The Metallica Thread v. Reloaded

[Kotowboy]

If we had to sit there and, 'Okay, boys, now you write for the rest of the year and then you spend the next year after that recording' — I would pull what seven hairs I have left, I'd pull those out and rather just stab myself in the eye with nails or whatever.

From Lars Ulrich. Super stoked!

He's just saying they don't want to sit in the studio for 2 years to force out an album.

Taking regular breaks keeps it fresh.

[Adami]

If we had to sit there and, 'Okay, boys, now you write for the rest of the year and then you spend the next year after that recording' — I would pull what seven hairs I have left, I'd pull those out and rather just stab myself in the eye with nails or whatever.

From Lars Ulrich. Super stoked!

He's just saying they don't want to sit in the studio for 2 years to force out an album.

Taking regular breaks keeps it fresh.

Oh come on. I think, given the obvious context of their recent career, that you can't break down what he said into that.

He's also implying it takes them an entire year to write an album and then another entire year to record one. Most bands can do all of that in a year or less.

Also, I'm a huge Metallica fan. Will always be. But absolutely nothing they have done since S&M (or Garage Days, forgot which came second) could possibly be described as keeping it fresh.

[Kotowboy]

But the Black Album was 9 months of tracking. So .... . . .

[Adami]

But the Black Album was 9 months of tracking. So .... . . .

Yes, to tape.

Sorry man, there's just no way you can justify anything Metallica is currently doing or saying as "keeping it fresh".

I mean, if you're reading what they're saying and looking at the situation and thinking "Damn, these guys have a strong passion to make music" then we are obviously reading different things.

[Zook]

Metallica don't care about hyping because they know regardless of how good the album is, it'll still sell a million copies in the first week.

[Adami]

Metallica don't care about hyping because they know regardless of how good the album is, it'll still sell a million copies in the first week.

A very good point. And they know that even if it flops, they'll sell out huge tours playing the same songs they've played for 20-30 years.

[425]

If we had to sit there and, 'Okay, boys, now you write for the rest of the year and then you spend the next year after that recording' — I would pull what seven hairs I have left, I'd pull those out and rather just stab myself in the eye with nails or whatever.

From Lars Ulrich. Super stoked!

He's just saying they don't want to sit in the studio for 2 years to force out an album.

Taking regular breaks keeps it fresh.

Oh come on. I think, given the obvious context of their recent career, that you can't break down what he said into that.

He's also implying it takes them an entire year to write an album and then another entire year to record one. Most bands can do all of that in a year or less.

I think it does take them that long. I think they're clearly low on inspiration. They wrote, what, 25 songs in the Death Magnetic sessions? And they only saw fit to formally record and release 14 of them. It may just be that they're low on inspiration in their current style and if they shifted styles maybe they'd get more inspiration, or if they'd take a break and work with some other people, or something. I don't know what it is, but they're short on inspiration and I think it's fair to say that they're mass-producing riffs and musical ideas and, through a fairly slow process, eliminating chaff and taking a small proportion of wheat to make into songs. That's why it actually probably does take them two years to make an album.

I think it's sad to see this happen to them, and I think it could be averted if they would take a break and do other things, work with other people. But I don't think the Metallica machine makes that easy. And I have to give them credit: they're squeezing out every last drop of metal they have in them. It's just kind of a sad irony that the band that bears the name "Metallica" has less metal than we thought.

And I'll be clear: I love this band. I love Death Magnetic. I actually think it's one of their better albums. But it was clearly laboriously produced. That doesn't take away from me liking it, but I want to be honest about what it is. And let's be totally honest—the last time they had a good, easy time making an album was Reload. St. Anger was some kind of monster—or the thing that should not be, if you'd prefer an 80s song pun—it sort of happened in a time of significant emotional distress. And Death Magnetic was hard one to make—with some genuine care and passion, but also a lot of effort just to keep writing songs at such a high quality.

[Bolsters]

Surely they'd have to be completely oblivious to release another album that sounds that awful given DM's reputation.

Except Rubin has been producing albums that are compressed so much that they distort for about 20 years now. He doesn't seem to give a shit about what anyone thinks of that.

There's loads of studio pics from the band and Rick is not in any of them.

Well that doesn't mean anything, he is rarely with the band in the studio anyway even when he is the producer.

Glad to hear someone new is at the helm though.

[Kotowboy]

Lars Ulrich says the new album is more diverse and less frenetic than Death Magnetic.

[425]

That sounds promising.

[mikeyd23]

Yup, definitely encouraging remarks. Hopefully they turn out to be true...

[425]

Here's that full interview. Actually pretty interesting beyond just the little hints of the new album. Possibly the most "real" interview I've seen/read with Lars.

Also confirms that Rubin is out and Fidelman is in. "So there’s some of the same production elements at play, but we’re expanding a little bit on the sonics."

[mikeyd23]

Here's that full interview. Actually pretty interesting beyond just the little hints of the new album. Possibly the most "real" interview I've seen/read with Lars.

Also confirms that Rubin is out and Fidelman is in. "So there’s some of the same production elements at play, but we’re expanding a little bit on the sonics."

Good interview for sure. Here's hoping the sonics expand into something much better than DM 

[Stadler]

JO: Do you think that over the course of the 35 years the band has still kept that “fuck you” attitude?

LU: I’d like to think so, as much as it’s possible to keep that attitude when you sort of become successful. You know, success affords you freedoms—creative freedoms, financial freedoms, so on and so forth, so you can’t deny that element of it. I’m 52 sitting here. It’s been 35 years, so “fuck you” at 52 is a different “fuck you” at 18, or 25, or 35, or 45. So there’re different interpretations of the “fuck you” attitude as you go along. But I think that generally the very basic attitudes of why this band started are still as alive as you could expect it to be in a group of 51-, 52-year-old men, man-boys. It’s still hard for me to call myself a man, but I just did, so there you go.


I love that line, for some reason. 

[Kotowboy]

The funniest thing about the Metallica forum is that every album cycle - someone will actually say the next album should finally be called Metal Up Your Ass.

And they're not joking.

It was a shitty embarrassing title 35 years ago.

It would be 10x more embarrassing for a band of 52 year olds to call an album that.

[Kotowboy]

That sounds promising.

Yes i'm really hoping for some downtuned, sludgy stompers like Devils Dance or some Reload weirdness like Carpe Diem baby or Where The Wild Things Are.

both of which are gold.

[TAC]

That sounds promising.

Yes i'm really hoping for some downtuned, sludgy stompers like Devils Dance or some Reload weirdness like Carpe Diem baby or Where The Wild Things Are.

both of which are gold.

What? Nothing could be worse.

[Kotowboy]

ok.

Sure they could do a cover of " baby baby baby " by justin bieber or do a lady gaga covers album or do 10 songs about why all fags must die.


but sure. nothing could be worse than Carpe Diem Baby or Where The Wild Things are. Only two of their best songs ever.


NOTHING.

[TAC]

cool

[KevShmev]

Metallica have got to be, from a songwriting standpoint, the laziest big band ever.  Nine studio albums of original material in 34 years as recording artists, four of which were in the first six years.  Two since 1997 (one of which is nearly universally acknowledged as a steaming pile of horse shit). Not that I blame them for milking the cash cow by touring as much as they do, but I can't imagine being a big fan and feeling constantly starved for new material.

[Kotowboy]

Death Magnetic definitely made up for St. Anger.

[KevShmev]

Yep, one good album in the last 18 years sure is something else...

[TAC]

Metallica have got to be, from a songwriting standpoint, the laziest big band ever.  Nine studio albums of original material in 34 years as recording artists, four of which were in the first six years.  Two since 1997 (one of which is nearly universally acknowledged as a steaming pile of horse shit). Not that I blame them for milking the cash cow by touring as much as they do, but I can't imagine being a big fan and feeling constantly starved for new material.

No question.

It's contemptable IMO. They are really no different than any other geezer band playing the same old songs year after year.

[The King in Crimson]

That sounds promising.

Yes i'm really hoping for some downtuned, sludgy stompers like Devils Dance or some Reload weirdness like Carpe Diem baby or Where The Wild Things Are.

both of which are gold.

What? Nothing could be worse.

Actually...

St. Anger 2 - The ReAngering

[Jaffa]

*snip* I can't imagine being a big fan and feeling constantly starved for new material.

Speaking as a pretty big Metallica fan, I would say that I've never really felt starved for new material. 

But I think maybe I'm just weird when it comes to music.  I don't really think about new music until I know that it's coming.  Now that I know there might be a new Metallica album coming out reasonably soon, I'm looking forward to hearing it, but I haven't felt like it was missing from my life or anything like that.  If I feel like listening to a Metallica album, I don't get sad about the fact that they haven't released one in a while, I just pick one of my several great options and listen to it.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Yep, one good album in the last 18 years sure is something else...

They never have to release another album for the rest of their lives, all of them are richer than God. But money aside, their creative spark is practically out, which is why it takes them so long to make records. At this point, it's more of a chore to make an album. 

[425]

That sounds promising.

Yes i'm really hoping for some downtuned, sludgy stompers like Devils Dance or some Reload weirdness like Carpe Diem baby or Where The Wild Things Are.

both of which are gold.

I really like Where the Wild Things Are, but I actively dislike Carpe Diem Baby. There's just something on a visceral level that annoys me about that song.

I'd love some Load-era-esque experimentation, but I'm still not expecting it. Still expecting basically Death Magnetic, maybe just a little different.

It's contemptable IMO.

I don't really agree with this. I honestly just don't feel the need for new music from them. And I certainly don't feel like they're obligated to release any albums at all. I think it's great when an old band is passionate about writing new material, especially when they continue to put out excellent albums, like Iron Maiden. But I don't feel like they need to just for the sake of doing it.

Honestly, as much as I like Death Magnetic, I'd be fine with an alternate universe where Reload was Metallica's last album. They made a string of five very high quality albums from Ride the Lightning to Load, had a solid debut and had a good but lesser album in Reload. That would have been enough. Getting another album, Death Magnetic, that lives up to the aforementioned run of five, plus some good songs Beyond Magnetic and some salvageable ones on St. Anger is just a bonus. And if the new album is good as well, that will be another great bonus.

I don't know, I get that my perspective here may be a bit weird, but I prefer an artist to put out only good work than put out higher quantities of mediocre material just out of a sense of obligation.

Plus Fixxxer would have been one hell of a swan song.

[Kotowboy]

They never have to release another album for the rest of their lives, all of them are richer than God.

Yup. i'd much rather they work on an album now and again than force one out for the sake of it.

They don't have to make another album and touring makes all the money.

So making an album on their own terms means it will be better than them sitting in a studio for a year just trying to get an album out.

[Dream Team]

That sounds promising.

Yes i'm really hoping for some downtuned, sludgy stompers like Devils Dance or some Reload weirdness like Carpe Diem baby or Where The Wild Things Are.

both of which are gold.

What? Nothing could be worse.

Exactly this. Seriously, DM had 2 thrashy songs: ANL and MA but I guess that's 2 too many "frenetic" songs for this forum  . For a supposedly metal forum I've never seen such hatred for true energetic up-tempo metal.  . Not to belabor the point, but Metallica sounded their best when they were writing aggressive metal with high speed crunchy riffs like the first 4 albums - maybe that's why those songs are still the most popular and dominate the set lists. I don't agree that they can't do that anymore, given good production it would sound great.

[Train of Naught]

Metallica's 'agressive metal with high speed crunchy riffs' is not a summary of all the energetic up-tempo metal. Sometimes I wonder if you're even taking yourself seriously with these generalizations.

[425]

Today I learned that Fade to Black, Escape The Call of Ktulu, The Thing That Should Not Be, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Orion, One, Harvester of Sorrow and To Live Is To Die are "aggressive metal with high speed crunchy riffs"

And Metallica sound their best to me when they write multi-faceted, melodic and experimental music. Fade to Black, Orion, One, The Unforgiven, Hero of the Day, Fixxxer, The Day That Never Comes. I don't hate up tempo metal, it would be silly for me to listen to Metallica and plenty of other bands I listen to (Nightwish, Kamelot, Symphony X)—which as ToN pointed out, do not always fit your description and yet are energetic and up-tempo—if I did. But I do think that songs with just one thrashy dimension get boring pretty quickly 95 times out 100. If Metallica made a whole album of just songs like Battery, that would be boring. And one of the five times is Megadeth's Rust In Peace—Mustaine was better at the really thrashy stuff than Metallica without him ever was.

But yeah, I doubt Metallica's going to give you another thrash-heavy album. It'll probably be similar to DM, but I hope they go in more of a Load direction and do some different things.

[BlobVanDam]

I'm hoping for something a bit more along the lines of TBA; still heavy, hopefully a bit more layered than DM, but less attempting thrashy stuff with contrived overly long arrangements.

[425]

Something closer to the vein of The Black Album would be good, so long as they don't try to copy it exactly in terms of style.

[Kotowboy]

Something closer to the vein of The Black Album would be good, so long as they don't try to copy it exactly in terms of style.

Not only this but they'd be able to tour it a lot easier. If it was all slower, mid tempo songs like Sandman and Holier Than Thou and Of Wolf And Man - it wouldn't drain them to play them live.


As awesome as That Was Just Your Life & All Nightmare Long are on record - they always played them too fast live and James could barely get the lyrics out.

Likablindmanthatsbeenshovedintothespeedingdriversseat....*gasp*...face...speak...all it knew...bite.....

[TheCountOfNYC]

I would love to have an album similar to AJFA. Their songwriting at that point was at its most progressive and they had some pretty intricate arrangements. Blackened, The Shortest Straw, Frayed Ends of Sanity, and the title track are among my favorite Metallica songs of all time and if we can get an album in the spirit of songs like that, I would be overjoyed.