The Metallica Thread v. Reloaded

[dparrott]

I keep seeing ballads (or lack of) being mentioned, but I don't see why it's relevant. Metallica have hardly any proper ballads in their entire catalogue, and pretty much all of those are on the black album and Load/Reload. There's a variety of pace, moods and styles including gentle sections of songs - surely that's what matters.

I consider ballads or songs with enough slow sections to be mostly categorized as such: Every track #4 of every album minus Load, St. Anger and this new one plus Nothing Else Matters, Mama Said, Low Man Lyric and The Unforgiven III.

Then of course we could debate forever on what is a ballad, a slow song, if the songs that end up fast can be categorized as more complex songs etc but the "songs that you can pull out the lighter to and use them to make out with your girlfriend" are those ones for me.

Until it Sleeps (track 4 on Load) is considered a ballad while Kill 'Em All doesn't have one.

One is a ballad?

"Heh...this part of the song sucks, but it gets cool later.  Heh eh heh" - Beavis

UIS is considered a ballad?

[LCArenas]

Really loving 'Dream No More'. It's a combination between the best of Load and the best of the Black Album.

[Adami]

Really loving 'Dream No More'. It's a combination between the best of Load and the best of the Black Album.

Yea, really great song.

Listening to Spit Out the Bone (still hate the title), I think this is the most commanding that James has sounded in a long time. His vocals make me want to say "YES SIR!"

[Cyclopssss]

It has that infectious groove (that makes my body move) and makes me want to saddle up an ride towards the sunset yealling 'Chaaarrge!' at the top of my lungs.

[El Barto]

From what I've heard so far this a pretty strong album. It's got a bit of the generic Metallica stuff we're used to, but also some pretty good atypical stuff. It honestly sounds like more of a continuation of the Load albums than of DM.

[TAC]

From what I've heard so far this a pretty strong album. It's got a bit of the generic Metallica stuff we're used to, but also some pretty good atypical stuff. It honestly sounds like more of a continuation of the Load albums than of DM.

Much heavier than the Load albums though. I definitely get the Load influence, but it's closer to TBA to me. And I agree about it's differences with DM. The only DM track I could see on this is Cyanide.

[KevShmev]

From what I have heard, I don't see the Black Album comparison.  TBA had hooks galore, musically and vocally, in every song; I haven't heard a single vocal hook in the handful of songs I've heard from the new album.

[TAC]

From what I have heard, I don't see the Black Album comparison.  TBA had hooks galore, musically and vocally, in every song; I haven't heard a single vocal hook in the handful of songs I've heard from the new album.

Well, it seems to have tremendous sound, so it feels production wise, of the TBA/Load era.
But it's a bit rawer than TBA, and if they came out with this instead of TBA in 1990, it might've been a little easier to digest than TBA. But Of Wolf And Man, Through The Never, both fairly in the vain of what's happening here.

[Stadler]

From what I've heard so far this a pretty strong album. It's got a bit of the generic Metallica stuff we're used to, but also some pretty good atypical stuff. It honestly sounds like more of a continuation of the Load albums than of DM.

I jut listened to the first disk through, and I came here to essentially write exactly what el Barto wrote.   I agree with that completely. 

And to give my obligatory "James Hetfield is just as cool as f***."

[BlobVanDam]

From what I have heard, I don't see the Black Album comparison.  TBA had hooks galore, musically and vocally, in every song; I haven't heard a single vocal hook in the handful of songs I've heard from the new album.

It's definitely no comparison on that level, the only real similarity is that it's slower tempo, and less of the thrashy sound of the first 4 albums. Dream No More has a bit of a Sad But True thing going on, but that's about the only part where I felt a similarity.

[Kotowboy]

Sonically it's closest to The Black Album or Garage Inc Disc 1.

or Load with sharper guitars and tighter rhythm playing. Mainly because Kirk did all one side on Load, Reload and James did all rhythms on the new album.

I've seen people on the Metallica forum say they've not got their orders from the Met Store yet.

Glad I ordered from Amazon. I got it on the morning of the release day !

[Adami]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGoZ_pQY-14

Making of Here Comes Revenge.

Pretty cool. It's interesting that Kirk is barely in it and only shows up to be told what to do.

Edit: Looks like they're putting up all (or most) of the making of's now. Doing Moth Into Flame right now, and again no Kirk.

[PixelDream]

How James sings the verse in the last part of the video.. they definitely changed it up for something better in the end.

[ReaperKK]

I'm going to have to check out that video later. I love the making of videos so far.

[Dream Team]

After more listens, my only gripe is that too often the riffs go into those Loadish candy-ass bluesy notes instead of sticking to tritone power chords. Still a very very solid album. Can definitely hear the snare.

[Kotowboy]

Yeah all the instruments sound great. Heard too many metal albums where the guitars are over saturated and the bass is non existent and the snare is a tippy tappy click and the cymbals

are non existent.

[mikeyd23]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGoZ_pQY-14

Making of Here Comes Revenge.

Pretty cool. It's interesting that Kirk is barely in it and only shows up to be told what to do.

Edit: Looks like they're putting up all (or most) of the making of's now. Doing Moth Into Flame right now, and again no Kirk.

Yup, first off, I love these videos, really interesting to watch. Second, I think the trend of no Kirk (except to lay down a solo) will continue for pretty much all these tunes. 

[Kotowboy]

New album is great. If excluding Rob & Kirk gets these results again i'm all for it.


And Greg Fidelman is their new in-house producer it seems.

He engineered Death Magnetic and co-produced Lulu and produced the audio for Through The Never.

He produced their Rainbow medley.

He's their new Bob Rock.

INB4 Rob quits and Greg plays bass on their next album

[PixelDream]

I was slightly disappointed when I heard that Fidelman was the producer, since he engineered Death Magnetic which sounded awful. He definitely stepped up his game this time I have to say.

[Kotowboy]

I wish that Death Magnetic had the production of Hardwired... But the iTunes remaster is probably the closest we'll get.

Unless they do a total remix for the DM Deluxe Boxset.


Plus it's more to do with Rick Ruin. His records are notoriously shoddy and Greg did much better work without him.

[mikeyd23]

Unless they do a total remix for the DM Deluxe Boxset.

Eh, I wish, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Kotowboy]

Unless they do a total remix for the DM Deluxe Boxset.

Eh, I wish, but I'm not holding my breath.

Nor am i.

[Adami]

New album is great. If excluding Rob & Kirk gets these results again i'm all for it.

Rob is there way more than Kirk.

[Kotowboy]

Yes but he only has one writing credit.

[Adami]

Yes but he only has one writing credit.

True, but he's pretty present for the writing anyway. His bass is also the most present that bass has been on a Metallica album in possibly forever. The lead bass riff in Spit out the Bone is just orgasmic.

[mikeyd23]

Yes but he only has one writing credit.

True, but he's pretty present for the writing anyway. His bass is also the most present that bass has been on a Metallica album in possibly forever. The lead bass riff in Spit out the Bone is just orgasmic.

Yup, and it seems, from interviews I have seen, that Rob was definitely a voice in the room helping James and Lars make sense of things at times.

[Kotowboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLPC3t5hWvo

Making of Dream No More.

[mikeyd23]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLPC3t5hWvo

Making of Dream No More.

Really good song, really good making of video. Like I just said, Rob continues to appear to be a voice in the room during a lot of these jam sessions.

[Tomislav95]

I still have to give it more listens but right now Dream No More is my favorite. So me'al!

[Stadler]

Yes but he only has one writing credit.

True, but he's pretty present for the writing anyway. His bass is also the most present that bass has been on a Metallica album in possibly forever. The lead bass riff in Spit out the Bone is just orgasmic.

I noticed that (and in the covers too).  Rob is a big part of the sound of this album, and that's a good thing.    I actually like most of the solos on this record, too, but it's not as pervasive as the bass.    And I'm sorry, but I can't help but just assume that every riff, every lick, every chord is really James.   

[ariich]

Most of the solos are incredibly nothingy, but I do quite enjoy the one in Spit Out the Bone. It's not exactly amazing, but it at least feels like he actually wrote one rather than just playing whatever, and it's more interesting as a result.

Doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the album though, as almost all the solos are short and not really a key feature.

[mikeyd23]

And I'm sorry, but I can't help but just assume that every riff, every lick, every chord is really James.

That's a good assumption. He and Lars have writing credit on every song except for ManUNKind where Rob also has credit. So I think it's safe to say that every riff, lick, and chord in every other song is all James. All from jams or random ideas that he recorded over the last 8 or so years.

On a side note, Am I Savage? has continued to grow on me. It started out as eh, then I really started liking it, now it's one of my, if not my favorite on the album. Incredible song, found I liked it more when hearing James talk about the lyrics on it as well.

[Kotowboy]

Am I Savage has that stupidly heavy middle and outro.

  Also it's Hetfield's favourite part on the album.

[mikeyd23]

Am I Savage has that stupidly heavy middle and outro.

  Also it's Hetfield's favourite part on the album.

Oh really? I didn't know that. That riff is fantastic. Classic example of why James Hetfield is soooo good. Simple riff, standard tuning, sounds absolutely massive in context. It's that right hand baby. A hundred other guitar players could play that exact same riff and none of them would make it sound like Het.

[ariich]

I dig Am I Savage a lot. I love the main bluesy riff, and also really enjoy the way they play around with rhythms and time signatures (maybe just triplets in normal and double time but works to the same effect).