The Metallica Thread v. Reloaded

[black_biff_stadler]

I just watched the MetOnTour video of them playing Blackened in Colombia - it sounded quite good actually! It really does look like Lars has been practicing lately. Too bad they still skip the last bit of the solo though :/

Seriously. What the FUCK is with that? Completely stupid decision.

[BlobVanDam]

Lars is still sounding as sloppy as usual on those fills. I think his overall sense of tempo has improved, but not his sense of timing. I think he really needs to play to a click track, but they're not really that kind of band.
Also, he doesn't have the hairline for longer hair. He's transitioning into the Hulk Hogan hairstyle.

But on the positive side, Hetfield is always the strong link. As long as he's kicking ass, all is well.

[Onno]

Yeah his fills still suck. He should practice with a click track. And he just needs to go full bald

[Kotowboy]

He actually did go full bald a couple of tours ago. it looked way better than this - obviously.

With all that money - he could have afforded plugs or something....

[Kotowboy]

[BlobVanDam]

His head looks absolutely huge proportional to his tiny body.

[ZKX-2099]

With all that money - he could have afforded plugs or something....

Plugs ain't metal.

[black_biff_stadler]

Lars needs to realize that babyfaced dudes can't really pull off the metal face.

[Anguyen92]

Also, he doesn't have the hairline for longer hair. He's transitioning into the Hulk Hogan hairstyle.

Funny thing about that.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/hulk_hogan_was_asked_to_join_metallica.html

Sadly, Lars denied this happening.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/lars_ulrich_denies_hulk_hogan_almost_joined_metallica.html

Man, every time I see pictures and videos of him with that look, I just think he looked like a troll or something.

[Kotowboy]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/metallica-talk-effortless-dio-tribute-hear-it-here-first-20140324

Their 9 minute Ronnie James Dio Medley.

[BlobVanDam]

Not bad, but I don't think they suit playing that kind of metal music. Ulrich's timing wasn't quite there on many of those beats, and his drum sound doesn't have the right energy and groove.
Hetfield was sounding as good as ever, but Hetfield has never been Dio. But he knew his limits and modified accordingly. I think he did it a bit more successfully on the Mercyful Fate medley though.

[Kotowboy]

I'm loving the production though. A huge Step up from Death Magnetic.

I'd be happy with a new studio album from Metallica that sounded as good as this.



But yeah - James sounds phenomenal.

[BlobVanDam]

The production was good, it reminded me of Garage Inc.
I actually think the recording of Death Magnetic sounds a little better (when judged by the Guitar Hero version), and that album would have sounded great if they hadn't brickwalled the hell out of it. It had a good drum sound, even though a bit dry for my taste.

[Kotowboy]

I think even the GH3 version is thin and tinny.

Should have been great though.

10 songs like this medley ( with all original material of course ) will be just fine by me.

[BlobVanDam]

I think the GH3 version sounds thin mostly because it's a raw mix without being mastered (you know, properly, instead of just being compressed to within an inch of its life). But I really liked that drum sound.

At the very least, it's clear they're going to be in top form going into this record, so that's a good start.

[mikeyd23]

I'm loving the production though. A huge Step up from Death Magnetic.

I'd be happy with a new studio album from Metallica that sounded as good as this.



But yeah - James sounds phenomenal.

Yeah, this was my big takeaway from listening to that... If Metallica released a new full length album that sounded like that, I'd be pretty darn happy.  It was full, thick, heavy and there was actually some nice vocal production here and there.

I could hear the bass, which is never a given on Metallica recordings! The guitars sounded fuller, thicker and seemed to have greater impact than they did on DM.  The drum sound still wasn't great on this, but it was certainly better than it was on DM when half of the drum hits would clip! James' vocals on this recording sounded much, much better than they did on DM, which I think is a combination of two things: (1) James is singing great right now, his live voice has been fantastic lately, and (2) they actually included some reverb, some echos, some nice harmonies and layering in the vocal tracks rather than just a dry melody line.

[Kotowboy]

Plus James has said that he's been getting extra help.

[mikeyd23]

Plus James has said that he's been getting extra help.

Absolutely, and his raw, natural vocal has definitely improved due to that help.  Its just encouraging to hear some vocal production again to help him out even more.  His vocal tracks on DM were just so dry that I felt kinda bad for him, even if they had just put a little more reverb on his voice, it would have helped him out a lot, IMO.

[adace]

That Dio medley is fantastic. The whole band sounds surprisingly great and I think they really did justice to those songs.

[Kotowboy]

That Dio medley is fantastic. The whole band sounds surprisingly great and I think they really did justice to those songs.

Except that you can hear the bass

[adace]

That Dio medley is fantastic. The whole band sounds surprisingly great and I think they really did justice to those songs.

Except that you can hear the bass

[MetalJunkie]

That Dio medley is fantastic. The whole band sounds surprisingly great and I think they really did justice to those songs.

Except that you can hear the bass

On a related note, I've heard some fan-made remasters that have bass. They just sound weird. Then again, I think the people that made them may have overcompensated.

[Kotowboy]

Yeah they've gone from no bass to too much bass.

[BlobVanDam]

That Dio medley is fantastic. The whole band sounds surprisingly great and I think they really did justice to those songs.

Except that you can hear the bass

On a related note, I've heard some fan-made remasters that have bass. They just sound weird. Then again, I think the people that made them may have overcompensated.

I think it's a combination of them overcompensating (because they're more concerned with "JUSTICE FOR JASON" and showing off that there is a bass line, than actually having a balanced listenable mix), and also the fact we've just never heard the bass properly before.
In a lot of parts, the bass line is not quite what I would have expected, and doesn't just follow the guitar, so it's jarring to finally hear this new melodic element on top of songs we've known for decades.

Now that Metallica own the rights to their music, I hope they listen to the fans and have that album remixed and re-released (without a loud remaster ruining it). That would effectively be like a new Metallica album to me.

[Mister Gold]

That Dio medley is fantastic. The whole band sounds surprisingly great and I think they really did justice to those songs.

Except that you can hear the bass

On a related note, I've heard some fan-made remasters that have bass. They just sound weird. Then again, I think the people that made them may have overcompensated.

I think it's a combination of them overcompensating (because they're more concerned with "JUSTICE FOR JASON" and showing off that there is a bass line, than actually having a balanced listenable mix), and also the fact we've just never heard the bass properly before.
In a lot of parts, the bass line is not quite what I would have expected, and doesn't just follow the guitar, so it's jarring to finally hear this new melodic element on top of songs we've known for decades.

Now that Metallica own the rights to their music, I hope they listen to the fans and have that album remixed and re-released (without a loud remaster ruining it). That would effectively be like a new Metallica album to me.

This is all so true. For example, Jason does this really awesome bass line during the chorus of the title track where he follows the vocal melody and it adds a creepy and effective touch to the song that wasn't there before. I showed it to my friend, who is a HUGE Metallica fan and AJFA is his favorite album. He told me it was like hearing the song for the very first time.

[LCArenas]

YEAH

[El Barto]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/metallica-talk-effortless-dio-tribute-hear-it-here-first-20140324

Their 9 minute Ronnie James Dio Medley.

Metallica's always been an excellent cover band. Always enjoy that. As for this, Light in the Black is the song best suited for them and it's the one they were least faithful to. You listen to the old live versions of it and it's just blistering. Exactly what Metallica should do perfectly, but they played off-time versions of it both times without the original intensity. Didn't much care for Tarot Woman. Stargazer sounded great. I particularly liked the guitar harmonies after each line in the first verse; adds a classic Metallica touch. Kill the King was very good as well, but much like we saw with Light in the Black, Lars is no Cozy Powell. Think that was the biggest issue here. Still, enjoyable to listen to.

[black_biff_stadler]

I wonder if they'll ever cover Mechanix.

[Kotowboy]

Mechanix is so shit

Thank feck they changed those god awful Mustaine lyrics & removed the Sweet Home Alabama section.

[The King in Crimson]

Mechanix is a dumb song, but I love Mustaine's playing on it. Fucking fast, sloppy and full of energy. Like he's a kid jerking off. 

[Kotowboy]

Mechanix is a dumb song, but I love Mustaine's playing on it. Fucking fast, sloppy and full of energy. Like he's a kid jerking off. 

The lyrics certainly support this.

[The King in Crimson]

Exactly.

[Kotowboy]

It's like something Steel Panther would write - only they're taking the piss.

[ZKX-2099]

Taking the Piss sounds like a pefect title for a Megadeth album.

[BlobVanDam]

It's like something Steel Panther would write - only they're taking the piss.

That's an insult to Steel Panther!