Metallica
Death Magnetic

THE REVIEW

Death Magnetic is the ninth album by MetallicA, following the much-despised St. Anger. The album, composed of 10 tracks, overall features a complex songwriting reminiscent of the gems of "And justice for all," with songs averaging just over 7 minutes. With 74 minutes of music, the four horsemen pour into our ears a river of metal with melodic little fish swimming to avoid the more modern new metal nets. The music flows fast, sharp, and heavy. The execution is top-notch, and the production, in its "simplicity," is qualitatively excellent.

1: That was just your life
a heartbeat guides a melancholic guitar arpeggio to which the bass joins, anticipating the entrance of the drums that marks a slow, anguish-filled walk. In a flash, a very incisive and rapid riff opens up to James's voice, seeming to revel in new rage: it’s the verse, damn thrash in classic Metallica old-style, followed by an amazing syncopated bridge that I can't wait to hear again later in the track. The chorus is thrash-driven and pissed off, the song proceeds with verse, bridge, and chorus, and an instrumental variation leading to the solo...
an excellent track, rating 8

2: The end of the line
the introduction of this track is typically in the "Master of Puppets" style and lasts just over a minute. Worth noting is a distorted bass arpeggio that sticks in my head from the first beat. The verse reminds me a lot (maybe too much) of "Creeping Death," but the surprise comes at the chorus, where guitars intertwine, separate, and then intertwine anew. The track continues with verse and chorus until a very "noise" solo section. The final chorus is preceded by a quiet, clean variation
good track, rating 6.5

3: Broken, Beat & Scarred
the introduction scared me, I saw the ghosts of "St. Anger" before thinking it was an instrumental in the "Train of Thought" style by Dream Theater. However, after about 1 minute, a very nice riff with distortion on the edge arrives, over which the voice advances in small steps, becoming the protagonist in the chorus. The track is very strange, a bit outside MetallicA's style
satisfactory, rating 6

4: The Day That Never Comes
the introduction immediately made me think of a ballad in the "Fade to Black" style, and so it was. Musically, the track is simple but well articulated; the voice is melancholic, and the short guitar solo opening to the verses remains in mind from the first listen. The ending is nothing short of crazy, transitioning from a slow riff with very aggressive vocals to an instrumental and solo section that includes power, technique, and melody; I don't understand why they felt the need to add 3 minutes of such experimental and almost "progressive metal" in the end.
despite the incomprehensible ending, the track is beautiful and will become a hit for new fans, rating 7

5: All nightmare long
two powerful and damn thrash riffs fill the initial two minutes of the track; then comes the voice, loading like a spring to explode its relentless and aggressive rhythm in a wonderful chorus that is sliced through with a blade to return to the very powerful introductory riff. Spectacular!!!! Then again verse, chorus, and solo that stands out. From the 5-minute mark to the 8-minute finale, MetallicA gives us a new vein of thrash metal, chromatic riffs, speed, power, rage.
excellent track, rating 9

6: Cyanide
this introduction scares me too, fingers crossed, it seems too tacky...sigh of relief, here comes James's voice getting angry and trying to act tough towards the end of the verse; the chorus is sharp, the guitars sting, but it's the voice that sticks in your head from the first listen. In its simplicity, the track is intoxicating, I’ll stop here...this will become a hit too.
excellent track, rating 8

7: The unforgiven III
self-celebration seemed around the corner, but this track doesn't seem to echo much of the two previous episodes of "The Unforgiven"; it's the classic metallic ballad style with arpeggiated verse and angry chorus, unfortunately, the solo lacks melody; there are some strings here and there to fill in.
insufficient track, rating 5

8: The judas kiss
another introduction that leaves me imagining the unexpected... a riff slices my left ear like a katana through paper, then immediately another riff on which James sings calmly, swelling into a wonderfully fast chorus that closes viciously again on the initial riff that also slices my right ear!!! Again verse and chorus, the tempo is terrifying! These are the Metallica of "And justice for all," spectacular!!! Suddenly everything stops on a march between bass, guitar, and drums on which Kirk begins to paint with his Wha-Wha, then comes the solo that returns to the chorus and then again to that terrible katana-riff that chops my head off. Great Metallica
excellent track, rating 9

9: Suicide & redemption
an instrumental track that feels more like hard rock than thrash metal, too many riffs glued one after another. I can't review it, I still need angry MetallicA at this moment, this track flows by without leaving a trace.
To be reassessed, rating 5

10: My apocalypse
introduction in the sign of "Kill 'em all," this is definitely 80s thrash... but as soon as the verse arrives, everything changes, it's "Master of Puppets" style...the chorus is beautiful, the song doesn't have a break, the four bad boys are really pissed off!!! A gem that I associate without a doubt with "Battery" and "Damage inc." It’s fast, breathtaking, vicious... it's MetallicA !!!
excellent track, rating 9

Album finished
Play, again... in 48 hours I'm at 13 listens
MetallicA is back with new ideas, a bit of the old style that made us love them, but also with a new polish that can be heard in tracks like "All nightmare long" and "The judas kiss".

Metalheads unite, the "The 4 horsemen" are back
rating: 8