on 2011-02-16 Sinist3r Punk Said:

I still can't believe that whole thing went down in the comments. You handled it really well. Your level of sarcastic genius was admirable haha
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on 2011-02-16 SolitaryMan Said:

Hahaha. Thanks for posting on this review Brandon, I got to re-live that little argument with gutterseed. I've rarely seen anyone so seething and hostile over another person's opinions (apart from the realms of politics and religion). This was one of my all-time most enjoyable reviews for just that reason. And I still hold to my last sentence. As a studio band, as a songwriting force, Metallica is dead. They remain only as a monument to their former selves, destined to re-play their extensive catalog of fantastic music in a live setting and never again to debut a song that can stand up to the likes of "Master of Puppets", "One", "Fade to Black", etc.
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on 2011-02-16 Sinist3r Punk Said:

All hail Solitary Man! Your review summed up my opinion entirely. Metallica should have quit a long time ago.
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on 2010-08-22 gutterseed Said:

Irrational? I gave you nothing but RATIONAL reasons as to why a band would spend MORE money on production, and even gave you an EXAMPLE of WHY metallica is more than production. If my views were so "trivial" you wouldn't be attacking them. I have a VERY difficult time believing you've recieved anything like my responses in regards to your reviews, because you handle my responses like a 12 year old.

I'm not negating anything, and my passions are not entirely based on metallica, as a matter of fact, I believe I stated that St. Anger was nothing but trash, does that sound like clouded judgement to you?

I never said it was "wrong" to like Death Magnetic, I believe that if you can't objectively view Metallica without mentioning the word "sellout" then you shouldn't be in the business son!
I'd also like to add that "load" and "re-load" are two of the best albums in the metallica catalog. The lyrics, the musical composition, I like everything about these two albums. I will admit, St anger is the album that made the band "the girlfriend that cheated" but with death magnetic, I dub thee forgiven
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on 2010-08-06 SolitaryMan Said:

Well, I can certainly understand his passion, but what I don't understand is the irrational way he goes about showing it. Like I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and whether or not gutterseed agrees with mine is really a trivial matter. I've gotten responses like this from a multitude of my reviews, as I'm such most music critics have at one point or another when they make their opinions available to further opining. I am totally fine with people disagreeing with me, even calling me out on my credentials because nobody should take that kind of stuff on assumptions I guess. But what I do not care for is this individual, gutterseed, trying to transform his opinions into fact and therefore negate my own as slander or misinformed rhetoric. This is the sort of nonsense many of us can fall into when attempting to brand our thoughts onto any given piece of art, from music to literature and all points in between. When we allow our passions for something, in this case a popular band and a popular album, to cloud over the only actual fact of the entire business of reviewing music; anyone can do it and, so long as you're honest with yourself, you are never in the wrong for doing so. Others have the right to THINK you are in the wrong, but ultimately when people like gutterseed take that opinion and try to make us believe it's a simple, universal truth, that's when you have to point to them and say "you are wrong, and that is a fact". I'm not saying it's wrong to like Death Magnetic, okay? I'm saying it's wrong to tell me I'm wrong for not liking it, and explaining why I don't. If you can't comprehend that, and want to continue to allow your love for it to cloud your judgment, I have nothing else to say to you.
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on 2010-08-05 hstisgod Said:

I consider not even responding, simply cause I gave up on these wacked out greedy old farts. Call my words irresponsible, but its seems to me...

1. their "passion" and desire for maximized energy and ultra desire for making unique music, metal or not. Kill Em All still has yet to be matched and Ride The Lightning created a whole generation of metal to come.
2. They got a taste of chart success with AJ4A and Black, we saw it, we all called it, you know what's next.
3. Choking to keep their trend leading ways afloat, load and reload we're the beginning of the decline. A few cool covers and the occasional good riff kept some listening. Since then? A Linkin Park-like (snare soaked) album in St. Anger. This drowned out any sign of passion for anything but making money, and I stopped caring.

In the end, gutterseed went a bit off the reservation with his defense, but I respect his "passion". Seems familiar, oddly enough. All that being said, I haven't even listened to this album yet (laughs). Still not sure I'll make time out for it. Metallica is like the girlfriend that cheated.
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on 2010-08-04 X_NaStY Said:

People like gutterseed make me laugh.
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on 2010-08-04 dscanland Said:

I'd have to agree with Solitary on this one. I really wanted to get back into Metallica. I don't know why but I felt that Death Magnetic would be it. It wasn't. I was sorely disappointed. And again, from a very early on fan I kind of lost the feel for the band back with Load and all that, St. Anger was a joke. And this one, while heavy, it lacks the charisma any of their pre-Black album had. And yes, I gave it about 10 listens and still haven't found reason to come back. I just gave it repeat listens due to WANTING to like it, WANTING to find some merits in it but they failed. I repeat Solitary's sentiment: Metallica - It's fucking Over.

Oh, and by all means, you are entitled to like it. We all like different stuff. Don't bash someone for not liking something you are passionate about. They are just a passionate about their opinion.
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on 2010-08-03 gutterseed Said:

Oh come on! Dark Side of the Moon sold because it was a great album. To compare it to the likes of N Sync and then go on to talk about how you could make a comprable album with your minimal musical skills is nefarious and only speaks of your incompetence. And as far as production, well that's kind of a stupid thing to bitch about. If you're going to sell a record and make a record, and you have the money to spend on it, doesn't it make sense to do that?
But let's say I'm wrong, I'll entertain the idea, how do you explain the outstanding job Metallica does on stage, be it St.Jerkoff or Kill em All. Now, compare that to the likes of....I don't know Motley crue, who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce Dr Feelgood. Yeah, ever seen them in concert, not the same. I don't really care what your first "foray" into metal was sonny, these guys are legitimate musicians and even if you dislike them, you should set your minimally skilled opinion aside and start aiming a little higher and give these guys the props they deserve. The fact is, you are not entitled to your own opinion, the definition of great is not "you".
By the way, if you listen to this album more than once you might just understand what it takes to define greatness. Right now you're just the definition of sadness...Solitary Man
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on 2010-08-03 SolitaryMan Said:

While you are as entitled to your opinions, however far-fetched and misled they may be as I am to my own, I do think you deserve a bit of backround on both the review and the reviewer you are bashing. First off, I am not 16, I am 25 and a long-time metal fan, going back close to 15 years in fact. Metallica were my first foray into metal, and the album was "...And Justice For All". Now, over time I came to appreciate elements of every Metallica album, Death Magnetic included. But my ears have always been more in-tune with their early works, from Kill 'Em All up to and kinda including The Black Album, which was very catchy and well-produced but lacked the more progressive elements they had indulged in prior, which were a real selling point for me. Ever since then, they have no doubt set about redefining themselves, for whatever reasons, whether they be to sell more or to keep themselves interested and active by not having to re-hash old material. But Death Magnetic IS a re-hash of the old, it offers very little in the way of anything but nostalgia. While many fans (myself included) thought, after St. Anger, that that is exactly what they wanted, nobody could have expected to actually like the results. I thought I would enjoy this album far more than I did, but I didn't, and really, it's a bit of a pain in the ass to have to hear anyone get on my case about it. Certain parts of my review may have offended anyone who actually likes/loves this album, and in turn you may feel it proper to offend me in return, but nothing is solved. Nobody is changing their minds. I think Death Magnetic is a poor record coming from a band with the track record of Metallica; you don't. The world spins regardless.
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Review:

on 2010-08-03 gutterseed Said:

After St Anger, It was refreshing to finally hear something close to the black album. The drums are out of this world. I can't imagine not likeing this album. They definately went back to their roots, The person up above obviously has no clue what they are talking about.In fact, I'm sure he's just a preppy little 16 year old throwing words like "sellout"
This album is a great running album because the drum beat keeps your feet going. You can speed up and slow down, do intervals. Just because Metallica is sober doesn't mean they selled out.
And as for the songs not being well mixed, WTF? This album is tight and cohesive.
And whats this about Slayer, Maiden and megadeth? Maiden comes out with a new album every year, plays a three hour set, and it's nothing like the others.
The Unforgiven is an excellent tale. I think you have you panties up in a bunch and just want to trash the band to be trendy because if you didn't like metallica, then why are you reviewing it?
I suggest you go review the jonas brothers.
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Review:

on 2009-06-23 KLee Said:

You know how I know Death Magnetic is good? Because before I heard note ONE from it, some of Metallicas most vocal critics came out, again. But this time, there was no complaint about them sounding too mainstream or them selling out. No, this time, all they could complain about was one thing, the production of the album. Mind you, they were complaining about a low quality download of it, but the best criticism they could muster against a band they have been hating since 1992 is Well the songs arent mixed well&. Excuse me while I laugh myself into a coma.

In all seriousness when I heard that Metallica were thinking like they did as if it were 1985, I immediately became skeptical. The whole reason I like Metallica is because they are honest and arent trying to rest on their laurels. Where Slayer, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden have been making the same record for a better part of their career, Metallica have always tried to move FORWARD, sometimes painstakingly so. I didnt want then to go back to 1984, its not 1984, despite what some of their so called fans might think. But I will admit I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the first track&

The album kicks off in classic Metallica fashion on That Was Just Your Life with a slow, clean, and dissonant guitar line, leading into a heavy bit of syncopation before it launches into its full fury. Sort of similar to the build on Enter Sandman but not quite as polished. The End Of The Line, as the hardcore fans know, opens up with a riff that came from a completely different new song that the band played life a few times over in Europe. While I do like this song and the way they worked the riff in, I like the one they played live better. I think the reason they chose to do it this way is because this song is a lot more of a riff o rama song as opposed to the other one. Broken, Beat, & Scarre would become one of the singles off the album and there is no shock as too why. This is the first track that has any mainstream kinda hooks in it. The opening/main riff my not sound like it, but when you play it, it is very similar to the main riff of Enter Sandman. And of course the Show&.your&..scars&. chorus is catchy as hell.

The Day That Never Comes starts off as the bands slowest and prettiest offering on the album (well until the end). It was the first single and does have a very epic feel to it. The clean guitar under the verse that kicks into the heavy chorus is reminiscent of a lot of the bands previous offerings such as Fade To Black and Sanitarium in song structure. All Nightmare Long starts off like the albums lead track but it goes straight to heavy a lot faster. This song, and one other on here have a legit chance of going down as two of the greatest Metallica songs of all time. Why? The song assaults you with riff after riff (the main one written by bassist Rob Trujilo) and then kicks into what I believe to be one of the catchiest choruses I have ever heard on ANY record, EVER.

Cyanide starts off with a riff that harkens back to Black Sabbaths Symptom Of The Universe and then kicks into a riff VERY similar to Motorheads The Ace Of Spades. The genius part of the song? Unless you get down and play it, youd never know. The tracks chorus also the first and only on the album to have a riff that goes along with the vocal line, a la The Unforgiven.

And speaking of that classic track, Metallica revisit it yet again with a part III. Now, I really am not a fan of these musical trilogies or reduxs. In fact Ive only heard it pulled off really well once and that was with Megadeths Return To Hangar a reprise to their famous Hanger 18, but this song is a lot better than I was willing to give it credit for. It kicks off with what is obviously a tribute to Ennio Morricone who wrote what the band uses to start off every show The Ecstasy of Gold. I truly thing what Metallica are doing in this song (at least in terms of the extras) are doing The Unforgiven the way it could have been done the first time. The song has a heavy verse and softer chorus, just like the original; but in this one, they are liberal with the cellos and strings as opposed to how they were back in 1991 when it JUST HAD to be more heavy and less p*ssy. I think if I had to say goodbye in a perfect movie setting Id like the way the tracks middle Forgive me, forgive me not part goes as it is a fitting way to end something, as I think Metallica have ended The Unforgiven, once and for all.

Remember how I said there were two tracks on here that could be two of their greatest ever? Welcome to the other one The Judas Kiss and it is for much of the same reason that All Nightmare Long and every other classic Metallica track could be the best song anyone has ever heard, because there is a perfect mix of riffs and hooks. I still, to this day, get chills when I hear the first Bowwwwwwwwwwwwww down, sell your soul to me. And, just like Cyanide the chorus riff, if you get down and play it, is very similar to the Metallica favorite Creeping Death but once again, youd never know unless you cared to find out. Unfortunately the bands foray back into the instrumental business is the albums weakest track (if it has one). Unfortunately it isnt as epic and classic as Orion and The Call Of Ktulu but I really do think that those songs were so good because Cliff was there with his ear for classical music to help shape them.

The album closes with a shorter balls out headbanger My Apocalypse. The opening riff is what I think could be considered a Justice Riff as upon listen after listen it reminds me of Harvester Of Sorrow. To be sure, this is one of the punchiest songs of the album. Its just a constant assault of great riffs more so in a condensed song structure as opposed to 40 riffs, one after another. I think it is a great way to end this album and this chapter of the Metallica musical catalogue.

Did Metallica go back to their roots? Yes, I think they did. But in classic Metallica fashion, they didnt date themselves in the least. Im sorry for doubting you, and I wont make that mistake again, lest I get beat over the head with more heavy riffs I dont see coming.

Rating: 10/10

on 2008-10-07 SolitaryMan Said:

When a review cuts through the hype to the real meat of what's being offered, I think it does a service to many (potential) listeners, and therefore has a place here at ME. You won't soon see us reviewing the next Toby Keith or 50 Cent album, though. At least not from me.
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on 2008-10-06 dscanland Said:

It is true. That's why most of us are here, to find music outside of the hype. I'm surprised that Solitary actually posted this review but it does bring up a point. If something sells it doesn't mean you should buy it. The hype has done one thing. It's made a lot of people give Metalica a second chance.
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on 2008-10-06 SolitaryMan Said:

You can try to, though. When mentioning how monumental an album Dark Side Of The Moon was, anyone will bring to attention the fact that it spent more time on the album charts than any other disc. But if you're going to sit there and tell me an album like Death Magnetic has somehow made rock history, I'm not going to hear it. And to be honest, the album has grown on me some more since this review, probably to the point of bumping my score up to a 3, but it's numbers do not signify outstanding music, just an outstanding name and the current internet-fueled means of hyping just about anything too damn much. If I had the means, and an established history of great music, I guarantee you I could make you a platinum record with just the musical skills I possess, which are minimal at best. Hell, how do you think N'Sync sold records?
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on 2008-10-05 kev_stev Said:

you cannot base an album's credibility solely on sales. absolutely not.
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on 2008-10-05 devilgurl Said:

well,if their new album so bad....how did it make rock history?? It debutted at #1 in like 10 countries,peoples!Ain't as if everyone bought it on speculation without hearing some of it...heard this same stuff about St.Anger and Glenn's Blacacidevil at first....
the minute someone tries something a bit different,everyone has puppies about it...
listen to it several times,let it grow on you...
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on 2008-09-17 SolitaryMan Said:

I let myself get over-hyped for it, and that's truly where most of the disappointment comes from. I've already mentioned enough times the sort of love affair I had with their early stuff, how it changed my musical tastes for good and for the better. Their true colors have been out in the open for years now, and it was a big mistake for me to anticipate anything other than barrel scraping once again.
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on 2008-09-17 Smeesan Said:

Wow Solitary, you sound so let down. You have ample reason to be apparently, but you seem almost like you feel neglected. It's kinda sad, actually.

That's what happens when something we used to believe in shows its truer colors. Sorry this was such a let down for ya.
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on 2008-09-17 SolitaryMan Said:

No real shock there. You can't kill a brand name unless it kills itself, and if anything else, Metallica has always been able to avoid total career suicide. They've no doubt lost just about every early fan and have managed to stay relevant regardless. Good for them. What people are hearing now is not the Metallica that made a difference once upon a time.
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on 2008-09-17 dscanland Said:

As long as this keeps up then the behemoth known as Metallica will keep on trucking.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080917/music_nm/metallica_dc

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