Metallica Thread

[twosuitsluke]

I think Michael Kamen made the difference and can not be replaced.

I agree. I agree so hard.

[ReaperKK]

I need to set some time aside to watch S&M2, I've seen clips of it and was put off by the massive venue. S&M had a more intimate feel which seem appropriate for the performance. I'll try and watch it this week, who knows I'm probably wrong.

[twosuitsluke]

In regards to the S&M 2 setlist, I get it, it's only the second time they've done it. I adore the original so if I'd have gone and they hadn't played The Call of Ktulu, No Leaf Clover and Master of Puppets, The Outlaw Torn I'd have been gutted! I understand why they played so many songs from the original S&M, it's just a shame that none of them sounded as good as in the original, to me.

[Kotowboy]

Metallica have to put out a new album this year. Even if it's not til December. It's 2021.

The Band's 40th anniversary and also the 30th anniversary of the Black Album so i'm hoping for METALLICA remastered and New Studio Album too.

If they've been writing for the majority of 2020 - thy just need to get together in HQ and hash it out.

Once all the writing was done and they finally set foot in HQ to record the last album it was done a year later. They could easily get it out by December if they wanted to.

Plus it would only be 5 years since Hardwired came out.

It would be cool if they released one finished song a month for all of 2021. Then the completed album in December.


They have their own studio now and they're on their own label so nobody tells them what to do - or how to do it - or when to do it. There's zero touring either

so 100% time to focus on recording.

If they really wanted to top up the funds - they could do another "Mission Metallica" where you pay for exclusive footage from HQ. I don't know how well that

worked out for them during Death Magnetic...

[faizoff]

I need to check out S&M2, some of the Blu-ray footage looks great. I don't listen to the band like I used to which is why I haven't kept up with how and what they've been doing. I still had it in my head that James was out in rehab or something, or was it Kirk. But that may have been years ago at this point.

[Kotowboy]

James went back to rehab immediately after S&M2. He doesn't look good in S&M2 to be fair - overweight and tired.

He looks A LOT healthier now. Thankfully. Plus he cut his long hair off. To be fair it did age him really badly.

James a year ago :





James after rehab :

[Zydar]

Regarding The Black Album - has it gotten the box set treatment yet? They've reiussed the 1983-1988 albums so far, so I guess the 30th anniversary would get a big box set and remix/remaster as well.

[TheCountOfNYC]

For TBA, I'm excited to see what they include in the box set, but I want them to leave the actual album alone. It's production is perfect and still sounds fresh. There is no need to touch it at all.

[Stadler]

James went back to rehab immediately after S&M2. He doesn't look good in S&M2 to be fair - overweight and tired.

He looks A LOT healthier now. Thankfully. Plus he cut his long hair off. To be fair it did age him really badly.

James a year ago :





James after rehab :

Those photos are night and day.  James, to me, has always looked fierce and that has as much to do with his eyes as anything.  In that former picture his eyes just look dull.  Medicated.

[Adami]

Why the hell would they remix or remaster TBA? It’s not lacking at all in those qualities.

[Zydar]

Yeah a remix/remaster would be redundant, and only hurt the album. But lots of bonus stuff would be cool.

[Kotowboy]

Regarding The Black Album - has it gotten the box set treatment yet? They've reiussed the 1983-1988 albums so far, so I guess the 30th anniversary would get a big box set and remix/remaster as well.

I'm guessing it woulda been out by now had it not been for last year. This year is the 30th so there is a chance they were holding off til this year so that :

• It's the 30th Anniversary

• It's The Band's 40th anniversary

• Brand New Album


I'm hoping anyway.

[Kotowboy]

Yeah a remix/remaster would be redundant, and only hurt the album. But lots of bonus stuff would be cool.

The Kill / Ride / Justice remasters sound great and not just LOUDER WITH MORE TREBLE! like a lot of remasters. METALLICA is untouchable as far as production

so i'm interested to see how it sounds. I'm collecting all the bog standard digpiaks of these new remasters and getting rid of my Jewel Case versions except for

Death Magnetic - with the cut out booklet and Saint Anger - with the live at HQ DVD .

[Kotowboy]

Why the hell would they remix or remaster TBA? It’s not lacking at all in those qualities.

They're doing all 9 studio albums - probably becasue they're on their own label now and own the rights to all their masters etc. To get some official remasters out there.

I don't see the problem. They all sound great so far. Load could do with being a little less muddy. I'm really hoping that the Death Magnetic remaster - when it finally

arrives solves a lot more of the problems of the most recent fixed version - which DOES sound a lot better but still thin and brittle sounding.

[Adami]

I just can’t imagine a remaster being any kind of improvement. As far as remaster at least. If they want to make some tiny diff just claim the rights...sure but I’ll skip.

Now, an artistic remix that isn’t trying to improve but instead offer a different take on it would be cool.

[Anguyen92]

I need to set some time aside to watch S&M2, I've seen clips of it and was put off by the massive venue. S&M had a more intimate feel which seem appropriate for the performance. I'll try and watch it this week, who knows I'm probably wrong.

Yeah, but I think they had to play in the new arena, since the Chase Center was opening in San Francisco at the time, and Metallica was the first event hosted in the arena.  They opted to revisit S&M again to make the grand opening of the arena special and conveniently tie in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first version.

[Adami]

I've made my thoughts on S&M2 clear a while ago. Overall, I enjoy it a lot. Though I almost always enjoy any Metallica show.

That said, I think it has a lot of unfortunate knocks against it.
- The super similar setlist. I know people who went to see this wanted to see the same songs as the first time, but this was MOSTLY to be seen as a recording for the vast majority of fans. So while some thousands got their wish, millions more got to see the exact same songs done again. I think that should've outweighed the decision to give the attending fans the same songs as the first go around.
- The band sounds less tight. Not much more to say about that. They were just ON TOP of everything that first time, but this time it's just kind of a typical Metallica show performance wise but with an orchestra.
- The new songs have largely pretty boring orchestration due to the loss of Michael Kamen who was just way ahead of the game on that ability. So instead of brilliantly thought out orchestra pieces, you largely had them doubling melodies/riffs already in the song. Plenty of exceptions, but very little stood out as interesting on the new songs.
- The mix, while largely good, seems to think of the orchestra as background noise and nothing that should be upfront. So you get a lot of cool stuff just buried.
- Crazy missed opportunities for songs that would've been perfect.

That said, there's some really cool new stuff there.
- I hate Unforgiven III as a song, but I really like this version
- Similar with The Day that Never Comes. I REALLY dislike that song otherwise.
- The orchestral only songs are very cool and welcome.
- AWMH was very cool. I wish they didn't play it constantly now, as its novelty has worn off, but it was super cool.

So overall, I really enjoy it, but consider it a whole lot of missed opportunities for something TRULY amazing.

[Zantera]

Yeah my main gripe with S&M2 is the setlist. Imo they should have thrown out any song they played on the original and gone with a 100% different setlist. There's still classics they didn't play and there's gems from Load/Reload they could have brought out.

[Kotowboy]

But also - people who couldn't get to the original S&M would love to hear some of those songs again...

[kirksnosehair]

I see a few metal bands here and there doing [insert album title here] "revisited" recordings.  I know the nand Soen did one recently.  They basically re-record the album with the band's current line up often producing a superior record.


Metallica should do this with And Justice For All - they would make a fucking TON of money on it, I think.  Imagine what that album could sound like with modern production values and a bass guitar?  I know I'd happily pay good money for it.

[Zantera]

But also - people who couldn't get to the original S&M would love to hear some of those songs again...

It exists as an album and video release you can watch at any time though. For such a cool event considering it's a one off thing they did 20 years after the first one, it's such a bummer that maybe half of it is recycled from the first one.

[Kotowboy]

I see a few metal bands here and there doing [insert album title here] "revisited" recordings.  I know the nand Soen did one recently.  They basically re-record the album with the band's current line up often producing a superior record.


Metallica should do this with And Justice For All - they would make a fucking TON of money on it, I think.  Imagine what that album could sound like with modern production values and a bass guitar?  I know I'd happily pay good money for it.

I know they're not into changing the past - but a special edition AJFA with the original CD but remastered for purists who just want it a bit louder and brighter...

Then they should have also included a completely remixed and re-EQd and remastered version for those that 100% want it.

I laugh when I see " AJFA is perfect the way it is " - because if the OG album came out in 1988 and it sounded like The Black Album sonically  -

I guarantee NOBODY would be going ...  I guess its ok - but what it really needs is ZERO BASS 


---

I think the 2018 remaster of AJFA sounds good if you turn it up loud - when the guitar solos come in and fill out the spectrum - it ALMOST sounds like there is bass in there...

But the rhythm guitars still sound like a Metal Zone pedal into a Line6 Amp....

[kirksnosehair]

It's unlistenable the way it is, which is a crying shame because it's a great piece of thrashy progressive metal and one of the most fun albums I've ever covered on -believe it or not- bass guitar of all things!  What a learning experience that was!

[twosuitsluke]

I agree that the setlist for S&M2 could've been better. I'd happily go without all the big hits (except Master of Puppets, which I loved on the original) and The Call of Ktulu, as I mentioned earlier. Also I get putting No Leaf Clover in as it was specially written for the first S&M. Outside of those three songs, I'd like a totally new set, as long as they picked the right songs.

As I'd said earlier, The Scythian Suite made me think they were trying to bulk out the set. Almost like they didn't want to play the same set as the first, but ran out of other songs to adapt? Probably not the case but give me Orion and To Live is to Die! They are already epic as fuck and if The Call of Ktulu is anything to go by, Metallica instrumentals work wonderfully with an orchestral arrangement.

[kirksnosehair]

THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING   

[DTA]

The biggest fuckup they made on S&M2 was not finally doing Fixxxer. I believe James or Kirk said that there's too many guitar tracks to do it accurately live, but the orchestra could've solved that. They must just really not want to play that one.

[Stadler]

THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING   

The little keyboard "stab" at about 0:25 in actually made me laugh out loud!

More seriously I dug the different chord progression under the chorus; it seems to resolve better that way.  I could do without the horns and the bridge, but that part I dug that a lot.

[Zantera]

The biggest fuckup they made on S&M2 was not finally doing Fixxxer. I believe James or Kirk said that there's too many guitar tracks to do it accurately live, but the orchestra could've solved that. They must just really not want to play that one.

That song on S&M2 would have been GOLD!

[Kotowboy]

THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING   

The little keyboard "stab" at about 0:25 in actually made me laugh out loud!

More seriously I dug the different chord progression under the chorus; it seems to resolve better that way.  I could do without the horns and the bridge, but that part I dug that a lot.

The Yeah Yeah after the first chorus works so well !!!

[axeman90210]

I still think it's a crime that Fade to Black never got the S&M treatment.

[Adami]

I still think it's a crime that Fade to Black never got the S&M treatment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAdh7wAR5PA

Not perfect, but this guy does a pretty cool job with a lot of the songs Metallica didn't feel like doing for either of the shows.

[krands85]

THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING   

[faizoff]

THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING   

That is awesome! can't believe how they managed to fit all those songs in the mashup.

[Ben_Jamin]

THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING   

Everything about that mashup was gold. The music fitting the motions in the videos, and the music of all the songs fitting perfectly, together.

In an alternate universe. That was the number one song of the late 80's/early 90's.

[dparrott]

Hilarious, especially the Megadeth solo!