I've had a very on / off relationship with Metallica. I only really, like so many other folks, got into them with The Black Album. It didn't take me long to investigate the back catalogue. Their best is, obviously, Master Of Puppets, IMO the finest metal album of all time, there isn't a wrong note on the whole album, absolute perfection. Ride The Lightning is almost as good, barring a couple of tracks, and Kill 'Em All is a fine example of a band who will go on to be great with all the rough edges still there and waiting to be chipped off. Justice, though...? what happened to the bloody bass? Yes, it's no secret that after Mr Burton's death the boys gave Mr Newstead a tough time and put his stuff so low in the mix that he might just as well have not showed up. A metal album without a decent bass sound is a sad thing, plus it doesn't help that there are so many overlong tracks... a producer with a decent editing head on their shoulders would have much improved the end product. Again, IMHO. And then we have The Black Album... oh heck, I should be calling it 'Metallica', the official title, but old habits stick
... which is obviously an absolute commercial monster that I doubt anyone saw coming. For me it's like Thunder And Consolation in that I listened to it so many times in the past that I rarely stick it on anymore, I know it so well that I can play it back in my head at any time...
After that, such a mixed bag. The Load / Reload era is, as so many folks have said, a decent ten or so track album lost in more filler than a crumbling brick wall. Saint Anger (title track and lead single aside, which briefly made me think the band could be back on form)? The only reason that it's not the worst Metallica album ever is because they did that fook-awful thing with Lou Reed. Death Magnetic and Hardwired To Self Destruct are certainly better, actually some pretty good tunes on those two, but still one of those scenarios where you spend much time convincing yourself that a band you loved are 'right back on form' when deep down... you know they aren't. thank God we've never had that problem with NMA.
Actually I agree with BER that the double disc Garage Days thing is great. Shame Metallica's songwriting isn't up to the standard of some of those tracks these days.
Blimey, that was a ramble! But, hey, BER, you asked!
Looking forward to what anyone else thinks, these are just my usual silly opinions, other opinions are equally valid. Apart from that album they did with Lou Reed, that was undeniably shit.
