Who knows? Hard to say. But Richie Sambora used to say the exact same thing about going on stage. Somebody should ask him what exactly he meant, then we‘d have at least an indication of what Lars is talking about. As it is now, we‘re just guessing.
Watched some drummers video with Lars and I was fascinated how little he has interest in his own gear. He got the drumkit from Tama and used it as is, for those 13 years, then decided to remove two toms because his hi-hat was positioned far back.
Just what I was saying earlier. He loves playing, he's just not that fanatical about drumming (if that makes any sense)
@MindRuler@Midnight I remember same guying covering Metallica, but with Portnoy-inspired drums. Doesn't sound good also. @Perun Does this avatar make me look that gullibe? Also, putting 18+ material on forum with juvenile members? Thumb down.
And as an academic, you should know quoting a Wikipedia as a source is a no-no. Second thumb down.
I realize you're joking, but before anyone gets salty, a link to a website phrased in biological terms explaining the ins and outs (pun intended) of sex is not a forbidden link. If you can't figure out not to click on it at work, you're on your own.
It's been nearly 2 years since I went through Metallica's discography and reviewed it. I figured it was as good a time as any to give it another run-through. Included are the ratings I have given each song, plus notations on whether or not the ratings changed compared to last time (and how much they changed), and some thoughts on the albums as well.
Kill 'Em All (1983)
1. Hit The Lights - 6/10 (-1)
2. The Four Horsemen - 8/10 (-1)
3. Motorbreath - 8/10
4. Jump In The Fire - 7/10 (+3)
5. (Anesthesia)—Pulling Teeth - 8/10 (+1)
6. Whiplash - 5/10 (-1)
7. Phantom Lord - 6/10
8. No Remorse - 7/10 (+3)
9. Seek & Destroy - 5/10 (+2)
10. Metal Militia - 6/10 (+2)
Total: 66% (+8)
- As a whole, Kill 'Em All was better this time than it was before. A lot of the songs I thought less of at first I actually enjoyed a lot more, or at least could get behind. "No Remorse", for instance, I actually thought was kind of fun, as was "Jump In The Fire". "Seek & Destroy" I still think is kinda average, but I didn't dislike it like I did at first.
- With that said, "The Four Horsemen" and "Hit The Lights" got knocked down a notch each, and a lot of that has to do with James's voice. I don't like the way he shrieks through this record. It makes some songs almost unlistenable.
- Another qualm of mine is the production. I get it's supposed to sound raw, but it almost feels too loose as well. If you compare it to the Iron Maiden debut, which also had raw production, it still sounds tight. Not so much with KEA, at least to me. The songs as a whole would fare a lot better with better production and better vocals. As it is it feels almost like a foreshadowing of the truly terrible sound of Death Magnetic.
- As a whole though, it's a serviceable debut and I can understand why it's heralded by a lot of people as the genre's defining record. It's just not for me, I think. It's intended for people to just lose themselves and rock out to, but I like music with a little more substance. "The Four Horsemen" hints at that, but it isn't quite there yet.
- And for the record, "The Four Horsemen" is lightyears ahead of "Mechanix". They aren't even close.
Ride The Lightning (1984)
1. Fight Fire With Fire - 10/10 (+3)
2. Ride The Lightning - 9/10
3. For Whom The Bell Tolls - 10/10
4. Fade To Black - 9/10 (+1)
5. Trapped Under Ice - 8/10 (+1)
6. Escape - 7/10 (+1)
7. Creeping Death - 10/10
8. The Call Of Ktulu - 10/10 (+1)
Total: 90% (+7)
- The album's acoustic intro kinda lulls you into thinking the band has lost their ferocity, but from the moment that riff to "Fight Fire With Fire" kicks in and just hits you over the head with ever ounce it holds, you know this album is on another plain entirely compared to Kill 'Em All. And it never really lets up. You can feel the atomic bomb that has been dropped by the album's opener; you can feel the title track in its electric magnitude; you get hit over the head with the fucking bass intro to "For Whom The Bell Tolls"; and listening to "Creeping Death" is like being thrown right into the Angel of Death's arms. It hits you so fucking hard.
- The production on Ride The Lightning is the best that Metallica have EVER had. It sounds huge, it sounds icy, it's in your face and yet looming over you at the same time. It's actually one of my favorite albums production-wise overall.
- Where KEA was about how dope it is to play metal, Metallica really evolved on this record. They know what they want to talk about, and while they aren't exactly brilliant lyricists, they know how to get their point across and tie it into the music to make it really hit you. They tackle pretty tough topics of war, the morality of the death sentence, depression and suicide, and then broaden their horizons by including a song about a Bible story, and another (albeit instrumental) about H. P. Lovecraft's famed fictional monster. They are so much more than just a typical thrash band, it's not even funny. The way they take a collective leap up into greatness with this album blows my mind.
- And let's talk about greatness. The music on this record is great, and no other song exemplifies that than "The Call Of Ktulu". I actually liked the band's original title for it, "When Hell Freezes Over", but I also respect them for not wanting to keep singing about stereotypical metal song topics. Regardless of what the title is though, the band manages to make a nine minute thrash instrumental that perfectly brings to life atmospheres of icy horrors. The way Cliff's bass sort of cuts through the guitars at certain points, almost hinting at more (which we'll get with "Orion") really make it feel like there's something lurking beneath the surface, ready to take you on. It's awesome.
- In the vocal department, meanwhile, James has really transformed into a hard-hitting frontman. He's still a little shriek-y, but it's not a negative like it was on the debut. He's really using what he's got to bring across everything they're talking about.
- But it's not all positives with the album, even though you can pretty much overlook any negatives given the strengths of the whole. "Trapped Under Ice" doesn't quite hit all the highs its predecessors do (but that doesn't mean it won't be stuck in your head all day afterwords!), and "Escape" flirts with filler territory, but luckily has a terrific chorus and a really cool outro.
- Meanwhile, as much as I want to give "Fade To Black" top marks, because it is almost perfect, once the solo enters the scene I just... I don't know. I think it's a big example of why I'm not a big fan of Kirk as a guitarist. The acoustics on the song speak the me. The electric riff speaks to me. The intro and interlude solos speak to me. James speaks to me. But the outro solo just doesn't speak to me. It feels like it's still building even after the song has faded out and I just don't get the payoff so many others seem to get from it. And I wish I could. It goes in the exact same direction as Marty Friedman's "Tornado Of Souls" solo goes, and that's my favorite guitar solo of all time. But I just don't get any payoff from Kirk. And it makes me kinda sad, but it is what it is, I suppose.
- Overall though, this album rules. It's easily the band's second-best record and points forward to the greatness they're going to hit in just two years. If they never recorded Master Of Puppets, though, this would still be a fucking awesome album.
Master Of Puppets (1986)
1. Battery - 10/10
2. Master Of Puppets - 10/10
3. The Thing That Should Not Be - 10/10 (+1)
4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - 10/10
5. Disposable Heroes - 10/10
6. Leper Messiah - 10/10
7. Orion - 10/10
8. Damage, Inc. - 10/10
Total: 100% (+1)
- A lot of people thought I was overhyping MOP the first time I listened to it, and yet coming back to it, it still hits exactly as hard as it did the first time, if not more. Every single song on this album is just perfectly crafted. It is the gold standard of thrash metal. I would even hold it up as one of the best assembled albums I've ever heard. It has it all: perfect openers and closers, well thought-out lyrics, hard-hitting riffs, lit solos (some of Kirk's best), epics!!!, a monster ballad, and a terrific instrumental as well. Oh, and also James Hetfield's best vocal performance ever. Yeah, this album fucking slaps.
- I don't really know what to say about this album, it kind of holds me at a loss for words. So lemme just go through each song quickly and highlight what I love about them.
"Battery": It does exactly what you want from an opener. It builds you up, and then it throws you right in. Fucking awesome.
"Master Of Puppets": It's easy to see this song as overrated because of its status in metal as the best song ever. And yet there's a reason for that. Never has a song really taken a hard look at drugs and hit you with the absolute destruction of them, and still managed to weave in melody among the aggression AND allowed itself to become an anthem for generations to come. It's the perfect metal song.
"The Thing That Should Not Be": It's got a hell of a lot of groove, man. This is one to head-bang to for sure.
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)": The best Metallica ballad. James's voice mixing with the lighter guitars and then heading into heavier territory, fucking awesome. And the riff is so good.
"Disposable Heroes": Probably my favorite song on the album, and probably my favorite Metallica song overall. It is one of the most intense performances in the band's career, and the chorus is one of the all-time greats. I've said it before and I'll say it again: This is "The Trooper" on steroids, and it's awesome.
"Leper Messiah": A lot of people don't rate this one too highly but I think it's just so good. They tackle the televangelist topic much better than other bands of their caliber, and hit right into what's repulsive about them even before the scandals had swept through the public mindset. Another groovy song as well, and I love the change-up partway through.
"Orion": Metallica's best instrumental. The riffs are so huge, and Burton's bass is so masterful. And then it goes into the beautiful bridge section which is a tapestry of gorgeous sound.
"Damage, Inc.": And to top everything off, the band goes right for the jugular with their closing monster. Probably the second-best song on the album. It slays.
- In conclusion, one of the best albums ever made.
...And Justice For All (1988)
1. Blackened - 10/10 (+1)
2. ...And Justice For All - 10/10 (+1)
3. Eye Of The Beholder - 7/10 (+3)
4. One - 10/10
5. The Shortest Straw - 7/10 (+4)
6. Harvester Of Sorrow - 8/10 (+1)
7. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity - 8/10 (+1)
8. To Live Is To Die - 7/10
9. Dyers Eve - 9/10 (+2)
Total: 84% (+14)
- This album went up quite a bit in my ratings. I wasn't as put-off by the production as I was the last time, and while I don't think it's nearly as good as the two that come before it, on its own, it's a pretty strong record.
- As much as Metallica seem to be pushing themselves on this album, they seem to have forgotten how to really tap into greatness as they did previously. While "Blackened", the title track, and "One" showcase the band at their strengths, songs like "Eye Of The Beholder" and "The Shortest Straw", while fun, don't really hit the heights of previous songs, particularly in the choruses. As they rail against American society, they lose the angry-yet-anthemic nature from the previous albums.
- While I do think the title track is a 10 on-record, its best performance is still the one from Seattle '89. Whew what a doozy.
Metallica (The Black Album) (1991)
1. Enter Sandman - 10/10
2. Sad But True - 9/10 (-1)
3. Holier Than Thou - 7/10 (-2)
4. The Unforgiven - 10/10
5. Wherever I May Roam - 9/10 (-1)
6. Don’t Tread On Me - 7/10 (-2)
7. Through The Never - 7/10 (-1)
8. Nothing Else Matters - 10/10
9. Of Wolf And Man - 10/10 (+2)
10. The God That Failed - 10/10 (+1)
11. My Friend Of Misery - 8/10 (+1)
12. The Struggle Within - 6/10 (-1)
Total: 86% (-3)
- As much as this album is more straight-forward and to-the-point in comparison with those that come before it, I feel like there was room to streamline it even forward to the benefit of the album. A lot of the songs will reprise the chorus after the instrumental section and then do another verse / chorus, and it seems a bit like overkill to me. See: "Sad But True", although it's not so much a reprise as it is a re-creation. Also the outros seem to go on forever on some of the songs. "Wherever I May Roam" and "My Friend Of Misery" both got a point docked because of that. "The Unforgiven" also has one that could've been cut, but James's voice on it is awesome and the song as a whole hits me right in the feels, so I can overlook it there.
- Speaking of "The Unforgiven", that song has my personal favorite Kirk Hammett solo on it. It's not exactly perfect, but it really helps pull you further into the song, and I'm really glad Bob Rock pushed Kirk to go above and beyond with it.
- "Enter Sandman" is, of course, a terrific opener and one of the staples of metal, and "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters" are terrific ballads (albeit the latter does have some cheesy lyrics, but I don't mind because it works so well overall, pulling in influences from classic rock artists before them), but two songs that I really think deserve more attention are "Of Wolf And Man" and "The God That Failed". The first is a thrilling werewolf rocker with a terrific performance from James, and the latter is an anger-charged, emotional song about putting faith over reality. That song right there is proof that Metallica weren't through pushing themselves, even if it was a simpler sound overall. "My Friend Of Misery" is also along those lines (and I love the verses), but it doesn't quite hit the same highs during the chorus and instrumental sections.
- Overall it's a much better album than people give it credit for. It's still metal, it's just no longer thrash.
Load (1996)
1. Ain’t My Bitch - 10/10 (+1)
2. 2x4 - 9/10 (+2)
3. The House Jack Built - 10/10 (+4)
4. Until It Sleeps - 10/10
5. King Nothing - 10/10 (+2)
6. Hero Of The Day - 10/10 (+1)
7. Bleeding Me - 9/10 (+1)
8. Cure - 9/10 (+1)
9. Poor Twisted Me - 8/10 (+2)
10. Wasting My Hate - 7/10 (-1)
11. Mama Said - 5/10 (+2)
12. Thorn Within - 9/10 (+2)
13. Ronnie - 7/10
14. The Outlaw Torn - 10/10 (+2)
Total: 88% (+14)
- Load is very much an album of two halves. Even though it was originally intended to be a double album along with the material from Reload, I think the band should've just kept the outro to "The Outlaw Torn" intact and split this album into two discs instead. The first seven songs and the second seven songs really form their own identities together, each ending with an epic and each having a different vibe.
- So let's take the first song set of seven. They are absolutely killer. It's one of the best sets ever. "Ain't My Bitch" gets you hyped as an opener, "The House That Jack Built" tackles alcohol addiction in a cool, Alice In Chains-inspired fashion (and the chorus is awesome!), "Until It Sleeps" and "Hero Of The Day" are awesome ballads, and "King Nothing" takes a lot of what made "Enter Sandman" so good and repackaged it in Metallica's path to become That Band That Sings About Children's Stories (see also "Where The Wild Things Are"). "2x4" and "Bleeding Me" aren't quite at the same level as the other five, but they work really, really well in the context of the tracklist.
- The second song set of seven isn't as good as the first, but it has its moments. "Cure" is a really cool song with a fun chorus and "Thorn Within" has an absolutely awesome verse set (reminds me of Elton John, actually). On the flip side, "Wasting My Hate" is pretty filler-y, but I do like the chorus, and "Ronnie" is a pretty interesting western-type of tale. "Mama Said" is the nadir of this record, but I don't really have any gripes with it. It's just an average country song. But the highlight of the second seven is "The Outlaw Torn" a terrific epic with great verses, a great pre-chorus, and a killer chorus, not to mention the groovy instrumental sections (and yes, the full-length version is the way to go).
- As a whole, I actually really, really like Load. It has its low points, but the highs are so high that I rank it as my third favorite Metallica album, just behind Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets.
Reload (1997)
1. Fuel - 10/10
2. The Memory Remains - 8/10 (+2)
3. Devil’s Dance - 6/10 (+2)
4. The Unforgiven II - 5/10 (-1)
5. Better Than You - 5/10 (-1)
6. Slither - 4/10
7. Carpe Diem Baby - 4/10
8. Bad Seed - 4/10 (+1)
9. Where The Wild Things Are - 6/10 (-2)
10. Prince Charming - 6/10 (-3)
11. Low Man’s Lyric - 7/10 (-1)
12. Attitude - 4/10
13. Fixxxer - 8/10 (-1)
Total: 59% (-3)
- Something went wrong between Load and Reload, because where its predecessor was a really underrated release, this one is just bah. "Fuel" is the only song that hits the highs of what came before. "The Memory Remains" and "Fixxxer" are also pretty good but imperfect. The rest is mostly boring to bad. It's a shame too, because you can hear a lot of good ideas within the songs, but they don't really germinate. Sad. And fuck "The Unforgiven II". What a sad cash-in on a great song's legacy.
St. Anger (2003)
1. Frantic - 7/10 (+5)
2. St. Anger - 4/10 (+3)
3. Some Kind Of Monster - 1/10 (+1)
4. Dirty Window - 3/10 (+2)
5. Invisible Kid - 4/10 (+3)
6. My World - 1/10 (+1)
7. Shoot Me Again - 1/10
8. Sweet Amber - 2/10 (+2)
9. The Unnamed Feeling - 7/10 (+5)
10. Purify - 0/10 (+1)
11. All Within My Hands - 0.5/10 (+.5)
Total: 28% (+21)
- Let's get the good out of the way. "Frantic" is actually a pretty good opener that uses the production choices to its advantage. Not perfectly, of course, but it works. As does "The Unnamed Feeling", which is an almost brilliant take on the topic of depression and is the only time on the album that feels like thought was put into the lyrics. If it was overhauled I'd be happy to call this one a classic Metallica song and give it the 10/10 rating it deserves.
- Everything else... well... eh? Almost all of the songs have something good going on, but they are never harnessed to their full potential because it sounds like the band just doesn't really care to put any effort whatsoever into this record. That's the problem with St. Anger. It's not on an equal playing field among the rest of the Metallica discography because all their other albums show some level of competence. This is just a mess.
- "Purify" remains one of the worst songs I have ever heard. "All Within My Hands" comes close to that level, but I do like the music post-chorus and the doomy outro. That's it. The rest is garbage. I broke tradition and used decimals just for this song.
- The snare sound actually isn't bad and it's one of the things I like about the album. It feels more creative than a lot of the rest of the album. The problem is that the sound of the snare just gets thrown into the maelstrom of meh and therefore seems to heighten the problem. But in and of itself I don't dislike it at all. It makes St. Anger more interesting.
Death Magnetic (2008)
1. That Was Just Your Life - 5/10 (-2)
2. The End Of The Line - 4/10 (-2)
3. Broken, Beat & Scarred - 3/10 (-2)
4. The Day That Never Comes - 5/10 (-2)
5. All Nightmare Long - 3/10 (-1)
6. Cyanide - 3/10 (-1)
7. The Unforgiven III - 6/10 (-1)
8. The Judas Kiss - 2/10 (-2)
9. Suicide & Redemption - 5/10 (-3)
10. My Apocalypse - 1/10 (-2)
Total: 37% (-18)
Beyond Magnetic (2011)
1. Hate Train - 5/10 (-4)
2. Just A Bullet Away - 4/10 (-3)
3. Hell And Back - 4/10 (-4)
4. Rebel Of Babylon - 5/10 (-1)
Total: 45%
- Listening to these two releases is like listening to the death of music. The band is going through the motions. The guitar sound is trash. The vocals are mixed horrendously. I do not like them. I would rather listen to St. Anger, because it at least had its interesting moments.
- Props to "The Unforgiven III" though for actually meaning something though. It isn't great but it's far better than the first sequel.
Lulu (2011)
1. Brandenburg Gate - 8/10 (-1)
2. The View - 8/10
3. Pumping Blood - 9/10 (+1)
4. Mistress Dread - 6/10 (-1)
5. Iced Honey - 9/10
6. Cheat On Me - 7/10 (-2)
7. Frustration - 9/10 (+1)
8. Little Dog - 5/10 (-1)
9. Dragon - 6/10 (-1)
10. Junior Dad - 8/10 (-1)
Total: 75% (-5)
- If this was a Metallica album first and foremost, I wouldn't like it as much as I do. But Lou Reed has never played by the rules, and in this absolute disasterpiece, to me he really nailed it. I like listening through it. It's a zany album but it works for me.
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct (2016)
1. Hardwired - 8/10 (-2)
2. Atlas, Rise! - 9/10 (-1)
3. Now That We’re Dead - 10/10
4. Moth Into Flame - 8/10 (-2)
5. Dream No More - 9/10
6. Halo On Fire - 9/10
7. Confusion - 7/10 (-1)
8. ManUNkind - 10/10 (+1)
9. Here Comes Revenge - 9/10
10. Am I Savage? - 6/10 (-1)
11. Murder One - 4/10 (-1)
12. Spit Out The Bone - 10/10
Total: 83% (-5)
- Firstly, this did not need to be a double album. It doesn't even feel like a double album, but it is what it is.
- By and large, the songs on here are the best Metallica have done since the first Load album. It's a new reawakening for them. Of course you can't move right past the drudge of Death Magnetic but it finally feels like the band has fire again.
- The first disc is overall really solid stuff. Most of the songs aren't perfect, but they work as the band intends them for a good experience overall. "Hardwired", for instance, isn't such a much, but the band is really coming together to make it better than it would've been otherwise.
- I like how Metallica seem to be throwing in winks to the audience with the Maiden-influenced "Atlas, Rise!", or the Diamond Head-esque intro to "Confusion". It's like their throwing in nods to what came before, and yet you never feel like you'd rather just listen to those old songs instead. I think that's a good sign of why this album works.
- The second disc isn't as strong as the first, but "ManUNkind" is one of the band's most underrated songs, and I love the lyrics and the way it's basically got a song-within-a-song once you hit what would otherwise be the bridge. Also props to "Here Comes Revenge", which has great verses and a cool chorus (although it doesn't hit quite as high as "ManUNkind").
- While "Am I Savage?" and "Murder One" embark into filler territory, as soon as "Spit Out The Bone" kicks in, you feel as though you can forgive anything Metallica did in their nigh-forty year career. Why do we still keep listening to them? Because on occasion they'll come together and write a song as fucking spectacular as this. It slays so hard. The verses are pumping, the chorus rips, the bridges are great, the instrumental sections are monumental - the band is on fire. It's one of their all-time best songs. Hallelujah and holy shit.
Extra Songs
1. I Disappear - 9/10
2. No Leaf Clover - 7/10
3. —Human - 7/10
4. Lords Of Summer - 4/10 (-5)
- "I Disappear" is pretty cool and an underrated track from the boys.
- "No Leaf Clover" and "—Human" are pretty solid Metallica songs, but I can hear aspects of Death Magnetic in them and it kinda bums me out.
- "Lords Of Summer" is as though the band took Kill 'Em All riffs, gave them the vibe of Hardwired..., and then turned them into a Death Magnetic song. Fuck.
--------------------
So, overall, this is how I would rank the Metallica albums after this run-through:
1. Master Of Puppets - 100%
2. Ride The Lightning - 90%
3. Load - 88%
4. The Black Album - 86%
5. ...And Justice For All - 84%
6. Hardwired... To Self-Destruct - 83%
7. Lulu - 75%
8. Kill ‘Em All - 66%
9. Reload - 59%
10. Beyond Magnetic - 45%
11. Death Magnetic - 37%
12. St. Anger - 28%
All the songs were written in the same writing sessions. Usually when this is the case the album that gets released first of the two seems to have better songs than the latter one. Personally, I like ReLoad way more.
- Another qualm of mine is the production. I get it's supposed to sound raw, but it almost feels too loose as well. If you compare it to the Iron Maiden debut, which also had raw production, it still sounds tight. Not so much with KEA, at least to me. The songs as a whole would fare a lot better with better production and better vocals. As it is it feels almost like a foreshadowing of the truly terrible sound of Death Magnetic.
I don't really think it was supposed to sound raw you know? I'm sure Hetfield/Ulrich would have liked the album to perhaps sound a bit more like their NWOBHM heroes and as such would have liked a better prodution. But as a new, just signed band on Megaforce, the budget for production wasn't exactly something they had control over yet. For sure if they had the chance they would have liked to work with Flemming Rasmussen to produce the debut, but I think it was good they learned a bit at Megaforce first and toured a shit ton - that is how they got much tighter and were able to really put effort in when doing Ride...
I don't really think it was supposed to sound raw you know? I'm sure Hetfield/Ulrich would have liked the album to perhaps sound a bit more like their NWOBHM heroes and as such would have liked a better prodution. But as a new, just signed band on Megaforce, the budget for production wasn't exactly something they had control over yet. For sure if they had the chance they would have liked to work with Flemming Rasmussen to produce the debut, but I think it was good they learned a bit at Megaforce first and toured a shit ton - that is how they got much tighter and were able to really put effort in when doing Ride...
So, overall, this is how I would rank the Metallica albums after this run-through:
1. Master Of Puppets - 100%
2. Ride The Lightning - 90%
3. Load - 88%
4. The Black Album - 86%
5. ...And Justice For All - 84%
6. Hardwired... To Self-Destruct - 83%
7. Lulu - 75%
8. Kill ‘Em All - 66%
9. Reload - 59%
10. Beyond Magnetic - 45%
11. Death Magnetic - 37%
12. St. Anger - 28%
Diesel 11,
I almost always seem to disagree with your opinions on music,
However, that being said, your descriptions of songs are always a pleasure (sometimes infuriating) to read. You have a great talent for words and in particular a talent for describing music. If you are not already a professional Music critic, I really think you should be one. People should pay you good money to publish this stuff. Well done!!!!!!
I am happy to say that I too think MOP is Metallica's best.
My order is this:
Enthusiastic to listen to (would be happy to listen through the album):
MOP
Kill 'em All
Some of RTL
On odd occasions might crave for, but when listening to, the craving quickly disappears (typically get bored and can't listen to whole album):
Hardwired... To Self-Destruct
Can handle listening to the odd song:
...And Justice For All
The Black Album
Just can't be bothered with... haven't listened for years, don't ever think about any of the songs
Load
Re-load
Beyond Magnetic
Painful to listen to, would go insane if I had to listen to the whole album
St Anger
Hardwired is the album that Death Magnetic should have been. Death Magnetic I feel they were trying to overcompensate and make the songs more complicated and convoluted than they needed to be. Killer riffs on DM, but they really should've took a less is more approach on it. That Was Just Your Life, The Day That Never Comes and All Nightmare Long are perfect as is though.
Master of Puppets is a good album, but I think you're overhyping it a bit. Also Devil's Dance and Slither deserve to be ranked higher. Those are actually pretty good.
My Metallica rankings would go as follows:
1. Ride the Lightning
2. ...and Justice For All
3. Kill Em All
4. Master of Puppets
5. The Black Album
6 through however many there are: doesn't really matter/don't care.
All the songs were written in the same writing sessions. Usually when this is the case the album that gets released first of the two seems to have better songs than the latter one. Personally, I like ReLoad way more.
I used to always prefer Load, but in the last few years I've been leaning toward Reload more. The songs are darker, whereas a lot of Load has this alternative fuzzy warm feel-good vibe. Reload sounds more metal, and while I like a lot of genres of music, the songs just hit harder. I also find Reload to be more consistent - while some of the songs sound similar (Prince Charming, Bad Seed, and Attitude could have been the same song), none of them outright suck as much as some of those Load fillers (e.g. Cure and Poor Twisted Me come to mind). Better Than You and Slither are bad, but they don't quite reach those levels.
Load sounds like I'm driving through the country reminiscing about good times, while Reload is like sitting in a storm drain. Songs about addiction, homelessness, child abuse, dementia, lost loves, and a lot of regrets... dark. Fast cars and creepy children's stories are the most positive topics here. It's a very cynical album, and current me loves it.
The first two are masterpieces, both of the middle ones are flawed in some way and Kill Em All I won't listen to most of. The rest of their discography is on my list of albums to listen to at some point.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Forget I ever said anything...