METALLICA

God, Metallica were once an intresting band. The 80's was a great time for them, 4 quite great albums, good songs, they even were flirting with prog and at times classical music, making very beautiful compositions which appeased to both prog and metal fans.

But what is this filth, oh my god. Words can't even describe it.

Basically to put short, ever since Load & Reload (2 quite average albums, but had some good songs on em), Metallica probabbly suffered a brain heamorrage and couldnt make any songs of their own (Garage Inc was actually very good and they performed these covers better than the originals themselves and even better than the music they were currently making.) Then a dangerous flirt with an orchestra (S&M) was very risky but turned out very good, Michael Kameon (RIP) was a great conductor, and Metallica had performed the songs excellently. But then once this century entered, Metallica had just lost it. St. Anger was a poor album, with bad mixing (no snare could be that loud) and the songs were quite poor, but even from that there were some great songs, e.g. Frantic, The Unamed Feeling, Sweet Amber etc. The songs were good, the lyrics had some sense at least and even though there was lack of solos (thank god, the wah was in pain). But the movie was just frightening. No band needs to do this, no band needs a therapist unless something is wrong, there was nothing wrong with any of them (bar Hetfields drink problem). But everyone (except Kirk) came of as not nice people...and can you blame them, i would rather sit on Mike Portnoy's lap than even speak to Lars Ulrich (although sitting on Mike Portnoy's lap wouldnt be too bad...i should try that some day)

But this...ahhhh. God it just reaks bad. Now Rick Rubin is a good producer and one of the only good points about this album is the mixing. Rick did a good job, although he couldnt tame Lars down too much (snare is still a bit clangy) But these songs are just utter sick. They have no real soul or meaning, the lyrics make no sense, it looks like he just took the most stereotypical metal lyrics and just through them together, the solos are back (Kirk, seriously, you're not that good, and you get the feeling that this album was just made so that it gave them a chance to just make a load of money from it just because they knew it would sell and to start touring again (even though it tooka year to make...come on, i could have made it in a night).

1. That Was Just You're Life - Not the worse song in the world, good Tool based intro. Good enough start, but the songs is ruined by the solo (wah wah wah wah)

2. The End Of The Line - Way too much testoesterone, not remerable, and the instrumental sounds like something early Maiden would have thrown away. There's a good Cathedral like riff in it.

3. Broken, Beaten & Scarred - Same as 2 basically, boring and just tedious.

4. The Day That Never Comes - This song isn't that bad, it's listenable. The lyrics are absoulte tripe and the video for the song makes no sense...so you're in Iraq...big woop.

5. All Nightmare Long - One of the o.k. songs, theres another ok Tool like intro, and a riff that sounds like Strapping Young Lad (but is ruined by bad drumming)

6. Cyanide - Utter tripe, if the chorus wasnt' a bit catchy.

7. The Unforgiven III - Probabbly the best song on the album, the lyrics aren't that bad. Before the solo Hetfield hits an intresting note before the solo. The solo is quite good, some nice Maiden esque melodies but is ruined by Kirk's sloppy use of the wah.

8. The Judas Kiss - Snare is too loud, links inbetween the verses aren't that bad. But I fear that Kirk can only play hammer ons.

9. Suicide & Redemption - This song proves my theory that long songs can be at times very boring. Seriously compare this to an early Metallica long instrumental, e.g. The Call Of Kthlu & Orion. Playing the same riff over and over again really. Lyrics could have been easilly added, but do you really want them. You can guess what all these songs sound like.

10. My Apocalypse - I think i turned my c.d. player off so meh.

CONCLUSION - Is this album absolute tripe. Not really, it is very very very bad, but not tripe. There is some ok moments on it, but i think this is the end of all the good metal bands. It is time for newer bands to better em really. Metallica won't make another album for another 20,000 years so it's ok. The best thing about this album was the artwork, it was very intresting, shame about the songs.

Yes, let us ride...

...but don't get burned?

Annoying introductions aside, here is an annoying introduction: I like Ride the Lightning a great deal. It is fun. It is also dark. Ride the Lightning is Metallica's second album. Where Kill em all was pure metal, Ride had hints of progressive in the veins. Setting prime course for Metallica the next few years, and causing a metal storm in the process, RTL brings pain. It also brings superb music. Comencing our stage-less stage show is Fight Fire With Fire. The standard thrasher. The title track became a radio hit, and rocks up several alleys.After we get that out of the way, we get For Whom The Bell Tolls, which hints at those few signs of complex structuring and composition evolution.

The album tends to follow a different musical flow than before seen in most metal. the darkness is tenfold, and each song has candy to be deftly consumed. Not as complex as heralded, but quite a tasty album. Brutally efficient in riffs and solos, but Hetfield is a mess. Wasn't he always a mess? Yes, more or less. To test the waters of Metallica, he'd best rest his pest laurels. Ok, enough of that. Always and forever, never and on a cantilever, Hammett is the most important character in this passion playground. Fade To Black is, at times, quite stunning and beautiful.

Trapped Under Ice brings back the hurt, and lets out our inner angst ridden teen. The problems in the album are inherent in Hetfield and his amateur singing, the lyrical content, and the sheer lack of memorability in some of the songs. Still, Call of Ktulu is epic. As an extended instrumental, it is unexpected, and at the same time, fluid. A fitting close to a fantastic album.

Not without flaw, Ride The Lightning has several gems. Fade To Black stands as a hold for the ballads to come, and those opening introductory guitar lines are lovely. there is a hidden (not really hidden) angst underneath all the songs, and a teenager hatred built within that I feel dulls the sharpness of assault. Original, and at the same time, slightly contrived. RTL offers much to be enjoyed, but not in the mass portions to be discovered later. Excellent album, but no masterpiece. Aside from the most memorable tracks, the rest seems slightly mundane, and the guitar lines aren't as exciting or dangerous, but the raucous ride is a good one.

Best Song - Fade To Black?

Worst Song - You pick for me

**** Electric stars

...And a classic album for all.

This is Metallica's fourth album, and their last good one, so says the crowd. Thrashing harder than ever, and doing it with a renewed sense of complexity. While Metallica is a prog-related band, this, to me, is a complete progressive metal album. Where MOP thrashed, AJFA brutalizes. Hetfield hasn't gotten any better at singing, and none of them have gone too far ahead in the lyrical department, but this is a more outreaching album than its' direct predecessor. If you'll notice, the song lengths are a good 2 minutes stead, and this extra room allows breath, indeed. Whether or not it allows better judgment in composition is a vast opinion. I feel that it allows the (arguably) best member of the band (the guitarist) to shine magnificently.

I put a lot into, yet he isn't even close to one of my favorites. The drummer, ol' Lars, he does a fine job on skins, drums too! The rhythm section needs no worries, and spices the mix better than before. Oddly enough, though, as they polish their skills, they leave something to be desired in the mixing and producing. I'll admit that it could be worse, and is a far cry from St. Anger. While I feel the playing is more evolved, I find less to remember than on prior albums. Obviously, a lot gets placed upon One, and deservedly so, it's a fairly kick-arse album, in many facets. At the end of the day, nothing is disappointing, and some songs are just damn brilliant.

I spoke earlier of extended song lengths. I call this a double edged sword. In one way, it allows them more space to experiment with complex structures and movements, on the other hand, some tracks go on for far too long, especially the title track. the album closes with To Live Is To Die, and Dyer's Eve. I am fascinated by the former, and interested by the latter, of which captivates and thrashes valiantly, respectfully. A brilliant fully progressive emtal album, and a leap for most metal, in general. It isn't as memorable, save the "all star" songs, but is more experimental. A different side of the same coin, and worth just as much.

Best Song - One...........

Worst Song - The Title track, but still a hard choice.

***** Just stars

St. Anger is the eigth full-length studio album by US heavy metal/ thrash metal act Metallica. Bassist Jason Newsted left Metallica shortly before the sessions for the album began. Details about the split are documented in the Some Kind of Monster (2004) documentary. The recording sessions for the album began on the 24th of April 2001 but a couple of months into the sessions Metallica had to take a lengthy break from the studio as lead vocalist/ guitarist James Hetfield went into rehab for alcoholism. The break lasted about a year before a sober James Hetfield returned and the sessions started up again. Producer Bob Rock plays the bass on the album as the band opted not to hire a new bassist before after the release of St. Anger.

The music on the album is the most aggressive the band has made since ...and Justice for All (1988), so the title of the album suits the music well. Metallica made a deliberate attempt to try something new on the album. There are for example no guitar soli on the album and influences from a genre like NU-Metal are obvious IMO. This is still unmistakably the sound of Metallica though. Something is not right though and overall St. Anger is not the most interesting album in the world. Several of the 11 songs on the album overstay their welcome by a couple of minutes for starters and while the songs do hold some strong elements ( they are few but there) they come off as rather weak in comparison to the songs on earlier releases by the band. A way too long playing time of 75:01 minutes doesn´t do anything to save an already weak release. Why Oh why release a 75 minute long album when you only have quality material ( well almost decent material) for 35 minutes?

The worst thing about St. Anger is the production though. It´s messy and noisy. Quite the abomination if you ask me. I don´t think I´ve ever heard a snare drum sound as atrocious as the one of this album. So while the music has redeeming qualities there´s nothing positive to say about the sound on the album. It really drags my rating down a lot.

When I listened to St. Anger upon its release I remember I was greatly disappointed. I was more positive after listening to it again before this review but it is still the worst album in Metallica´s discography and the last album that I would advice people to listen to. I can´t get myself to give the album a 1 star rating even though it´s a very weak release. A 1.5 - 2 star rating is warranted.

Overrated. VERY overrated. And not far from being complete crap either. Something happened between the very good RTL and this. The slightly technical, fun sound of the debut and RTL is gone. Instead, MOP is very boring. Not as horrible as AJFA or the Black Album, and much better than St. Anger, but still how is this considered anything more than "nice" alludes me. The riffs are nothing special, and the more "technical" moments are boring. This isn't technical in the good sense. Sure, Battery and Disposable Heroes are okay, but nothing spectacular. The "classic" title-track is good at first, but after a few listens you'll notice that it is extremely repetitive. "Master, master!". Those chants are all over the place, and they are annoying. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) has some decent moments too, but overall it is crap.

Now, that is the good part of the album. The bad part starts with The Thing That Should Not Be, one of the most lame songs I ever heard. No emotion, no depth, no nothing. Its a song that exists simply because it exists. Leper Messiah has bad riffs, bad vocals and, obviously, bad drumming. Lars Ulrich is a very crappy drummer, and a huge douchebag. Damage Inc. has stupid verses and a lame chorus. No energy, just plodding, uncreative and unoriginal riffs. But the worst song here is, hands down, Orion. Sure, Cliff Burton had talent, but this is complete and utter s**t. Visionary? No, just boring. VERY boring.

And not to mention the bad influence this album had on metal. Thanks to this crap being considered a masterpiece, we have bands that add nothing new to the genre such as Trivum and Lamb Of God being hailed as the saviors of metal, when they are actually just finishing what this album started: killing good metal. Sure, good metal still exists, but only the worst bands are successful.

So overall, this album is Boring with a capital B. And OVERRATED with all letters capital. Sure, it isn't as overrated and horrible as, say, Pantera, but it still blows. Avoid this album, specially if you like metal.

My review is only for Part 2 of Metallica's 'Until It Sleeps'.

'Until It Sleeps' is definitely one of the best songs from the 'Load' album, but to be honest this disc is rather pointless.

The main track itself is good, and justifies being released as a single. The 'Kill/Ride Medley' is a nice treat, though nothing to shout about, and the sound is pretty rubbish.

The 'Herman Melville Mix' however, is pretty damn horrific. It seems like a lot of songs are remixed these days, and some of them actually work pretty well, but this one is a complete abomination. I can see no reason why on Earth Metallica decided to include this on the single.

Overall, if you're an absolute collector of all things 'Tallica, then I suppose you'll want this in your collection. Otherwise avoid this like the plague, and just buy the 'Load' album and save yourself the misery of being let down.

It needs no introduction.

MASTER OF PUPPETS is usually known for being one of the most influential metal albums of all time when it's not even a quarter-century old (as of 2009). The sound is what you would expect from a metal band, lots of bottom-heavy guitars chugging out riff after riff until Kirk Hammett feels compelled to blast off at the speed of light in the form of a guitar solo.

That's nice and all that...but what's this got to do with prog rock?

A lot more than you think. Take the title track for example. It's eight-plus minute length isn't enough to assume progginess, but if you take a deep listen, the song doesn't appear to compulsively vomit riffs sporadically. Every line seems to have been handled with care, constructed in a meticulous order to achieve the best effect. There's a spot where the song drops to a calm waiting for the listener to get pulled in like a magnet while the chorus chants ''Master!'' building in intensity, then screeching the guitar with the idea that a payoff has been accomplished.

If I can really praise Metallica for anything on this album, it would be that in their better songs, they really know how to use the dynamics well. ''Orion'' is a perfect representation as it starts soft but quickly ascends into typical thrashdom. Then, there's a middle bit led by an intricate bassline to segue to a gorgeous dual lead guitar part that dumps out some emotion. Then, when it gets heavy again, everything just makes sense.

The favourite tracks I have from here are the two that I've already mentioned (''Master of Puppets'' and ''Orion'') as well as ''Leper Messiah'' and especially ''Welcome Home (Sanitarium)''. As positively as I've described it so for, MASTER OF PUPPETS can get quite repetitive with the metal riffage easily, not to mention that the guitars give me head cramps after too long. Besides, I think ''The Things That Should Not Be'' is rather lackluster. But the sound and aura are as close to progressive rock/metal without really getting there, and progsters would be wise to at least have an open ear to this stuff.

Last words: Notice I've ranted about Metallica without going into how fast these guys are playing, particularly on the bookending tracks.

Short hair? Check. Make-up? Check. Cigars? Check. Metallica have sold out! Oh no!!!

These are just some of the things the metal community were complaining about when Metallica released 'Load' back in 1995, but anyone with an open mind will find that there are some pretty good songs on here. The riffs may have slowed down, but there's still enough crunch here to send a bear running for the hills.

Whilst this may not be Metallica's best release, there are some songs on here that definitely stand side-by-side with anything Metallica had done before. 'Ain't My Bitch', 'Until It Sleeps', 'King Nothing' and 'Bleeding Me' are all classic songs. Even the country influenced 'Mama Said' is a great song (unless you're an 80's Metallica fan who STILL can't get over the Black Album).

But for all its strengths, there is one major problem that bugs me about this album. Alone, any song on this album is a great track. (And I mean any song, including 'Mama Said' and 'Ronnie'), but when you listen to the album all in one go, it definitely feels like you've listened to the same song over and over for the last hour. It's not that the songs are bad, just a bit samey. But if you isolate any song and listen to it on its own, it's a classic.

Maybe not Metallica's finest hour, but great none-the-less. Ignore the 'metal' review of 'Load' and judge it for what it is, a great rock album.

Whenever there is not heavy metal site, it's nothing strange in big amount of very positive and very negative reviews of this Metallica album.For sure, there are few reasons why people like or hate this music. But quite often the main reason is if you tolerate trash/speed metal, or not.

In my opinion, speaking about heavy metal in total,Metallica is BEST world heavy metal group for a present moment. For sure, their role in progresive music is absolutely different.

I liked their early works, starting from fast'n'eavy Thunder and Lighting. After "Black Album"they had some strange period, but returned back in form right now.

Heavy drum passages, cold guitar pulsation ( no solos, no way!), some melodic lines, epic songs, few acoustic intros - all you waiting from any strong Metallica album.

The day that never come is well known because of perfect video ( VH1 is full of it month after month). Some speed elements included in usual guitar sound.

Traditionally, another version of Unforgiven. Everyone knows this melody, but I like to listen re- newed version again and again.

To be honest, the album nas two weak points only: 1) it isn't prog at all ( for me it isn't weak point, but because of site specific it should be counted as weak point), and 2) many songs are technically perfect, but melodically faceless.

In total, absolutely perfect heavy metal album, but because of site specific should be awarded just of 4,5 stars.

Creeping Death is an EP/ maxi single release by American thrash metal act Metallica. The original vinyl release from 1984 had the title track on Side 1 and the two cover tunes Am i Evil? by Diamond Head and Blitzkrieg by Blitzkrieg on Side 2. The title track comes from Metallica´s second album Ride The Lightning (1984) which had been released earlier that year while the two cover tunes where recorded during the Garage Days revisited sessions. The EP/ maxi single is also featured in The Good, The Bad and The Live (1990) EP/ maxi single box-set and the two cover tunes are also featured on the Garage Inc. (1998) cover tunes compilation album.

Creeping Death is to be considered one of the classic releases by Metallica. In those days before CD bonus tracks and extras, EPs and maxi singles were considered something special. Creeping Death is a high quality thrash metal song and one of the better tracks on Ride The Lightning but it´s of course the two cover songs that made this a worthwile purchase back then. Am i Evil? is a song that Metallica have played numourous times at their concerts and their version is probably better known than the original these days. Maybe the best example of how Metallica have always been able to make cover tunes their own. Blitzkrieg is a pretty good cover song too but not on par with Am i Evil?.

Today this is more a collector´s item than anything most of all because of the more easy availability of the two cover tunes on Garage Inc.. I´ll rate the Creeping Death EP for its quality though and a 3.5 - 4 star rating is deserved.