Not that long ago (well OK, maybe it was...), when the roots of my inner music nerd/writer were being put in place (1978, Creem magazine), there were several bands whose records were in heavy rotation on my turntable: Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Bad Company, Black Sabbath, Ted Nugent. At the time, these artists were revered. It's a stereotype, but they did seem like Gods to us. I mean, the announcement of a local tour date would send us into such a state! We'd pop that Machine Head 8-track into the Camaro's deck and drive around obsessing about the upcoming show for hours on end. Surely, these reactions were symptomatic of us just being kids. With our lives stretched out before us, the bands we loved filled up a large portion of a timeline yet to be written.
Real life though would often intrude on our heroes. Reports (sometimes joking) about drug and other abuses just aren't funny when your favorite band disappears for a while — or when somebody dies. Our disbelief at such events would stretch on for days as well. Same Camaro, different vibe.
Metal music has had it's own share of casualties. When Zeppelin's John Bonham died, we were sad, angry, and confused. I mean, here's a man who had one of the glamour jobs of all time: playing in a rock band. How could he throw that all away? Yes, we all knew people in our lives with such problems (alcoholism) but were too young to connect the dots properly. Maybe we didn't want to.
So much of these ideas resurfaced in my head when I viewed Metallica's Some Kind Of Monster. I knew about the alcohol problems (they didn't call themselves 'Alcoholica' for nothin') but figured that, like most people, they'd work it out as they matured. That is finally what happened but it took some time, some not particularly inspiring music (Load and Re-Load), and a whole lot of soul searching. It was interesting, and even a little disturbing, to see James Hetfield seem so open and psychologically fragile. The collision of his sobriety against the future of the band, that's the real world right there. Given what they were going through as a group, I was surprised that even St. Anger came out of it. People seemed to hate that record. I didn't. It's as raw as the emotions spilling out of the guys.
What I'm hearing out of Metallica now is a band revitalized. Jason Newsted has been replaced by bass monster Robert Trujillo, Rick Rubin was brought in to take over production, and Death Magnetic is the result. I have listened to it every day, at not particularly healthy volume levels. I can't help it. It's that good. An easy description might be that it's a cross between their 'Black Album' and And Justice For All, with sonic tendencies leaning more toward the latter. It's funny, I've already read several reports about this sounding like "stereotypical Metallica," as if they tried to rip off their own music. What is it with these people? They complain for years about the band not making records like the "old days," then they head (somewhat) in that direction and they're "cheating." Some people are just never satisfied, even with their "Gods."
Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
Your last paragraph really hits the nail on the head then, doesn't it? Some people are never satisfied. You and I don't always see eye-to-eye on things (understatement alert), but for fucks sake! The only question that needs to be asked is whether or not the music is any good. Who cares if it sounds like everything else they've done (or doesn't)? Is the music good. You've answered that question for yourself.
2 - El Bicho
Black Sabbath?! But they lack melody.
3 - Tom Johnson
I too am perplexed at the negative reaction that this album has gotten from some corners. I don't know what "fans" want. You guys want different? You got different - it was called Load, Reload, and St. Anger. You didn't like it. Metallica listened and changed gears - they did what you wanted and brought back the sound of their heyday, and here it is . . . and you still don't like it. Too bad, you're missing out on a great album.
By the way, Mark, I'm with you on St. Anger. I still stand behind every statement I made about St. Anger, too. It was a bold, dangerous album for them - it took risks with everything that made them Metallica, and I respect that. I do also understand the two main reasons fans hated it - because of the above and also because it happened to land right after the whole Napster crap that earned them a lot of hatred. I bet if they'd released Death Magnetic back then, it would have gotten the same reception, regardless of it being a "return to their roots" as it is. People wanted to hurt the band and the best way to do it is by attacking their music. They would have done it to whatever had been released.
4 - Spoonfed
Great introduction, one really does have that sense of sheer excitement when they hear about a gig nearby. The best moment for me is when I find the envelope by my front door.
5 - Kane
Death Magnetic is a masterpiece. The guys in Metallica are so full of talent. Who cares what judgmental losers say about them. People always want to complain and whine when success is in the picture.