BEYOND MAGNETIC

A nice EP!

Well, I believe Metallica does not need any introduction, however it is important to say that this EP entitled "Beyond Magnetic" follows the style implemented in their 2008 studio album "Death Magnetic", which received positive criticism by media and fans. Four new tracks were gathered and released in December 2011 under this EP, which I am sure, has pleased (and will please) the fans of this legendary band.

"Hate Train" has that inherent power that Metallica has offered forever, the music is of course oriented to metal, but what I like is that in moments they make some changes that put different moods and dynamics. You know, a mandatory guitar solo comes later, while the other instruments play fast; Hetfield's voice is great as usual. There are a couple of passages where it reminds me of "Fuel", but now, with that "new" sound that the band brought in 2008 with Death Magnetic.

"Just a Bullet Away" offers one instrumental introductory minute, later vocals enter and create a strong, yet catchy sound. This song is divided in two halves, in the first, the music is heavy, thrash metal oriented with a repetitive structure, while the second is much calmer at first, with emotional guitar riffs and a soft atmosphere, though after 5:30 its intensity increases and takes us again to the rhythm and sound of the first part.

"Hell and Back" starts strong and keeps the same profile during almost the whole track, the drums are heavy as usual, the bass lines go hand in hand with the rhythm guitar, and the voice is cool. This song would perfectly fit in their 2008 album, though (as well as the other three songs) this is a leftover of Death Magnetic, or well, an unreleased track in better words. So the name of "Beyond Magnetic" is a reasonable title for this EP.

The last track is "Rebel of Babylon" whose eight minutes length makes it the longest composition here. It starts soft with distant guitars, seconds later the voice enters and then all of a sudden the song explodes, creating that powerful sound that we can expect in almost every of their songs. This piece flows excellently, progressing and adding new elements while the seconds pass. Hammett's guitar figures and riffs are great during the whole track. I don't want to discuss the progressive element of this band, but they do have hints, maybe just brief, but they do, and this song is one example of it. This is by far the best track of this EP.

Well, four unreleased tracks that can be now listened by the whole world, and though these are certainly good compositions, they are not the best of Metallica's repertoire, and I would honestly recommend it only for fans of this band, otherwise, it is better to get a full-length album instead of it. My final grade, two stars. But?

?enjoy it!

"Beyond Magnetic" is an EP release by US thrash/heavy metal act Metallica. The EP first released digitally through iTunes in December 2011 and saw a CD release in Janary 2012 through Mercury/Universal. The four tracks on the EP are previously unreleased rough mix outtakes from the "Death Magnetic (2008)" sessions.

...and it´s safe to say that the four tracks on the EP are in the same style as the tracks on "Death Magnetic (2008)". That means a combination of thrash metal and Metallica´s take on heavy metal. While there are memorable vers/chorus parts in the tracks, all tracks feature structural twists and turns to keep the EP entertaining throughout. The playing is as always on a high level and James Hetfield´s distinct vocal style provides the music with an original sound. The sound production is slightly more raw than on "Death Magnetic (2008)", but keeping in mind that these tracks are rough mixes, that´s no surprise. The sound production is still professional and powerful. The bass drum sound could have been a bit higher in the mix, but that´s a minor issue to my ears.

All four tracks on the 29:08 minutes long EP are entertaining, powerful and catchy. Metallica successfully manage to combine thrashy riffing with more melodic tinged and groove oriented heavy metal. The fact that the tracks feature a few surprises along the way also provide the EP with a longivity effect that not all releases possess. If you are not a fan of "Death Magnetic (2008)", "Beyond Magnetic" pretty surely won´t do much for you either, but fans of the album should find lots of enjoy here and I think a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.