Album Details

• Artist: Metallica
• Album: St. Anger
• Label: Elektra
• Year of Release: 2003
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2012-01-25

What muddled emotional mess lie between Reload and St. Anger was well-documented in the video project "Some Kind Of Monster". What rarely gets spoken about in general is how that all that emotion was translated into musical form. For that, one might want to look further back and follow a timeline of internal struggles, disagreements, personal loss and an extreme level of stress that stems as far back as the early 80's to truly get a grasp on everything at work on St. Anger. Despite it's shortcomings, the album has aged well all these years later, and can be easily digested as a statement that had to be made from a band who had to make a statement in order to survive.

The aforementioned shortcomings include, and are not limited to, suspect production values, a drum sound that will either irritate or annoy but rarely impress, and perhaps more than all, the total inability for the band to meet the expectations of 6 years without a new album and a back catalog of some of the best metal money can buy. But, the effort and energy is infectious regardless. No guitar solos? No problem. The garage jam feel the band was aiming for is bullseye-accurate no matter how unwilling or unable some have been to see this for what it is. Trash can drums? At least they add something to the mix instead of taking anything away. The more you listen the less it sticks out.

As for the songs that stick out, "Frantic", "St. Anger", "Some Kind Of Monster" and "The Unnamed Feeling" are my favorites. But tastes will vary, which applies to St. Anger as a whole. Some will totally write it off while others will find the stripped-down and back-to-basics approach, despite the long-in-the-tooth era it's come from, to be a welcome breath of fresh air. For me, it's always one or the other, on any given day.  

User Reviews and Comments

on 2012-01-25 SolitaryMan Said:

Well, that's that. Every Metallica album now has a review. Woohoo.
Rating: 5/10