The Album by Album Challenge: Metallica

This is the 3rd time I have done an album by album review and this one was the most challenging one yet for many reasons. I decided to do this review because of my recent comments about Metallica. A lot of people have shot back at me saying everything from “You’re old and stupid” to “You know nothing about metal or Metallica.” I decided to put all my biases aside and listen to each and every album, song after song from beginning to end. I did not skip through a single song allowing myself to give each song a full listen in order to be able to construct and honest opinion. There were a few surprises throughout this process and there were a lot of things that were just re-confirmed to me during this process. Take it or leave it, this is my opinion and I welcome any comments or arguments. I say bring it on!

Metallica – Kill ‘Em All
Release Date: July 25, 1983
The Good: Hit The Lights, The Four Horsemen, Motorbreath, Jump In The Fire, Anesthesia, Whiplash, Phantom Lord, No Remorse, Seek & Destroy, Metal Militia
The Bad: NONE
The Indifferent: NONE

Four guys from California whose only agenda was to change the face of American heavy metal as we all knew it. It sounded unlike anything I had ever heard in my life and to this day it stands strong as one of the pinnacle metal albums of all time. These guys took something that was going on over seas and beat everyone to the punch. “Hit The Lights” melts my face today as much as it ever did and song for song you hear a band that has that hunger, that determination and that passion. There’s no pretension and no ego here. Just unfiltered energy and actually one of the best produced albums they ever released. There isn’t one single bad song on the album. Some songs are better than others but there are no songs on here that I cannot listen to. I fall in love with this album again every time I listen to it. Besides, how can you not love an album which boasts cover art with a puddle of blood, a sledgehammer and the shadow of a hand? If I could paint a picture of what this album sounds like it would be that!

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Metallica – Ride The Lightning
Release Date: July 27, 1984
The Good: Fight Fire With Fire, Ride The Lightning, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Fade To Black, Trapped Under Ice, Creeping Death, The Call of Ktulu
The Bad: Escape
The Indifferent: NONE

In just two days short of one year to the date, Metallica would release “Ride The Lightning” which boasted a much more nurtured and disciplined sound and lyrics that were definitely more mature than it’s predecessor. Where lyrically “Kill “em All” was pure NWOBHM inspired, “Ride The Lightning” showed Metallica being much more aware and conscious of social/political commentary topics like environmentalism, the death penalty (Fight Fire With Fire and Ride The Lightning) and even channeled their inner Iron Maiden by dipping into literature (For Whom The Bell Tolls.) Every song on this album is a keeper except for “Escape.” That song is the sore thumb of the bunch and is always skipped. It’s got this attempt at a catchy chorus and I’m not sure if they were trying for a commercial angle here but they fell short resulting in a really lame track. All the energy, fire and hunger of the debut is there but with more focus and discipline. It’s a sign of growth that laid the foundation for them to go nowhere but up from here.

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Metallica – Master of Puppets
Release Date: March 3, 1986
The Good: Battery, Master of Puppets, The Thing That Should Not Be, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Disposable Heroes, Leper Messiah, Orion, Damage Inc.
The Bad: NONE
The Indifferent: NONE

While Metallica fans at this point were expecting another stellar follow up, I don’t think any of us were expecting what we were to receive with “Master of Puppets.” A mere 4 months in the studio, Metallica would deliver not just their greatest album to date but an album that many (myself included) consider to be one of the greatest metal albums of all time. Much like “Ride The Lightning”, the lyrics were full of social commentary but it was musically where the real growth was. Metallica had proven themselves to be an absolutely unstoppable force. The opening song “Battery” opened with some beautiful classical guitar work only to rip the mask off showing its darker, heavier brother. The songs also seemed to be longer in comparison to the previous albums as the band found themselves experimenting with dynamics much like Iron Maiden with tempo changes throughout each song. “Orion” is the real tear jerker here as it shows a dark yet beautiful side to Metallica putting bassist Cliff Burton at the center of attention with some of the most heartfelt and moving bass work I have ever heard. This song would later be considered by many to be how they remember Cliff Burton since his death while on the “Damage Inc” tour. Closing out with “Damage Inc” was a true testament at what Metallica was about as James Hetfield sings “Fuck it all and fuck it, no regrets. Unfortunately, this is a mantra they would live by but not for the best but the worst of it.

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Metallica – The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited
Release Date: August 21, 1987
The Good: Helpless, The Small Hour, Crash Course In Brain Surgery,
The Bad: The Wait, Last Caress/Green Hell
The Indifferent: NONE

After losing Cliff Burton in a tragic bus crash, Metallica returned to the front line with a new bassist in Jason Newsted. After such a dark time, the band resurfaced with “The 5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited” which was not only a way to introduce everyone to the new guy but to just cut loose and have some fun. The band chose five covers by bands that they looked to as influences. Starting out with “Helpless” by NWOBHM legends Diamondhead was a great way to start things. This song and “Crash Course In Brain Surgery” by Budgie best show how the sound of Metallica was shaped and formed in the early days. “The Wait” does absolutely nothing for me and is totally annoying. “Last Caress/Green Hell” was cool when I was 13 but 20 something years later it just sounds dated and stupid. Classic song or not, I just can’t listen to it. All in all, it was a fun listen and it definitely had us all on the edge of our seats as we waited impatiently to see what we would be faced with.

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Metallica – …And Justice For All
Release Date: August 25, 1988
The Good: Blackened, And Justice For All, Eye of the Beholder, The Shortest Straw, Harvester of Sorrow, To Live Is To Die, Dyers Eve
The Bad: NONE
The Indifferent: One

When this album was released, I remember being so surprised. I didn’t have many high hopes for it but from the first listen of “Blackened” and the title track I was floored. The songs were full of great riffs and lyrically the songs were yet another step up for them. Metallica’s lyrics were so smart and at this age I was old enough to start connecting with lyrics. The commentary that made up songs like “The Shortest Straw” and “Harvester of Sorrow” hit a chord with me and even James’ conflict with the religion of his youth in “Dyer’s Eve” really made an impact on me. This album also marked the first time Metallica would release a video and it was for the song “One.” All these years later, the songs on this album are just as strong as they were when they came out but the production of this album totally falls flat. You can barely hear the bass and Lars sounds like he’s playing a Sears drum set. “One” is really the only song that doesn’t stand up these days. Maybe its because it has been over played so much and that I’m just tired of hearing it. Regardless it gets a big fat skip whenever I hear it. It really is too bad that this album is produced so terribly because the songs are so good.

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Metallica – Metallica (The Black Album)
Release Date: August 13, 1991
The Good: Enter Sandman, Sad But True, Holier Then Thou, Wherever I May Roam, The God That Failed, My Friend of Misery,
The Bad: The Unforgiven, Don’t Tread On Me, The Struggle Within, Nothing Else Matters
The Indifferent: Of Wolf and Man

Call me an idiot but after hearing this album straight through for the first time in many years left me quite surprised. First off, the production is so fucking good on this one. It is completely bombastic and it sounds heavy as fuck. “Enter Sandman” kicks things off and back then I remember thinking, “What the fuck is this?” I hear it now and I hear a band that was taking a step in a whole new direction. They were a band who didn’t want to be obscure any more with songs full of deep commentary and messages. This song was proof that they had broken that mold and were creating another one. The songs are really easy to comprehend and I found myself really shocked with how much I actually enjoyed a lot of these songs. “Sad But True” and “Through The Never” are really great songs and are every bit as heavy as a metal band should be as is their documentary of living on the road with “Wherever I May Roam.” The songs are well played and planned but it just doesn’t sound like the Metallica I fell in love with. The speed was replaced by a more sludgy groove which is a whole different kind of heavy but all of the sudden, things got ugly. A ballad? “Nothing Else Matters.” Are you fucking kidding me? I still plant a palm on my face when I hear this and to think they STILL play this song live. Oh what had happened to my heroes? While far from the worst album I’d ever heard, it was apparent to me that Metallica was heading into a new direction and I was feeling myself not wanting to follow. From here on Metallica would become a band that I would barely recognize or know.

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Metallica – Load
Release Date: June 4, 1996
The Good: 2×4, Until It Sleeps, King Nothing
The Bad: Ain’t My Bitch, The House That Jack Built, Hero of the Day, Bleeding Me, Cure, Poor Twisted Me, Wasting My Hate, Mama Said, Thorn Within, Ronnie, The Outlaw Torn
The Indifferent:

I guess you could also call this album “The Haircut Heard ‘Round The World.” Not only did Metallica emerge sporting new short haircuts but they apparently forgot how to write songs worth a fuck. Now I haven’t listened to this album since it was released so needless to say, I had forgotten most of it and after hearing “Ain’t My Bitch”, I remembered why I chose to block this album out. “2×4” and “King Nothing” are actually both cool songs which I felt reminded me of Black Sabbath and “Until It Sleeps” didn’t all out suck. I wanted to not like it but something about it made me dig it. As for the rest of this album, I’d rather roll down a hill of razorblades into a pool of alcohol than listen to this album again. Absolute rubbish. Can it really get much worse…

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Metallica – Reload
Release Date: November 18, 1997
The Good: NONE
The Bad: Fuel, The Memory Remains, The Devil’s Dance, The Unforgiven II, Better Than You, Slither, Bad Seed, Where The Wild Things Are, Prince Charming, Low Man´s Lyric, Attitude, Fixxxer
The Indifferent: NONE

… and it can! How did anyone think this album was a good idea. Ok, so in all honesty I have to say this. If this was the FIRST album you ever heard by Metallica, I could see how some poor kid would think this was far cooler than any of the other shit that was out at the time. But then again, as soon as that kid picked up Kill “em All – … and Justice, I would hope he would look at this shit and just laugh. It blows my mind to no end how anyone can consider this crap good. Hetfield’s vocals alone had me “loling”. Metallica managed to follow up an album with 3 good songs on it with an album with NO GOOD SONGS on it. How the mighty have fallen indeed. I do have to say the production on this one and “Load” were great but totally wasted on such crappy songs. Oh the pain…

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Metallica – St. Anger
Release Date: June 5, 2003
The Good: NONE
The Bad: Frantic, St. Anger, Some Kind of Monster, Dirty Window, Invisible Kid, My World, Shoot Me Again, Sweet Amber, The Unnamed Feeling, Purify, All Within My Hands
The Indifferent: NONE

I’m speechless. First off, it’s rare that I can honestly say that an album gives me a headache but I kid you not, by the time I got done listening to this album all the way through, I had a fucking headache and took 4 Advil. “Frantic tock tick tock”? Are you kidding me? “This house is clean man, this house is clean!” Really? Is this the best you can do? I cannot believe that these are the same guys that wrote songs like, “Master of Puppets” and “…and justice for all.” These lyrics are just the absolute worst. I’ve really been honest and true to my word about listening to each album song for song and really trying to find something good in all of them. This album is ZERO good qualities to them. The production is absolute shit, the drums sound horrible and Hetfield and Hammet literally sound like they forgot how to play their guitars. Also, is there a bass player on this album? Bass guitar? Anyone? Bueller? St. Anger is one big ass hot mess. This is a band that has lost all focus and have lost any connection to what they started out being in the very beginning.

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Metallica – Death Magnetic
Release Date: September 12, 2008
The Good: Broken, Beat & Scarred
The Bad: All Nightmare Long, Cyanide, The Day That Never Comes, The End of the Line, The Judas Kiss, My Apocalypse, Suicide & Redemption, That Was Just Your Life, The Unforgiven III
The Indifferent: NONE

First off, I have to say that musically and sonically this album is the best one they’ve done since “The Black Album” but man, SO MUCH CLIPPING! This album is so fucking loud that it’s distorted. These guys are all just deaf or something. There was ONE song on this album that I could listen to straight through without feeling like I was being punished. The songs on this album are so long and in all honesty sound contrived to no end. “Death Magnetic” sounds like band saying, “See, we’re still a heavy metal band. We can play the heavy metal” only to fall short of proving anything besides the fact that they are not even a shadow of their former selves. I can hear that they were trying but that’s just it. They were trying to get back to a place where they once were but they’ve strayed so far from that place that they are lost forever.

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There it is folks.  A huge chunk of time that I will never get back in my lifetime.  At the end of it all, I was really surprised to see just how much of “The Black Album” that I really enjoyed and that “…and justice for all” has much more staying power than I ever thought it had.  I also learned that “The Black Album” was without a doubt the beginning of the end.  Songs like “2×4” and “King Nothing” from “Load” prove that Metallica still has a little bit of something left deep down in side but it has been buried so deep over time that it is now non existent and way too far for them to ever reach again.  Metallica will never be the band that I loved as a kid but I can be thankful that I will always have those classic albums to go back to.  As for these later albums, they will do a great job keeping water rings off of my coffee table. 

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