The Metallica Thread v. Reloaded

[Kotowboy]

The difference is that Hardwired...To Self Destruct doesn't sound totally forced whilst Death Magnetic does. The Day That Never Comes was so blatantly trying to write another "One"

or "Sanitarium".

With the new album it seems like they've just written songs and kept the best 12 - no matter what style they are.

The lovely production helps a ton too. If the new one sounded as thin and as fizzy as Death Magnetic again - i'd probably have quit being a fan.

But the album is GREAT. Really renewed my love for the band.

Halo on Fire is like a Fade to Black / Sanitarium type song without sounding like it's trying to be.

Spit Out The Bone is leagues better than My Apocalypse.



There's even touches of Load and Reload on there. I'd say almost every album is referenced sonically bar St. Anger.

[jammindude]

I don't know.   When Confusion first came on, the intro sounded like a blatant attempt to re-do Am I Evil.  (which I realize was a cover, but Metallica made it famous)

[Kotowboy]

I don't know.   When Confusion first came on, the intro sounded like a blatant attempt to re-do Am I Evil.  (which I realize was a cover, but Metallica made it famous)

I feel like a lot of this album is tributes to their past and influences without blatant repetition.

[jammindude]

That's a very fuzzy and extremely subjective line.

The only difference I see in the approach to HW vs DM so far is the better production.   ....maybe a strong argument could be made for overall stronger material.  But I think they are very similar.

[Kotowboy]

Better vocals w/ harmonies

Better guitar sound

Better drum sound.

Much better arrangements.

Solos mostly better. There's nothing as bad as the atonal garbage on End Of The Line. Lot more melodic on the whole.

Some of James' best lyrics since Load.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a Metallica setlist with nothing played from MoP

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/2017/mercedes-benz-arena-shanghai-china-43f8a3c7.html

[jammindude]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a Metallica setlist with nothing played from MoP

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/2017/mercedes-benz-arena-shanghai-china-43f8a3c7.html

A bit of a bummer....but it gives me hope that maybe we can have a setlist with nothing from TBA someday.

[Kotowboy]

Yeah If I ever saw Metallica - i wouldn't cry if they dropped The Black Album regulars.

Instead of Sad But True - Dream No More or Devil's Dance

Instead of Nothing Else Matters - Mama Said

Instead of Enter Sandman - King Nothing or Confusion.

[fadetoblackdude7]

As much as I love TBA, I agree those could use a break. It would really shake things up!

[MirrorMask]

I saw Metallica only once and missing Nothing Else Matters was the least of my complaints (well, actually I haven't had really any).

[Adami]

I wouldn't focus on albums, but the songs played from albums.

Plenty of songs from TBA that are completely ignored. I'd be cool with them dropping Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Roam and Sandman for a while, but songs like Through the Never, Of Wolf and Man, The God that Failed and so forth would be cool additions.

Same with any other album, do a double date in a city and on the second date, drop the huge hit songs.

[fadetoblackdude7]

That's my biggest problem with them, they don't switch it up with the setlists. They keep playing the same songs over and over, while a lot of the deep cuts get ignored. Now is the best time to do that, since they have a new album out. Play more new songs and bring some deep cuts to life (Fixxxer!!!)

[Adami]

That's my biggest problem with them, they don't switch it up with the setlists. They keep playing the same songs over and over, while a lot of the deep cuts get ignored. Now is the best time to do that, since they have a new album out. Play more new songs and bring some deep cuts to life (Fixxxer!!!)

I agree, but they proved (with those by request shows) that the fans attending the shows really just want to hear those big songs and nothing else.

I personally say screw them, but that's probably not a smart career move.

[Kotowboy]

They never play the exact same set twice but they do have "slots" for x type of song which rotates.

Such as song 15 is always a cover and 4 is a ballady one... Song 14 is always a thrasher for instance.

[cramx3]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a Metallica setlist with nothing played from MoP

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/2017/mercedes-benz-arena-shanghai-china-43f8a3c7.html

That's an awesome setlist. The Chinese may be up to something with censorship, force the band to play something more unique.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a Metallica setlist with nothing played from MoP

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/2017/mercedes-benz-arena-shanghai-china-43f8a3c7.html

That's an awesome setlist. The Chinese may be up to something with censorship, force the band to play something more unique.

They won't let them play Master of Puppets due to the subject matter.

[MirrorMask]

Because they don't want people to hear a message about how drugs are bad and they ruin you? 

[TheCountOfNYC]

Because they don't want people to hear a message about how drugs are bad and they ruin you? 

They interpret it as being about government so they censor it.

[JayOctavarium]

I gave the album a couple good listens when it came out. Now tonight I have it on as background music while I play Warcraft. It has grown on me.

[mikeyd23]

Halo on Fire and Now That We're Dead sounded pretty tight on those LiveMet videos!

[TAC]

Halo on Fire and Now That We're Dead sounded pretty tight on those LiveMet videos!

Haven't watched NTWD yet. I thought Kirk was excellent on Halo. What a great song. That ending

[Stewie]

I love the new album. LOVE it. I liked Death Magnetic, too. But this new one...LOVE IT.

[mikeyd23]

Halo on Fire and Now That We're Dead sounded pretty tight on those LiveMet videos!

Haven't watched NTWD yet. I thought Kirk was excellent on Halo. What a great song. That ending

Yeah Kirk sounded really good at the end of Halo, he was playing really well (by Kirk standards).

[NotePad]

But DM had much more so speed. It's a speed/thrash metal album, while HW is more just a traditional metal album like TBA. At least that's how I categorize it all.

[Kotowboy]

Yes it did.

For the sake of it.


Almost none of the fast songs on Death Magnetic had any swagger or groove to them. The All Nightmare Long demo was way catchier because they played it a tempo

that worked for the riff.

That Was Just Your Life was so fast live that James could barely sing it.


By comparison - every song on Hardwired is as fast as it needs to be to give the riff the best feel.



https://youtu.be/jdYW93poJsE?t=51s

^ Check this out. I get goosebumps every time I hear this riff. It's amazing. But on the album it's lost ALL of it's strut.

[mikeyd23]

https://youtu.be/jdYW93poJsE?t=51s

^ Check this out. I get goosebumps every time I hear this riff. It's amazing. But on the album it's lost ALL of it's strut.

Yeah that riff works so much better at that tempo.

[Kotowboy]

https://youtu.be/jdYW93poJsE?t=51s

^ Check this out. I get goosebumps every time I hear this riff. It's amazing. But on the album it's lost ALL of it's strut.

Yeah that riff works so much better at that tempo.

It dates back to the St. Anger Presidio sessions. It also shows up again in a slightly different form on Spit Out The Bone in the " The Flesh Betrays The Flesh " part.

Check it out.

[mikeyd23]

It dates back to the St. Anger Presidio sessions. It also shows up again in a slightly different form on Spit Out The Bone in the " The Flesh Betrays The Flesh " part.

Check it out.

Another refreshing thing are the couple vocal harmonies that are scattered throughout. DM could have used those.

[Kotowboy]

Yes. James is great at harmonies and there's NONE on Death Magnetic. Horrible brittle production plus squashed reverb-free vocals = UGH.


I've heard vocal stems from Death Magnetic and James still has all the power and grit - but it's been robbed by the production.



EDIT : https://youtu.be/YmZ44oakyZM?t=1m27s

[Mosh]

Hardwired is probably a better album overall but I thought DM had some better ideas/riffs on it.

[Kotowboy]

I felt like on Death Magnetic they were doing an impression of a Metallica album.

On Hardwired they were a well oiled machine.

[ariich]

Almost none of the fast songs on Death Magnetic had any swagger or groove to them. The All Nightmare Long demo was way catchier because they played it a tempo

that worked for the riff.
https://youtu.be/jdYW93poJsE?t=51s

^ Check this out. I get goosebumps every time I hear this riff. It's amazing. But on the album it's lost ALL of it's strut.

I'm afraid I don't agree. I mean, it's fine, but it does feel a bit sluggish. I much, much prefer All Nightmare Long.

[Kotowboy]

It only feels sluggish because you've heard the fast version.

I heard this riff in the Some Kind of Monster movie in 2003 and I loved it slow.

[TAC]

The thing about Metallica is that you could take any song's riff and speed it up or slow it down, and it'd still be pretty cool.

[Progmetty]

Almost none of the fast songs on Death Magnetic had any swagger or groove to them. The All Nightmare Long demo was way catchier because they played it a tempo

that worked for the riff.
https://youtu.be/jdYW93poJsE?t=51s

^ Check this out. I get goosebumps every time I hear this riff. It's amazing. But on the album it's lost ALL of it's strut.

I'm afraid I don't agree. I mean, it's fine, but it does feel a bit sluggish. I much, much prefer All Nightmare Long.

Agreed.