quite good (despite my problems with the compression issue).
face it, the band came out with the black album, and a subset of fans tagged them with the 'sold out' label...it doesn't matter what they put out anymore because those same people will find a way to say that it sucks.
14 - Tony
I don't like the Black album but I have much more of a problem with their direction on Load and everything that follows.
His voice in notably different, the lyrics are notably worse, the classic intros and composition are gone; it's completely different music. Now maybe that new direction was to your tastes, but it wasn't to mine, nor to the tastes of a lot of their older fans. Now maybe they didn't "sell out" and they actually make this crap because they think its good, but it doesn't change the fact that the music is still garbage.
15 - Mark Saleski
i don't like load and reload either...and i think that the music strongly reflects the screwed up state of their personal lives at that point. at least, that's what i could glean from "some kind of monster".
16 - Tony
That may be true. Again, my point was never that they made bad music with the intention of selling out. My contention was that, for whatever reason, they started making bad records, those records sold like crazy, therefore A&R reps realized that people would buy metal if it was sanitized.
While it may be a product of their mental state, as you said, St. Anger was truely horrible.
I wanted to like the new record but James just sounds so ridiculous singing "love is a four letter woooorDAAA" in that weird, deep voice, that the music wasn't enough to trump the parody in the vocals and lyrics.
And they themselves admitted that the music that inspired the album was Master of Puppets, so I really don't think its too much a stretch to say that they were imitating Metallica on this record.
17 - Mark Saleski
and there's part of the irony, with some folks crabbing that they havn't made anything that sounds like Master in a long time...and then they do and are crucified for it.
for the record, i actually like St. Anger.
18 - Tony
It's ironic for people who literally never wanted them to change but for the majority fans who are disillusioned with the band I don't think that's the case.
The problem isn't that they changed direction, its the direction that they changed to. They totally eliminated many of the elements fans loved about the group and adopted the elements that metal fans hate about nu metal. No solos, sloppy composition, bad lyrics, terrible vocal stylings. I mean come on, the first time I heard Hetfield bellow out, "ain't my biiiiiiitCHAAAAA!" I wanted throw up and hes been singing like that ever since.
19 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Mark... There is no way in Hell that anything off of Death Magnetic sounds anything like Master...
By the way, Metallica totally sold out. After seeing what they accomplished with the Black album, I can' blame them but with that new direction, as Tony said, they lost their roots. Ultimately, they paid all that money back because,now, they can't play thrash to save their lives.
If ya wanna hear old school Thrash done right, i'd suggest:
Evile - Enter the Grave
Municipal Waste - The Art of Partying
20 - Jordan Richardson
Ah, "selling out." The Grand Cathedral of Shame led by a choir of judgmental music/movie/anything fans.
Did it ever occur to anyone here that Metallica is making the type of music they want to make and that they don't want to make "thrash" anymore? In all forms of art, when I'm looking objectively as possible at the piece, I look at the intentions of the artists. Metallica, therefore, does not fail, "sell out," or "suck" because they aren't doing thrash anymore like they used to or because they "lost touch with their roots."
Each portion of music they or any other performer brings to the table is a time capsule. Any performer unwilling to advance time or progress is bland and tasteless. Those who do progress know true art and, by and large, make true art. Metallica, thankfully, is the latter and their artistic expression on St. Anger and Death Magnetic deserves to be looked at for what it is, not for what it isn't. Looking at art for what it isn't or loathing it because it isn't how "you" imagine it insults the artist and the artistic process.
Fuck "real metal," "thrash," "selling out," and other hollow rhetoric. Give me passion, vibrancy, energy, life.
Happy New Year, all.
21 - El Bicho
I make no claim to having metal cred. "I know what I like and I like what I know," but it's good to get the facts right to give the impression you know what you are talking about. When you make errors like misidentifying "Unforgiven III" as "Three," it creates some doubt with readers.
Nor do I have any qualms about liking anything after the Black album. Not all of it, ("the four-letter word" lyric is very lame and clichéd), but there are quite a few songs I do enjoy post-1991. Is it groundbreaking metal? Nope, but I don't need it to be because “it’s still rock and roll to me.” I have other albums and songs to fill that need.
You act entitled as if the band owes you something. It's sad that you and so many of your ilk are completely ungrateful to have been given four great albums when some bands are lucky to even craft one. Anyway, like you wrote, they changed things, but how often do artists continue to create landmarks over the course of a career as long as theirs or even make great albums in the latter stages? Even when you include all genres, it’s a very short list.
Metallica became mainstream by moving closer to it, but also because the mainstream moved closer to them. Now it's up to someone else to come up with the new thing, the next big thing. Expecting Metallica to do it again seems misguided considering how many albums have disappointed you, but it's not their fault. They are not the same artists they were in the '80s and the fans aren’t the same either.
So the band doesn't make music you like anymore. Boo hoo. They have always made the music they wanted to make and that hasn't changed. Rather than whining like the guy who got dumped by the cool chick who is now off spending time with other fellows, why not better spend your energies trumpeting who has picked up Metallica's mantle? Surely the band is out there on the horizon. Or you can waste your breath like so many others before you screaming "Judas" at their next concert.
22 - Tony
Actually I said "an" unforgiven "three." It was an attempt at a little acute sarcasm but you obviously didn't appreciate it (I should have probably phrased is a third unforgiven; was merely trying to highlight the ridiculousness that in this that is apparent to most objective people. .
Secondly, why is it such a problem to have a negative opinion about a body of work? I personally don't like the way metal turned into nu metal period, and I feel like Metallica's commercial appeal had a lot to do with that overall shift. Why is a commentary of that nature so upsetting to fans of the new music?
Every day there are positive and negative commentaries on politics, sports, and media. That's how debate is started. If every review written was the writer gushing over how the album has changed music and blah blah blah there would never be any debate.
And actually, the fact that I find the new music of a band that I at one time loved, excruciating is a problem to me as a music lover. I feel like if Metallica could have kept progressing off of the platforms they explored on ...And Justice, they could have taken Metal to some amazing places. Instead they took it to Walmart.
23 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Give me passion, vibrancy, energy, life.
LMAO... Metallica hasn't done any of that for the last 25+years!
It's funny how sooo many people stick up for those horrible years when Metallica was obviously releasing music for the masses and NOT progressing! How could anyone consider the Black album a progression to "And Justice.."?! You gotta be f*cking kidding me!! And everything after that is just pathetic. You guys might want to learn a little more about composition & musicianship before you spew that f*cking nonsense.
24 - Tony
Brian,
Exactly. Put far more succinctly that I could. Anyone who thinks Metallica ever progressed past ...And Justice knows nothing about composition. Thank you.
25 - Chris Beaumont
I have nothing to add, but want to say a couple things:
1. Somebody please take Kirk's wah pedal away.
2. I like the music on DM, best they have done in a long time.
3. Dislike Hetfield's voice.
4. This CD sounds like garbage, how can anyone think this mix is good? ugh. pretty much unlistenable.