Metallica

Forostar said:
Let's have it.
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You'd never believe me.

I like all of Metallica's albums.
Top tier, I can happily listen to every track - Justice, Death Magnetic and Lulu.
Middle group are records I used to fully enjoy but over familiarity and my ageing has taken the shine off a bit. Undeniable classics though - 1st 3 and black.
Bottom group can entertain to the full if I'm in the right mood. When the wind is in the east, a full moon in the sky and the planets align - the Loads and Anger.

On hearing Hardwired for the first time I immediately put it in the latter group. Now it's in the top group. I suspect it'll end up in the middle.

On Death Magnetic, they managed to write progressive structures whilst retaining commerciality.
St. Anger has a real primal edge, the centre riff from Savage has a similar feel.
 
Listening to the new album. While Death Magnetic contained good ideas, it was completely destroyed by the terrible sound quality. This is the opposite, a well produced and surprisingly good sounding album. Even the drums sound good here. And Kirk Hammett... For the first time since 1988, I enjoy listening to the man's playing. (His soloing on "Halo on Fire" is great, even.)
 
Srogyy said:
I guess I had known like 3 Load/Reload songs before, so these two were an unknown territory to me. I was well aware that they're divisive, so I was surprised by how much I liked them. I think they're dripping with badass riffs and original ideas. The sound is great (I like the guitar tone - full, but not overly distorted). Songs are very well written, they flow nicely (that flow was lost on St. Anger and DM). Some tracks are among my Metallica favourites, for example: Ain't My Bitch (killer track, lame title), Until It Sleeps (top 5 Metallica material for me), The Memory Remains, Fixxxer.
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I also really liked these albums. About half of each contains filler (more so Reload), but the good songs (Until it Sleeps, King Nothing, Bleeding Me, Outlaw Torn, Fuel, Memory Remains, Fixxxer) are some of the band's best.
 
Load/Reload is always a fun experience, as long as you have the option to skip tracks.

Something like

1. Fuel
2. The Memory Remains
3. Devil's Dance
4. Until It Sleeps
5. King Nothing
6. Hero of the Day
7. The House Jack Built
8. Bleeding Me
9. Where the Wild Things Are
10. The Outlaw Torn

Would be one hell of an album.
 
I got the LPs in the mail today and listened to the album (still need to get to the bonus tracks) ... On first listen, pretty damn good. It sounded good, nothing really struck me as horrible, though I think there are a few paint by numbers Metallica songs that are nothing special. Atlas strikes me as being really good so far.

I'll listen to it more this week ... but so far .. so good
 
jazz from hell said:
Nice post @Srogyy. Agree on (Re-)Load and the awesomeness of St. Anger title track.
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While I don't think the song is anything great, it's definitely the strongest from that album and could be brought up to "good" status with decent production.

The Flash said:
1. Fuel
2. The Memory Remains
3. Devil's Dance
4. Until It Sleeps
5. King Nothing
6. Hero of the Day
7. The House Jack Built
8. Bleeding Me
9. Where the Wild Things Are
10. The Outlaw Torn

Would be one hell of an album.
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I'd get rid of 6 and 7 and add Fixxxer, Low Man's Lyric, and Unforgiven II.
 
I like Hero of the Day, pretty nice dynamic tune with good lyrics. House Jack Built is one of the heavier tracks there, love the main riff.

Low Man's Lyric is actually a candidate for my least favorite track on the two records.
 

Director of this video is the same person who directed the Steven Wilson animated music videos.

Steven Wilson said:
Very proud to see the release of a video for a track from the new Metallicaalbum directed by a member of the "Steven Wilson family" Jess Cope, and it's really fantastic! Metallica invited Jess to do the video after seeing the animated films she created for my songs, especially The Raven That Refused to Sing, which apparently is a big favourite in the James Hetfieldhousehold (-:

Great to see her out there working for the biggest heavy rock band on the planet, go Jess!!
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What a cool venue. Looks like a tube station. With walls that could literally have looked the same when people sheltered there for the German bombings.
 
SixesAlltheway said:
Even when James sings Happy Birthday he throws his Hetfield-isms in there. "Happy birthday to youu-AH"!
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I was listening to the first half of Load today and I still like the album very much - it's really catchy, joyful, sounds great and pulls me in.

The only thing ... each time he did that "It ain't my biiiiit-CHAH!", I began laughing hysterically.
 
SixesAlltheway said:
I never understood the deal with pre-order? From comments it seems it's just more hassle than picking up the album when it's out...Unless you get extra goodies thrown your way for doing the pre-order, I don't understand it.
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As far as Amazon goes, the point of the pre-order: 1. "supposed" to guarantee you the CD on release day (remember Book of Souls selling out everywhere?) & 2. If the price goes down (to stay competitive) between the time you pre-order and the date of shipment, you pay the lowest price. You don't get billed until the CD ships.
 
Srogyy said:
A fun interview with Lars: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/11/23/metallica-lars-ulrich-stupid-questions Nice to see some self-distance humour coming from him.
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Thanks for this, it's amazing! Lars has always been a funny and quick guy, but Lars is even funnier when he's making fun of Lars:

Has there ever been a moment where you didn’t think, “You know what this song needs? More double bass drum!”?

Yes. Mostly live, at the end of the set, on warm, humid nights. “Why the f— did I step it up here? I should have taken the easier way out in the studio!”
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Based on the drums on H...TSD, he took his own advice.

When you’re in the middle of a kickass drum solo, where do your thoughts drift off to?

“I should have taken lessons. I hope the sound man has turned this up so loud that the volume is masking my inability. Every late great drummer is currently turning over in his grave.” And then the last one is: “Since I write the set list, reminder: Don’t put ‘One’ on tomorrow’s set list.”
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LOLOLOLOLOLOL @ a Lars drum solo. However, interesting to know that he's the one making every set list. We have Lars to thank for pulling out some of the rarities, no doubt?

You’re the only Ameircan band to have five consecutive studio albums debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200. What would you do to ensure that this one goes No. 1, too? Would you be willing to, say, give back the Grammy you won for St. Anger?

[Pause] Did we win a Grammy for St. Anger?

You actually did.

Winning a Grammy for St. Anger just sounds wrong.

It does.

Since we have more Grammys than No. 1 albums, for the sense of balancing those out, yes, I would give the St. Anger Grammy back, to get those numbers closer together.

Metallica music was played by American troops in Afghanistan to repel the Taliban. Would the war have been over much faster if they’d used Nickelback?

Forget about Nickelback — the war would have been over even faster if they’d stuck to only St. Anger songs.
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This is seriously one of the best interviews I've ever read.
 
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