Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album by the American thrash/heavy metal band, Metallica. The album lasts a duration of 74:43. It was released on September 12, 2008 through Warner Bros. Records.
Lineup:
James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
Robert Trujillo – bass
Lars Ulrich – drums
Additional Musicians:
David Campbell – orchestration on "The Unforgiven III"Production:
Rick Rubin – production
Greg Fidelman – mixing, recording
Andrew Scheps – mixing
Mike Gillies – additional recording
Ted Jensen – mastering
Dan Monti – digital editing
Background:
Metallica made a return to their thrash metal roots on Death Magnetic. The album returned to complex, multi-layered arrangements like those typically found on the band's fourth album ... And Justice For All. It is nice to see Metallica sound like themselves for the first time in nearly 20 years, especially after the horrendous St. Anger.
The one problem with the overall sound of the album is the poor production value. I am amazed at the lack in quality of the production after listening to this disc again. It is due to an overly compressed dynamic range, during a process called peak limiting leading to audible distortion. Many of the sounds are distorted and muddled. Even with the poor production value, musically the album is able to shine.
Death Magnetic debuted at 1 on the Billboard 200. The album has since gone 2x Platinum in the United States. Each track will be rated as follows: Awful, Very Poor, Poor, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Good, Great, and Superb. Here are my thoughts on each track:
Track Listing:
1. "That Was Just Your Life" 7:08
I love the atmospheric start to this track. It really sets the tone for the entire album. Metallica's guitar riffs and sound really bring back memories of Metallica's thrash days. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield are back at the forefront of the band with their constant guitar riffing. Lars Ulrich's drumming is also back to the fast pace of former albums. The chorus is very catchy and memorable. The guitar solo is also fantastic. Overall, this is one of the best tracks on the entire album.
Grade: Good
2. "The End of the Line" 7:52
I love the guitar riffs in this track. They are some of Metallica's best in many years. The chorus is definitely my favorite part though. The song is fast paced thrash metal that does not let up. The guitar solo is impressive, but due to the poor production value, it sounds a bit lackluster.
Grade: Good
3. "Broken, Beat & Scarred" 6:25
I love the guitar riffs that are used to begin this track. The song's lyrics are a bit cheesy, but I cannot help but love them. The chorus is fast, catchy, and upbeat. Kirk Hammett's guitar solos continue to be impressive, but the sound quality somewhat ruins them. Overall, this is a good thrasher.
Grade: Above Average
4. "The Day That Never Comes" 7:56
Now comes what could have been one of Metallica's best song of all time with better production value. This ballad has an epic chorus and great emotion throughout its entirety. It reminds me of older Metallica classics like "The Unforgiven" and "One." The guitar soloing is also fantastic. It is a shame the production was not better. Still, this is one of the album's best tracks.
Grade: Good
5. "All Nightmare Long" 7:58
Now comes one of the best tracks from the entire album. I love the intro to the track and then the fast paced guitar riffs that ensue just after. The drum beat is fantastic as well. The chorus has some lyrics that are somewhat cheesy, but I cannot help but to love them. The guitar soloing is ridiculous on this track. These are some of Hammett's finest solos he has ever done.
Grade: Great
6. "Cyanide" 6:39
I love the bass and guitar riffs that begin this track. Lars also has a great mix of fast and slow paced drumming throughout this track. The chorus is pretty memorable and is probably the best part of the song after its intro. I really enjoy the guitar solo as well though. This is another good track with some nice variation in both pace and heaviness.
Grade: Good
7. "The Unforgiven III" 7:46
I love the piano intro of this peace that gives it a different feel and mood than the first two installments of Metallica's "Unforgiven" series. The production value does not allow this song to live up to its full potential, but despite this fact, the song is able to still be memorable and really impressive. The guitar solo is monstrous and absolutely the most epic part of the song.
Grade: Good
8. "The Judas Kiss" 8:00
I love the chorus to this track. It is really memorable, fast paced and leaves a lasting impression lyrically. Some of the guitar riffs in this song are really well done as well. My main problem with this track aside from its poor production is its length can make it someone boring at times. The guitar solos are amazing and unique though on this track.
Grade: Above Average
9. "Suicide & Redemption" (Instrumental) 9:58
Now comes the most impressive track from the entire album. It has some fantastic guitar riffs, great bass works, and really good drumming as well. An instrumental of this length needs to have something that grabs your attention and justify its run time. In this case the killer guitar work throughout is what seems to always draw me back to this song. I really never get bored with this song and it is my favorite from the entire album.
Grade: Great
10. "My Apocalypse" 5:01
This is one of the fastest tracks on the entire album. The production is really lackluster on this song in particular. It sounds distorted when it does not need to and really muddled. The chorus is okay, but not great. This song just kind of feels like an afterthought and does not really fit with the other tracks on the album. Still, it is not a bad song.
Grade: Average
My Verdict:
Death Magnetic has the band's most complex and impressive musical structures since their fourth album ...And Justice For All came out in 1988. The only thing holding Metallica back on this release is the poor production value of the entire album. With that being said, musically, Metallica sounds like themselves again thanks to some impressive musicianship that we have not seen in twenty years from this band. Overall, Death Magnetic is flawed in its sound quality, but as far as song writing goes this is a really good album.
