The Metallica we know and love is back. This fact is apparent on the opening riff of "That Was Just Your Life", Death Magnetic's energetic opener. In the same vein as Battery and Blackened this track showcases the blazing speed and technical riffs that have come to define the band's 80's output.
The music on this album is undeniably great. In fact, it comes close to achieving the brilliance of the "Holy Trinity" of Metallica albums (Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and ...And Justice for All). "All Nightmare Long" is a speed showcase that contains one of the catchiest choruses that Hetfield has ever written. To contrast, "The Unforgiven III" contains slow, moody sections with piano and horn that eventually build up until Hammett releases the best solo on the album and also one of the greatest in his career. "The Judas Kiss" is perhaps the high point of the album. An epic similar to something off of ...And Justice for All. The whole album is not a throwback however. You can still hear influence from the band's 90's material as well as St. Anger, but this fact only helps the album. The record combines the best aspects of all both Metallica eras (80's and 90's to present) while also breaking some new ground. "The End of the Line" contains a very well done mellow section as well as a solo that wouldn't sound out of place on a Rage Against the Machine record. The St. Anger production style is no where to be found on this album except for one track, the album closer "My Apocalypse", which sounds like an updated version of Damage Inc from Master of Puppets. Lars' goes back to tin can drumming on this song for some strange reason. Luckily the track is backed up by awesome riffs and a kickass Kill Em' All style solo. The album is shockingly consistent, it is perhaps even Metallica's most consistent CD. Although there is no "Master of Puppets", "One", or "Fade to Black" on this disc, the record remains consistent throughout. All of the songs are enjoyable.
Death Magnetic is not perfect, in fact it is quite lacking in the lyrics department. Some of the song titles look like they could have been on a DragonForce album ("My Apocalypse", "The Judas Kiss"), others are just too cheesy to describe ("All Nightmare Long"). It seems that Hetfield has lost the ability to write decent lyrics, and no other member has proved to be a competent writer yet either (remember the whole band writes the lyrics now). Hetfield screams "Love is a four letter word!" on the first single "The Day That Never Comes" and all hope of lyrical depth disappears.
I don't listen to Metallica for the lyrics. I listen for the music, which as I already stated is amazing on this album. All of the members display the best musicianship we've seen from the band since ..And Justice for All. The star here is Hammett who lays down a blistering solo on each track as if it were the good ole' days again. Hetfield retains his title as one of the best frontmen in metal, providing excellent riffs and singing his heart out (his voice hasn't sounded this good in a long time). Even Lars (who has been taking a lot of flac lately for his drumwork) manages to create some memorable drum tracks. The member everyone is wondering about is Rob Trujillo, who proves that he is worthy throughout the album, most notably on the first Metallica instrumental in ages, "Suicide & Redemption" which is carried by a rock steady bass riff.
Consistent high quality tracks, excellent musicianship and a return to the band's 80's style cause Death Magnetic to be the best Metallica album since ...And Justice for All. Only the Holy Trinity of Metallica albums can top it. The only flaw of the album is the lyrics, but who listens to Metallica for the lyrics?
9/10
Key Tracks: "The Judas Kiss", "The End of the Line", "All Nightmare Long", "The Unforgiven III", "That Was Just Your Life", "My Apocalypse", "Suicide & Redemption"
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