Metallica
Death Magnetic

THE REVIEW

The Metallica are back after 5 years. I imagine you’ve noticed that a five-year gap represents the band’s creative standard for a very, very long time now, so there's not much left to comment on. "St.Anger" sowed a lot of disappointment among fans at the time and, for a couple of years now, the Four Horsemen have more or less explicitly shouldered the promise of a return to their glorious past. Putting aside what this implies, I'm about to evaluate "Death Magnetic".

The production and sound are definitely good and, to the surprise of many, Robert Trujillo represents one of the two main strengths of the work; incidentally, the other is the rhythm guitar. Unfortunately, the vocal lines are not as convincing, nor are the solos. The latter are often exaggerated or, quite simply, in poor taste. Another sore point is the drums: although decent in tempo changes, the inadequate speed for the aggressiveness of certain passages and limited variety compromise the judgment of Ulrich’s performance.
It might not be very surprising to know that the lyrics are bland and sometimes banal, but it is thought-provoking that, as Hetfield himself states in an interview, their writing took a full 2 years of effort.

"That was just your life", the opener, boasts an engaging and fairly thrashy intro, but nothing more. This same merit only leaves a bitter taste once the entire song is listened to and after acknowledging how sparse it is. Next, with no particular criterion, "The End of the Line" with its tacky rock riffs and mediocre melodic interlude is often a pain for the ears. Fortunately, these first two tracks themselves contend for the title of the absolute worst. Now the album can slowly take off with the rhythmic and well-directed "Broken, Beat & Scarred": you can't shout miracle, that's for sure, but we can afford a sigh of relief. "The Day That Never Comes", the first single, is a ballad in classic Metallica style that starts off quite subdued with a relatively simple melody only to prove to be certainly not to be underestimated in terms of groove. We thus reach the album’s most pretentious track: "All Nightmare Long". It is characterized by hefty riffs composed, you can easily perceive, precisely to strike, and it is no coincidence that obvious Spanish-tinged hints are included. This number 5 is one of the best compositions, although it is weighed down by a less impressive refrain.

"Death Magnetic" continues with "Cyanide", the most balanced song up to this point: it defines the real dimension on which the album would (like to) orbit. Here the whole band seems, for once, concentrated and amalgamated in the right way. We stumble unexpectedly upon the avoidable third chapter of an old acquaintance: "The Unforgiven III". An epic intro that pays homage to the famous Ennio Morricone for a catchy song, there isn’t much to add; but "The Judas' Kiss" is just around the corner. It's the best-executed track overall, undoubtedly superior to the others. To be explicit, if the entire CD had been at this level, one might have even been moved by such well-crafted metal in these dark years for the genre. Truly incisive riffs, good solos, and a Hetfield that seems rejuvenated by a decade are what "The Judas’ Kiss" has and what is scarcely found in the remaining hour of music. It's also worth noting that while this track deserves to last a full 8 minutes, the same cannot be said for the others, except perhaps for one in particular: "Suicide & Redemption". The instrumental that’s been missing for exactly 20 years is now proposed in this very charming form, although, alas, not without its flaws. The melodic hint in the interlude is not at all inspired, and it takes the commitment of the entire band to lift the piece's fortunes... suffice it to say it's precisely here that Lars performs his only committed drum solo! Humor aside, it’s a decent exploit for the drummer, who had scarcely surprised until now. It’s time to conclude, and, as in the most common metal tradition, it’s done quickly with the second single: "My Apocalypse", galloping and angry riffs for the song with the most obvious debts to the quartet’s old milestones. Not very solid but of sufficient quality, nonetheless.

I want to specify one thing in concluding this review. I have deliberately omitted the analysis through which I could have compared "Death Magnetic" to the old monoliths because I think that anyone truly interested in a Metallica album in 2008 is already sufficiently afflicted by nostalgia.