New Metallica

[andvari7]

It feels like a rejected track from the black album, without Bob Rock’s obsession with making thrash drummers slow down, and be cannons, not thrash drummers. James’ rhythm guitar is still excellent, and he hasn’t gone completely Dave Mustaine on vocals. Kirk is still wah-crazy, and his solo wasn’t especially interesting. Rob sounded like he was just…there, but I imagine that has more to do with YouTube than anything else. It’s not their worst, but it’s not their best. This album is really becoming a hodgepodge, with every single new song. I miss the old days, when their albums - indeed, all great albums - had a sense of cohesion. Prove me wrong, Metallica.

[JiveTurkey]

It's ok? I am more excited about the new Extreme song than this (by far); which is actually concerning to the younger me. I digress. It's cool that they are still jamming though \m/

[linthat22]

Upon relistening to it, does anyone else think that they used some sort of ai that shat out whatever parameters they put in? I'm hearing derivatives of MANY of their songs in this tune, same with Kirk's solo.......I don't know.

[nightflameauto]

Upon relistening to it, does anyone else think that they used some sort of ai that shat out whatever parameters they put in? I'm hearing derivatives of MANY of their songs in this tune, same with Kirk's solo.......I don't know.

I dunno, man. I literally went through Death Magnetic the first time calling out where the riffs came from. Lots of old Metallica, some Overkill, some Slayer, a bit of testament, with lots more Metallica. They've been running on algorithm mode for a long time now. Only the AI ain't in the computer, it's in their brains.

[Tortuga]

It's ok? I am more excited about the new Extreme song than this (by far); which is actually concerning to the younger me. I digress. It's cool that they are still jamming though \m/

[madrigal77]

It's as if an AI made a Metallica album this is what it would be and how the production would be.

[linthat22]

It's as if an AI made a Metallica album this is what it would be and how the production would be.

See, that's what I'm saying! Even the new track they released sounds so boring. Just like the new Depeche Mode album, friggin' sucks.

[nightflameauto]

It's as if an AI made a Metallica album this is what it would be and how the production would be.

See, that's what I'm saying! Even the new track they released sounds so boring. Just like the new Depeche Mode album, friggin' sucks.

That new track had a cool riff.

For about thirty seconds.

Then they played it for eight minutes. Eesh. I could never heard it again and probably play it on my death bed in forty years from memory.

Who'm I kiddin'? I ain't livin' forty years.

[linthat22]

It's as if an AI made a Metallica album this is what it would be and how the production would be.

See, that's what I'm saying! Even the new track they released sounds so boring. Just like the new Depeche Mode album, friggin' sucks.

That new track had a cool riff.

For about thirty seconds.

Then they played it for eight minutes. Eesh. I could never heard it again and probably play it on my death bed in forty years from memory.

Who'm I kiddin'? I ain't livin' forty years.

Doesn't it seem strange that some of these songs harken back to their inspirations, but somehow falls flat?

Like, when we all heard 'Fight Fire With Fire' or 'Master of Puppets' for the first time, there was nothing like it and it sounded SO fresh. Now you if you look at the current singles and the previous 3-5 albums (I don't count Lulu), there seems to be a lot of soul searching and a constant use of the same repetitive ideas. It's boring now.

I know bands mature and the music can change, but it does seem like the spirit that was once there is now gone. That's why I brought up Depeche Mode. They've been on a dry spell since 2009; and you can hear snippets in some songs from then and now; but if you hear the newest stuff from their latest album, you can spot the patterns and soullessness in every track. Almost as if some of our favorite artists are tapped out, but just keep going for the brand, the name, or money. Tapped out.

[nightflameauto]

Doesn't it seem strange that some of these songs harken back to their inspirations, but somehow falls flat?

Like, when we all heard 'Fight Fire With Fire' or 'Master of Puppets' for the first time, there was nothing like it and it sounded SO fresh. Now you if you look at the current singles and the previous 3-5 albums (I don't count Lulu), there seems to be a lot of soul searching and a constant use of the same repetitive ideas. It's boring now.

I know bands mature and the music can change, but it does seem like the spirit that was once there is now gone. That's why I brought up Depeche Mode. They've been on a dry spell since 2009; and you can hear snippets in some songs from then and now; but if you hear the newest stuff from their latest album, you can spot the patterns and soullessness in every track. Almost as if some of our favorite artists are tapped out, but just keep going for the brand, the name, or money. Tapped out.

These older bands love the game. And they have fans that will buy whatever they put out, so they keep playing it. There's no hunger once you hit a certain level, and I have to imagine it's tough to keep things fresh when you have a musical career as long as they've had. But you definitely hear the same things for a lot of these older groups happening.

Metallica in a way even talked about it during the Death Magnetic process. When they said they were intentionally locking themselves away with the older albums, trying to remember that headspace and such. Which is cool to a certain degree, but you can hear it in the results. It's very copy-paste feeling.

That said, I can't be too upset about it. There's always other bands if I'm looking for fresh, and I'll either nostalgia trip with 'tallica, or just not listen.

[linthat22]

Doesn't it seem strange that some of these songs harken back to their inspirations, but somehow falls flat?

Like, when we all heard 'Fight Fire With Fire' or 'Master of Puppets' for the first time, there was nothing like it and it sounded SO fresh. Now you if you look at the current singles and the previous 3-5 albums (I don't count Lulu), there seems to be a lot of soul searching and a constant use of the same repetitive ideas. It's boring now.

I know bands mature and the music can change, but it does seem like the spirit that was once there is now gone. That's why I brought up Depeche Mode. They've been on a dry spell since 2009; and you can hear snippets in some songs from then and now; but if you hear the newest stuff from their latest album, you can spot the patterns and soullessness in every track. Almost as if some of our favorite artists are tapped out, but just keep going for the brand, the name, or money. Tapped out.

These older bands love the game. And they have fans that will buy whatever they put out, so they keep playing it. There's no hunger once you hit a certain level, and I have to imagine it's tough to keep things fresh when you have a musical career as long as they've had. But you definitely hear the same things for a lot of these older groups happening.

Metallica in a way even talked about it during the Death Magnetic process. When they said they were intentionally locking themselves away with the older albums, trying to remember that headspace and such. Which is cool to a certain degree, but you can hear it in the results. It's very copy-paste feeling.

That said, I can't be too upset about it. There's always other bands if I'm looking for fresh, and I'll either nostalgia trip with 'tallica, or just not listen.

I couldn't have said it any better

[GuitarBilly]

I was lukewarm about the first song they released (Lux) , but the two others I've heard (If Darkness... and 72 Seasons) are really good IMHO.

[K-Bizzle]

Serious question, has any band in the history of rock as a genre, with a history as a band this long, continued to put out new work that competes with their back catalog?

I personally can’t think of anyone from any genre that managed to do that. Closest I can think of was when Johnny Cash put out those albums just before his death and even then a lot of the best songs are covers.

I just don’t know if artistically it’s possible to continue to somehow walk the line or not being stale/self derivative, continuing to grow as a band, and not alienating your fan base.

[GuitarBilly]

Serious question, has any band in the history of rock as a genre, with a history as a band this long, continued to put out new work that competes with their back catalog?

I personally can’t think of anyone from any genre that managed to do that. Closest I can think of was when Johnny Cash put out those albums just before his death and even then a lot of the best songs are covers.

I just don’t know if artistically it’s possible to continue to somehow walk the line or not being stale/self derivative, continuing to grow as a band, and not alienating your fan base.

Hard to say. Quality wise I think their recent albums are on par with their Load-era 90s stuff.

St Anger was a low point for them. Strange album. And the thing with Lou Reed was even stranger.

But Death Magnetic and Hardwired are pretty on par with their post Black Album stuff IMHO. And I like all these albums.

I don't see change/evolution as a necessity for a band. I love every time AC/DC puts out a new record. I know what I'm getting and that's just new songs not an entire different genre. Same with Motorhead. They were consistently good. Rammstein, same deal..

But I don't know if these bands newer stuff compete with the classic stuff. Musically it's certainly close but as far as having the same impact as their classic records idk. Probably not. But I don't know if that's a fair measure because speaking for myself it takes a lot more to impress me today than it took when I was a teenager. Especially if it's a band I've been familiar with for a long time.

I think a lot of fans expect these bands to make them feel like they're 15 all over again and that's kind of a tall order if not impossible.

But objectively speaking a track like "If Darkness Had a Son" could have been on any Metallica album after AJFA. So

[Yarbicus]

Serious question, has any band in the history of rock as a genre, with a history as a band this long, continued to put out new work that competes with their back catalog?

I personally can’t think of anyone from any genre that managed to do that. Closest I can think of was when Johnny Cash put out those albums just before his death and even then a lot of the best songs are covers.

I just don’t know if artistically it’s possible to continue to somehow walk the line or not being stale/self derivative, continuing to grow as a band, and not alienating your fan base.

Rush

Like 'em or don't, even through the synth years the songs remained strong.

Maybe AC/DC?

[linthat22]

Serious question, has any band in the history of rock as a genre, with a history as a band this long, continued to put out new work that competes with their back catalog?

I personally can’t think of anyone from any genre that managed to do that. Closest I can think of was when Johnny Cash put out those albums just before his death and even then a lot of the best songs are covers.

I just don’t know if artistically it’s possible to continue to somehow walk the line or not being stale/self derivative, continuing to grow as a band, and not alienating your fan base.

This is what I was thinking also! I'm wondering if Metallica are the first heavy metal band where they're held at a higher standard since they were the most popular back in the day.

[GuitarBilly]

More stuff out today..










I like these tracks a lot tbh .. no complaints from me lol


EDIT: Actually the whole album is out LOL.. I had no idea

[Adrian]

I’m really not a hater or elitist, because I do honestly try to give Metallica’s recent albums a fair listen when they drop, but none of it grabs me at all. It’s all just boring to me. It’s like they’re trying to recapture their old glory, but not write anything inspired in the process. I’m not expecting them to try and make another MoP or AJFA, but man, at least write something that keeps my interest.

On the other hand, Overkill released a new album today, and I absolutely love it. They’re definitely the AC/DC of the old thrash guard, but they still manage to captivate me. They still have this energy about them that I dig.

[Yarbicus]

This is the first full Metallica album I have listened to since Load. I don't hate it.

2020's Metallica is to dad rock what 1980's Metallica was to metal.

[madrigal77]

This album has actually really grown on me quite a bit. I think it's their best since Load (I really like Load haha). The only song I don't like is Screaming Suicide. Definitely did not expect this from them @ 60 years old. Still think they should bring Bob Rock back though. Not counting St.Anger, the albums he produced sounded amazing.

[Zozobra]

Serious question, has any band in the history of rock as a genre, with a history as a band this long, continued to put out new work that competes with their back catalog?

I personally can’t think of anyone from any genre that managed to do that. Closest I can think of was when Johnny Cash put out those albums just before his death and even then a lot of the best songs are covers.

I just don’t know if artistically it’s possible to continue to somehow walk the line or not being stale/self derivative, continuing to grow as a band, and not alienating your fan base.

Not quite as long in the tooth at Metallica, but Neurosis, Converge and Crowbar have held their end up pretty well.

[linthat22]

This album has actually really grown on me quite a bit. I think it's their best since Load (I really like Load haha). The only song I don't like is Screaming Suicide. Definitely did not expect this from them @ 60 years old. Still think they should bring Bob Rock back though. Not counting St.Anger, the albums he produced sounded amazing.

You know, I'd agree with Bob Rock, only if he provides the same amount of input as he did on the black album. Focused on tones and helping them branch out a spell, he probably could do a Rick Rubin and provide focus. Who knows.

[screamingdaisy]

After hearing some of the live stuff on youtube, I think they once again sound better live than on their studio album... which I think is because the songs carry more energy when they're not assembled in protools.

Lux Aeterna is also tuned down live, which I think helps thicken it so it sound more like modern Metallica, but takes some of that early bright Metallica vibe away.

Not sure about the other songs, I only A/B'd Lux Aeterna against the studio version because I was curious.

I'm long past expecting Metallica to be groundbreaking. They already released AJFA, MOP and the black album, I think it's unreasonable to expect that over and over again.

I also think they're competing against every band that's borrowed from their black album sound... that sound is less fresh now that it's been copied ad nauseum for 30 years.