Unpopular Metal/Rock Opinions

The Black Album is great. Load was not an improvement, but it was a good evolution. Metallica didn't repeat themselves, and they really haven't done so since Justice. (DM calls back to the old stuff, but didn't precede or follow a similar album.) That's why I've never agreed with calling them sellouts. They take risks on every album.

If anything, Justice was the sellout album. That's where they kept blathering down the same prog/thrash path. "One" and a handful other made it worth it, but that album was Metallica doing what was expected, doing what they knew would sell.

Remember the Black Album came out a few months before grunge hit. Metallica did not follow the crowd. It may not seem like it in retrospect, but the Black Album was a legit risk for the band.
 
If anything, Justice was the sellout album. That's where they kept blathering down the same prog/thrash path. "One" and a handful other made it worth it, but that album was Metallica doing what was expected, doing what they knew would sell.

Can you really blame them after the death of Cliff?
 
Probably not. We also know from interviews they did at Black Album time, it was exactly the experience of Justice that made them decide to start changing things up. So I still say Justice was a sellout, but forgivable under the circumstances and because of how things went after.
 
I wouldn't call it a sellout then personally. A low risk approach due to the volatility of the scenario perhaps, but not a full blown sellout.

Regardless, Justice is an exceptional album. One is the best metal song ever in my view, the title track is outstanding, there are some great underrated tracks on it like Beholder and Frayed Ends, and there's nothing close to bad on the album. So even if it was a sellout, it probably wouldn't matter to me, because Justice to me is what X-Factor is to a lot of fans of the album here.
 
Although Justice is my second favorite Metallica album, I agree that it was "blathering down the same path", as SMX put it. Doing the exact same style for more than two albums very rarely works out. Two albums is pretty much the expiration date, especially in a less-eclectic style like metal. When you look at it from Maiden's perspective for example, the only time they went that way and it worked out is 82-84. Debut and Killers; Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind and Powerslave; Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son; No Prayer and FOTD; X-Factor and VXI. Brave New World, Dance of Death, A Matter of Life and Death and The Final Frontier are also similar in style and this attempt also has a stinker (DOD).
 
Another unpopular opinion (on this forum, anyway): Lyrics matter.

People think I'm crazy here for liking Bob Dylan I'm sure :), but this is why I like him. Lyrics. The storytelling. The way he accents his words, the way he sometimes puts extra emphasis on a word or uses his voice to drag them out.The way he phrases his sentences is masterful! .People can say what they want about Dylan ( I don't care) but if you're looking for emotional depth ( a previous discussion in this thread) try out Dylan or some of the singer/songwriters of the 70's.....:) Just be prepared to listen to the message instead of the music.
 
Although Justice is my second favorite Metallica album, I agree that it was "blathering down the same path", as SMX put it. Doing the exact same style for more than two albums very rarely works out. Two albums is pretty much the expiration date, especially in a less-eclectic style like metal. When you look at it from Maiden's perspective for example, the only time they went that way and it worked out is 82-84. Debut and Killers; Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind and Powerslave; Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son; No Prayer and FOTD; X-Factor and VXI. Brave New World, Dance of Death, A Matter of Life and Death and The Final Frontier are also similar in style and this attempt also has a stinker (DOD).

DoD is not a stinker.
 
People think I'm crazy here for liking Bob Dylan I'm sure :), but this is why I like him. Lyrics. The storytelling. The way he accents his words, the way he sometimes puts extra emphasis on a word or uses his voice to drag them out.The way he phrases his sentences is masterful! .People can say what they want about Dylan ( I don't care) but if you're looking for emotional depth ( a previous discussion in this thread) try out Dylan or some of the singer/songwriters of the 70's.....:) Just be prepared to listen to the message instead of the music.

I've seen him live back in '02. :p
 
Probably not. We also know from interviews they did at Black Album time, it was exactly the experience of Justice that made them decide to start changing things up. So I still say Justice was a sellout, but forgivable under the circumstances and because of how things went after.


I like Justice better than the Black album .. to bad they recorded it in a tin can
 
People think I'm crazy here for liking Bob Dylan I'm sure :), but this is why I like him. Lyrics. The storytelling. The way he accents his words, the way he sometimes puts extra emphasis on a word or uses his voice to drag them out.The way he phrases his sentences is masterful! .People can say what they want about Dylan ( I don't care) but if you're looking for emotional depth ( a previous discussion in this thread) try out Dylan or some of the singer/songwriters of the 70's.....:) Just be prepared to listen to the message instead of the music.

This .. the lyrics are there to tell a story or convey feelings. You get that from the words themselves and from the change in vocals. They go together ... which leads back to the harsh vocals where they only thing they convey is "I am pissed" -- American pissed, not British pissed :)
 
It is when it's held against the Maiden standard.

Paschendale and No More Lies are fantatstic. Montsegur, Face In The Sand, the title track and Rainmaker are all solid. Sure, it has Gates, Frontier and Innocence too, but PoM had Quest For Fire and Sun And Steel too, don't forget.

But yeah, this is probably better suited for the Unpopular Maiden Opinions thread.
 
I've grown accustomed to the quiet bass pretty easily over the years, so it would sound weird to me if it was Harris levels of loud.
 
As a bassist, I believe there's no such thing as "too loud" for the bass. That remix is perfect. :cool:

I'm a bassist, too, remember. And I tend to value bass more than any other instrument but my point stands. Nothing wrong with bass being a lead instrument and being prominent in the mix (it's awesome) but Newsted's playing on that album is strictly rhythmic and it doesn't quite fit a loud bass mix.
 
I have never liked U 2 one bit, I don't understand the hype, their music is boring as hell! And don't even get me started on Bono, I can't stand him one bit! Also think Aerosmith are way overrated
 
DoD is not a stinker.
Paschendale and No More Lies are fantatstic. Montsegur, Face In The Sand, the title track and Rainmaker are all solid. Sure, it has Gates, Frontier and Innocence too, but PoM had Quest For Fire and Sun And Steel too, don't forget.

But yeah, this is probably better suited for the Unpopular Maiden Opinions thread.

Have a whole round of 'likes'. :)
 
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