Metallica
Death Magnetic

THE REVIEW

As I suspected, not even a week has passed since the album's release, and there are already an infinite number of unscrupulous reviewers who have talked about the album. Some describe it as a masterpiece by the rediscovered Tallica, others label it as "commercial crap" that even those masked clowns of Slipknot couldn't produce. But Metallica is not Slipknot, and they know when it's time to show their mettle and prove who they are, showing they're still capable of doing what they knew how to do in the beloved '80s: play and convey strong emotions. It's been a good 20 years since then, but they are still here and in pretty good shape, even if old age arrives for everyone.

I absolutely don't want to compare this "Death Magnetic" with other Metallica CDs but review it as if it were their first album of a new era. We're in the 2000s, no longer in 1981. Times have changed; they can no longer do what they managed to achieve in the golden years, but they are certainly better than many other new groups of dimwits who think they are "rock" just because they can pair some good riffs with solos one after the other.

10 songs, each 8 minutes long: this is what Rick The Masterpiece Rubin wanted to show us about the new Metallica, enough to judge it.

It starts with "That was just your Life", a good thrash song, fierce and sharp, with a slow start and a sparkling continuation. A granite riff that breaks your eardrums. An excellent start that introduces the album as best they could.

But it's not over yet, the show must go on! and it continues with "The end of the line", a riff already heard in the demo released last year, an excellent performance to remember.

Then we move on to "Broken beat and scarred", which harks back to an '80s speed thrash full of groove, with a hysterical solo by good old Hammett, who has returned to his roots after the disappointing "Load," "Reload," and "Saint anger."

"The day that never comes" is a copy of "One" and "Fade to black," chosen as a single since it has the most commercial riff that sticks in your head for the whole album. Well done, Metallica, who always want to earn something from each album. 

Here's the gem of the album, in my humble opinion, "All nightmare long". Dark and gloomy, bringing you into the heart of the night where James's guitar torments you with notes, one after the other, hurled with mind-blowing violence.

"Cyanide", another good song that fits well in the context but feels slightly familiar.

"The unforgiven 3": here's my disappointment. After the first two episodes of the Unforgiven series, I expected something different. Instead of being more fierce, it's more melancholic and sweet, with a beautiful piano intro. Still worth remembering, as it has excellent lyrics, even if they could have made it a standalone song instead of continuing the saga.

"The judas kiss", perhaps used to fill the 75 minutes of the CD, but still not bad, maybe a bit banal.

"Suicide and redemption", another horrible attempt to rewrite an entirely instrumental song. It seems that Metallica really failed here. Copy-paste riffs without following a melodious and dreamy thread. Trujillo's bass is still not very incisive; I wonder why they hired a new bassist if they don't let him play: Newsted did well to leave!

It ends with "My Apocalypse", a good song with a compelling rhythm... in my opinion with a slight nu-metal touch. A good performance by Hetfield, who is forced to shout throughout the album!

Metallica is still there. The album is very good, for 2008 it's the best they could do, maybe in a couple of years they'll churn out a new masterpiece. To other reviewers: try reviewing Metallica completely forgetting "Master of puppets" and co., those times are over, even if the Four Horsemen are still riding the wave.

A MUST BUY!