1) Lars aweful snaredrum and the sterile production from St. Anger are there. No matter how heavier the songs are, it still sounds like it was recorded using a bunch of cheap gear in a Seattle grunge studio basement. Ok Metallica, its been close to 20 years you've been working with the same producer and the majority of it is forgettable. TRY A NEW PRODUCER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!! Someone who isn't there going through the motions to collect a paycheck and do whatever you say James. Get Terry Date. Someone. Anyone, but Bob Rock!
2) Many of songs are giving me flashbacks of the band Overkill, especially the guitar playing and tone of Bobby Gustafson, one of the few musicians James respected and allowed into their dysfunctional inner circle. Its all over this album.
3) Challenge yourselves! Stop with the life coaches and counselors telling you what kind of music you should be making. This isn't Oprah or some lifetime channel movie.
4) The songs themselves are by far some of the best material they have put out in a long time, but the production ruins most of it.
5) Nice to hear that James unleashed Kirk to do some good solo and lead work again. It helped salvage this from being another St. Anger.
(6) Unforgiven III? Please, whoever needs to be forgiving for something they did to James, please work it out with him. No more ballads with piano and James singing like he's auditioning for american idol.
Are they the band with that song from the 80s, "Hello Yellow Butter"? They rock.
As long as the basics are good they can turn it into a killer when they do it live. Metallica in concert (except for that descent into idiocy with the orchestra) is Metallica at its best.
Saw Overkill open up for Motorhead and Slayer at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Overkill frankly sucked but when Lemmy’s ugly ass hit the stage all hell broke loose.... and did it ever, that pit was nasty.
We need songs like this again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXaSs1s0LA8&feature=related