The Metallica Thread v. Reloaded

[mikeyd23]

Got a good 3-4 listens in and it's a grown a bit but disk 2 is really not that good outside of Confusion and Spit out the Bone.

Initially, I agreed, but Am I Savage and Here Comes Revenge have really grown on me. I still think the first disc is better, but the second disc so far has been more of a grower.

[Kotowboy]

I'd take Here Comes Revenge and Am I Savage & Murder One over Unforgiven III any day.


Plus as others have pointed out - imagine All Nightmare Long with the production of Dream No More...

I imagine that when they play Dream No More live - it'll be in Db standard

Thingy sounded BRUTAL when they played it in Db

[mikeyd23]

I'd take Here Comes Revenge and Am I Savage & Murder One over Unforgiven III any day.


Plus as others have pointed out - imagine All Nightmare Long with the production of Dream No More...

I imagine that when they play Dream No More live - it'll be in Db standard

Thingy sounded BRUTAL when they played it in Db

Yeah the difference in production values really helps this album, IMO, when making a direct comparison to DM. There are a lot of mid-tempo, groovy tunes on this album (by Metallica standards) those kinda lend themselves to a more Load-style production where the guitars are a little fuller, and the drums and the bass are richer and boomy.

[Kotowboy]

Metallica said on their homepage that " Hardwired...To Self Destruct " got to #1 in 57 countries and top 5 in a further 105 countries !!

That is amazing for a band this far into their career and I'd imagine those 13 music videos are well and truly paid for

[MirrorMask]

I should take the time to watch them all in a row all at once. Listening and "seeing" the album in the proper order. I haven't even watched them all yet.

[Kotowboy]

I should take the time to watch them all in a row all at once. Listening and "seeing" the album in the proper order. I haven't even watched them all yet.

I like the videos for Moth, Hardwired ( simple but effective ), Dream No More, Now That We're Dead ( see Hardwired ), Here Comes Revenge, Spit Out The Bone.

[Nofire]

I've been a Metallica fan since the age of 5 when my older cousin played me TBA when it came out and some KEA and RTL songs. The connection I have with them is so deep that harshly criticizing them would feel like doing it to a family member, but my most objective view of them is this:

Throughout their career, they have always followed their artistic vision, regardless of what the views of fans or the general public might have been. TBA, the Loads, S&M and StA/SKOM were all quite big departures from their previous releases. Lulu and Through the never were also projects that I didn't necessarily enjoy, but I'm glad that they had the balls to do them. If no one ever left their comfort zone, how would we ever then discover new tastes?

I also don't really get why they are always compared to the Cliff-era. Reproducing his influence on the music is just impossible. They are also not Maiden, who have found a formula that worked for them (C-D-Em gallop anyone?) and stuck to it as their safety blanket. Don't get me wrong, I love Maiden almost as much as Metallica and DT, but they have never surprised me with their music.

Lars and Kirk get a lot of crap for being un-tight and sloppy live, but has this not always been the case? It can't come as a surprise that Kirk does his pentatonic licks and that Lars had trouble of keeping up with his parts live. Granted, I never saw them live in their heyday, so those who did are welcome to elaborate, but I'm not seeing a huge difference except for some releases that have been touched up in post-production.

As for this new album, I think it sounds great. The mid-tempo songs will probably sound killer live, and even though most of the guitar solos are meh, there are some really good moments in there. Kirk's entry to the NTWD solo for example. Simple but heavy as shit with the riff in the background. I'll have to listen through it more to give a more detailed opinion, but this feels like an album I will like better and better with time.

Sorry for the somewhat disjointed post, but typing on a cell phone is not optimal for longer essays :-)

This was well worth 8 years of waiting for me.
 

[Kotowboy]

!



- - - - - -

In the new Lords Of Summer - when James sings " Pushing, pushing! Horsemen Ride ! " I always think it'd be funny if the next line was : " Lords of summer Have Arrived ! "

[Adami]

Speaking of Lords of Summer, the new version is a big improvement over the demo/live version. Nice changes in the vocals and drums.

[Kotowboy]

Speaking of Lords of Summer, the new version is a big improvement over the demo/live version. Nice changes in the vocals and drums.

Yes it's shorter and the main riff has had a slight upgrade. I don't think the demo version had that palm mute - into pull off "tail" that the new version has.

Also the lyrics are slightly better and I LOVE the way James goes up an octave on the final " Let Your Fires BURN ! "

Chills. Much better. It's good enough where I'm glad it's on the deluxe edition so i can sequence it with the rest in a playlist.

But it's not quite as good as the other 12 so it doesn't bring the album proper down.

----

It doesn't matter so much these days with iPhones and playlists but back when the CD was what you got... I didn't like bonus tracks on the same disc as the proper album.

[Kotowboy]

I see St. Anger as the band remembering how to be a functioning band again and almost making a debut album with their new mindset and appreciation.

Death Magnetic is like them trying to make a classic Metallica album

Whilst

Hardwired...To Self Destruct is them just making a great Metallica album with no agenda except great songs.

[fadetoblackdude7]

I see St. Anger as the band remembering how to be a functioning band again and almost making a debut album with their new mindset and appreciation.

Death Magnetic is like them trying to make a classic Metallica album

Whilst

Hardwired...To Self Destruct is them just making a great Metallica album with no agenda except great songs.

Hell yeah, cheers to that!

[Kotowboy]

  love seeing foreign people on "other" forums who worship metallica.

They say things like " Metallica : best band in the world and history !! "

and To *PROVE* it - they post a picture of the band

[TAC]

Hardwired...To Self Destruct is them just making a great Metallica album with no agenda except great songs.

Maybe I'm just too old, but I cannot get on board with Hardwired being a great Metallica album with great songs. I just can't.

[TAC]

Throughout their career, they have always followed their artistic vision, regardless of what the views of fans or the general public might have been. TBA, the Loads, S&M and StA/SKOM were all quite big departures from their previous releases. Lulu and Through the never were also projects that I didn't necessarily enjoy, but I'm glad that they had the balls to do them. If no one ever left their comfort zone, how would we ever then discover new tastes?

Totally respect that. Don't have to like it, but I totally respect it.

I also don't really get why they are always compared to the Cliff-era. Reproducing his influence on the music is just impossible. They are also not Maiden, who have found a formula that worked for them (C-D-Em gallop anyone?) and stuck to it as their safety blanket. Don't get me wrong, I love Maiden almost as much as Metallica and DT, but they have never surprised me with their music.

The thing is, within their style, Iron Maiden, in the Reunion Era have improved both their writing ang playing skills. The Reunion era is easily on par with their Classic Era. Easily.

As I said in the previous post, but maybe it's because I am old and got turned on to Metallica with Kill 'Em All. They played some of the most interesting metal in the 80's. It was thought provoking, and progressive, though not in a conventional sense. Just in a sense that no other band in the 80's "progressed" metal more than Metallica.

[Adami]

Okay, so I think I've listened to the new album to at least say which songs I like and which ones I don't. Not in order though, since I've never been good at that.

Like:
Hardwired (even if the lyrics to the chorus are truly terrible, the song has a really fun authentic energy to it)
Atlas Rise!
Moth Into Flame
Here Comes Revenge
Now That We're Dead
Am I Savage?
Halo on Fire
Dream No More
Spit Out the Bone
Lords of Summer

Don't care for, but are...okay I guess:
Confusion
ManUNkind
Murder One

That's a pretty damn good ratio if you ask me.

[MirrorMask]

Yeah, I basically agree with you, since I don't always have the time to listen to such a long album in full, like I've done so far, I was planning on listening to a slightly abridged version and skipping Confusion and ManUnkind, and leaving the rest. It makes for almost exactly 1 hour of music.

Also, with such a good production and Metallica being in a state of grace, I miss a ballad on this album. Even The Day that Never Comes, if it was never on Death Magnetic, would have sounded great on this one.

[Polarbear]

While i do like this new Metallica album quite a bit, i think it falls into the same trap as The Book of Souls by Iron Maiden.

They are both overly long albums, that have some great material in them, but at the same time some songs feel half baked.

They both really suffer on the second disc. However Metallica manages to close the album with a bang, with Spit Out The Bone. The Book of Souls disc 2 grinds into a halt with The Empire of the Clouds, a song that's almost 10 minutes too long!

[Kotowboy]

The verse riff on Confusion is one of the best on the album.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Also, with such a good production and Metallica being in a state of grace, I miss a ballad on this album.

Halo On Fire?

[Zydar]

Halo On Fire has really grown on me, I love the calm verses. The chorus is great too.

[ReaperKK]

I'll finally have some time to kill so I'll check out this album today.

[Podaar]

I have to say, I pretty much dig every song that wasn't released before!  Those are the only ones I skip. 

[mikeyd23]

Okay, so I think I've listened to the new album to at least say which songs I like and which ones I don't. Not in order though, since I've never been good at that.

Like:
Hardwired (even if the lyrics to the chorus are truly terrible, the song has a really fun authentic energy to it)
Atlas Rise!
Moth Into Flame
Here Comes Revenge
Now That We're Dead
Am I Savage?
Halo on Fire
Dream No More
Spit Out the Bone
Lords of Summer

Don't care for, but are...okay I guess:
Confusion
ManUNkind
Murder One

That's a pretty damn good ratio if you ask me.

Those three are the songs I'm struggling to get into as well. Confusion has some great riffs but doesn't come together for me. ManUNkind and Murder One have cool parts too, just kinda forgettable. Overall though, I'm really liking everything else on this record.

I have to say, I pretty much dig every song that wasn't released before!  Those are the only ones I skip. 

Really?! I think Moth is probably top 2 or 3 on this record for me. Atlas, Rise! is also really good and Hardwired provides great opening energy.

[Art]

I really like:

Atlas, Rise!
Moth
Dream No More
Halo On Fire
Now That We΄re Dead
Spit out

Cool ones:

Hardwired
Confusion
Manunkind

Kinda meh:

Lords Of Summer
Here Comes Revenge
Murder One

Bad:

Am I Savage

[Podaar]

I have to say, I pretty much dig every song that wasn't released before!  Those are the only ones I skip. 

Really?! I think Moth is probably top 2 or 3 on this record for me. Atlas, Rise! is also really good and Hardwired provides great opening energy.

None of them are bad, I'm probably just eager to hear the other stuff.

[mikeyd23]

I have to say, I pretty much dig every song that wasn't released before!  Those are the only ones I skip. 

Really?! I think Moth is probably top 2 or 3 on this record for me. Atlas, Rise! is also really good and Hardwired provides great opening energy.

None of them are bad, I'm probably just eager to hear the other stuff.

Ah gotcha, I did the same (skipped the previously released songs) the first couple times I listened to the album cause I was eager to hear new stuff. Since then though, I've pretty much been listening to the album in running order.

[Podaar]

I'm only on my third runthrough right now. We'll see.

Dream No More and Halo on Fire are a terrific one-two, IMO. I think Kirk's solo at about the 5:10 mark is pretty inventive for him...and fits! Whodathunk?

[mikeyd23]

Dream No More might actually be my favorite track on this album. I've seen a lot of praise online for Halo on Fire, Spit Out the Bone, and Moth Into Flame, and those are all really, really strong tracks but for some reason I LOVE Dream No More.

[Podaar]

Agreed! 

[Kotowboy]

Dream No More might actually be my favorite track on this album. I've seen a lot of praise online for Halo on Fire, Spit Out the Bone, and Moth Into Flame, and those are all really, really strong tracks but for some reason I LOVE Dream No More.

It might be just because it's in D standard but i'm sure the guitar tone is identical to the tone on The Thing That Should Not Be.

Obviously the production on the new album is different but that huge chug on " You Turn ! To Stone ! " sounds VERY Thing That Should Not Be.

[mikeyd23]

It might be just because it's in D standard but i'm sure the guitar tone is identical to the tone on The Thing That Should Not Be.

Obviously the production on the new album is different but that huge chug on " You Turn ! To Stone ! " sounds VERY Thing That Should Not Be.

Oh yea, total Thingy vibe on that one. Probably part of the reason I like it.

[Kotowboy]

Not to mention that "MAD-NESS" is the same in both songs.

[seasonsinthesky]

It might be just because it's in D standard but i'm sure the guitar tone is identical to the tone on The Thing That Should Not Be.

Obviously the production on the new album is different but that huge chug on " You Turn ! To Stone ! " sounds VERY Thing That Should Not Be.

Oh yea, total Thingy vibe on that one. Probably part of the reason I like it.

Some songs are definitely more obviously taking the MOP methodology they talked about doing. The most obvious is probably "Moth Into Flame," but the Thingy vibe you guys talk about is another, and a third is the intro of "Here Comes Revenge" totally ripping the riffs in "Leper Messiah."

[mikeyd23]

Some songs are definitely more obviously taking the MOP methodology they talked about doing. The most obvious is probably "Moth Into Flame," but the Thingy vibe you guys talk about is another, and a third is the intro of "Here Comes Revenge" totally ripping the riffs in "Leper Messiah."

Yeah, overall there is a MOP influence, but I'd argue I can hear bits and pieces of influence from throughout their entire catalog. It has elements from the 80s albums, TBA, and the Loads.