Controversial opinion but I think Load beats the holy crap out of Death Magnetic. Looking back on their career, they've been accused of selling out with each successive album, but I see it as the other way round. It took balls for them to move in the direction they did, and I think they knew that. Looking back at that band photo on the back of the Load album, it was very provocative. I'll be the first to admit that when I first saw that photo, I was taken aback as I'm sure a lot of fans were. It was a big WTF moment for me. Alternica had become a big sellout. But the greasy slicked back hair, big collar print shirts, Fedora and cigars was like a little F you we'll do whatever we want to their fanbase. And that passion and sentiment showed through in the quality of the music on Load.
DM on the other hand shows me a band that has been beaten down. Beaten down by the media, the fans, the music business, their producers...to the point of submission where they were basically cowed into trying to recreate past glories in AJFA and MOP. So while the album does manage to recreate the Metallica sound of that particular era, it all comes across as manufactured, lifeless and clinical. With DM, I feel like the band was neutered. The music leaves me cold.