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Rating: THE REVIEW
Bizarre, this album. Released six years after the unbearable pop-rock that was Reload, St. Anger barely resembles the sound of what was the new Metallica era, inaugurated fourteen years ago with the beloved/loathed "Black Album".
The first peculiarity that strikes the listener concerns the sound clarity: practically nonexistent, and this could be a point in its favor because it might (very remotely) recall the times of "Kill'em All". The second concerns the snare drum, apparently with the snare wires lowered, giving the pieces a newfound heaviness, a point against.
Furthermore, the album is completely devoid of solos, except for the small melodic interludes in the last song.
It starts with "Frantic", a good track where you can guess what kind of album we're about to listen to. The title track, as always in good Metallica tradition, placed second, continues the discourse started. Absolutely avoid the trio "Some kind of monsters" (awful imitation of MoP), "Dirty Window" and "Invisible Kid": long, heavy, and indescribably boring.
Pretty nice though is "My World", which manages to please only if not listened to right after the previous ones. "Shoot Me Again" is a nice dark and ominous piece, with beautiful bass lines. It's perhaps the track that most recalls the golden years of thrash, a descendant of songs like "Leper Messiah". Equipped with an intro resembling "Battery", "Sweet Amber" is the fastest of the album, pleasant to hear (just don't think it was composed by one of the greatest rock-metal bands on Earth today).
"The Unnamed Feeling" is a great song, the most 'thought-out' of the album. Speed and violence are abandoned for a while, and the metal technique, of which 'Tallica were the undisputed masters of the world, timidly resurfaces. "Purify", with its amusing syncopated tempo, is listenable but overall quite anonymous. Very strange and tending towards Nu-Metal is "All Within My Hands", the closing track of the album. In this bizarre song, melodic parts with clean singing alternate with hammering parts similar to System of a Down. Nice the finale marked by three long chords repeated obsessively.
In conclusion, I do not believe that St. Anger is a bad album, but a 'different' album.
For some, an evolution, for others just another commercial operation. To future generations the hard verdict...
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Summary by Bot
St. Anger marks a drastic departure from Metallica's previous work, featuring a raw and unclear sound with unique drum effects and almost no guitar solos. While some tracks show glimpses of classic thrash elements, many are heavy but boring, reflecting a different and divisive style. The album is neither entirely bad nor great—simply a distinct moment in Metallica's evolution. Its ultimate value remains for future generations to decide.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. They rose from the Bay Area thrash scene with early albums like Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning, achieved mainstream success with 1991's Metallica (The Black Album), and have released a long-running and often debated catalog since.173 Reviews
Other reviews
By cliffburton86
An album as aggressive as a dog whose bone is taken from its mouth!
James Hetfield has a fierce voice as if he wants to say to the whole world: 'I'm back, bastards!!! Sad but true!!!'
By El minchia
Metallica with St. Anger managed to elevate the role of crap beyond levels that even Elio couldn’t imagine.
Listening to those drums, you can’t help but realize it’s pans and dishes!
By Brizz89
"Metallica is not Nu Metal, but they wanted to enter the Olympus of the commercial, and they succeeded, considering the sales."
"This album is truly the worst in their entire discography, and its complete anonymity speaks volumes about how the future of this band will be."
By pep 92
The tracks are impressively repetitive, it’s almost as if Hetfield and company enjoyed pressing the LOOP button continuously.
The only good thing about 'St. Anger' is the cover, that’s it.
By thetrooper
"St. Anger seems to me a bold attempt to recover, bringing back some good old aggression to the songs."
The biggest flaws: the total absence of Kirk Hammet's solos and entrusting bass recordings to that damn bastard Bob Rock.
