Metallica
St. Anger

THE REVIEW

Lars called it "an experiment"; I don't know about you, but once again, we have to forgive him. "St. Anger" was released in 2003, with the most acclaimed previews citing a return to the old days, essentially, a Metal CD... with a capital M (?).

It's been 4 years, and still today, we wonder how Metallica got to this point, not having demonstrated once again their ability to create something truly artistic. Now, we're not asking Avril Lavigne to compose serious music... that would be impossible! It's a bit like asking a lump of dung to transform into a flower; here, we're demanding that a withered flower return to its natural form, because that's how a flower showcases its beauty... that's Metallica: from Load onwards, it hasn't been clear why there was this radical change in them, this music made for image purposes... they called it "artistic evolution" (such a statement would disgrace Darwin).

This 'St. Anger' is a mixture of already expressed and poorly executed ideas, aside from the fact that they seem damn incomplete!! This cover, resembling one of Bossi's hands at a league congress, more or less suggests that you're facing a powerful, aggressive album... And indeed it is!! This album is notably hard! (damn, how did they do it?) You notice it right from the first track, "Frantic," a modest piece with fairly fast riffs and an catchy rhythm... However, what we'll notice right from the start is that Hetfield uses a new singing style, a cross between Bizkit parodies and a bird stuck up a butt, is that all? Wait! I know you know... but let's move on... The second track "St. Anger" we all know, it's the hit song of the album, the most digestible to the ears of someone who knows nothing about metal (no, I've been too harsh); thinking about it a bit... this song is still quite fast, significantly repetitive but still with a decent rhythm compared to previous years (those of Load and Reload), what makes it unlistenable or underrated in certain parts? We find the same problem in the third track "Some Kind of Monster": long, heavy, and borderline crossover. But what really underwhelms all the songs on the album (but especially this last one) is Ulrich... no! wait... Ulrich... not his drums... Ulrich!! It's Ulrich who has to decide the tuning of his bin!! and this costs him at least 2 stars to be deducted, horrible!!! Impossible to digest!!

Back to the songs, I'd also like to point out that here it's not about metal... but poorly played noise, or worse yet... Crossover songs. (..oh yes it's true that the 'Tallica were Crossover, who knew? ) "Dirty Window", "Invisible Kid" and "My World": the topics say it all, angry and heavy pieces both in sound and in digestibility, with some fast nuances in the first mentioned, still, all songs that have had their say with other artists like Korn, SOAD, Limp Bizkit and company, usually these things are not typical of Metallica. In the second half of this CD, they really hit rock bottom: "Shoot me again" may have a raw and heavy sound, but it doesn't even reach its decency due to these continuous flaws (voice, instruments, monotony) that over time seem to integrate into the entire work, the same fate with "Sweet Amber": modest in rhythm but indigestible in sound. Now to "The Unnamed Feeling", a piece that in my opinion needed more work... and how could it be elaborated? After 3 years between detoxifications and surrounded cameras (ah... the movie, of course! It couldn't have been a setup!?) what do you expect them to propose? As soon as they found some small idea wedged in their head, things get faster and money is guaranteed, the four horsemen are cunning... But ideas in the end are exhausted, and what's left will be "Purify" and "All Within My Hands," the worst songs ever proposed in Metallica's history... noisy and unlistenable.

In conclusion, as the Metallica made us understand, there were some problems amidst this album that didn't allow for enough time to better work on this effort and bring out ideas. Surely, this one could have been avoided!! And Kirk, I want to know if Kirk was there!! He's not on this record!! Tell me where he is? Well... now that most likely the new album will be released, hopefully, they've had the space to work better this time and will not mess up!!