With Death Magnetic‘s release last month, Metallica attempts to recapture the thunderous sound that made them the pinnacle of 1980s thrash metal. This album may succeed in capturing the feel of their earlier work, but it doesn’t capture the substance.
Metallica was once the master of its genre and has high expectations to meet. The band comes far closer to reviving their old sound then they have been since the self-titled Black Album.
Magnetic is the first album to feature Metallica’s new bassist Robert Trujillo, who has toured with the band since Jason Newsted left following the recording of St. Anger. While the bass guitar on the new album is far more audible compared to Justice where it was nearly mixed out completely. Still, it is lead guitarist Kirk Hammet and drummer Lars Ulrich whose instruments dominate the album.
The biggest missing piece of that mastery rests on James Hetfield, the lead vocalist and principal lyrisist for Death Magnetic. His vocals lack the power of previous albums, his lyrics are nothing exceptional and song titles like “All Nightmare Long” come dangerously close to parody. In almost every capacity, this album is simply not as good as the catalog it is trying imitate.
In fact, Death Magnetic seems crafted on the architecture of .And Justice for All, the Metallica album released nearly 20 years ago to the day. Like the current album, .And Justice for All features odd-sounding snare and bass drums and the same dedication to a concept.
Magnetic’s lyrics, as the title implies, focus on the specter of death drawing near, hardly a ground breaking subject for the metal genre, while .And Justice for All‘s lyrics deal with oppressive governments, censorship and the costs of war. Even after two decades “Blackened,” the opening track, is still one of the hardest rocking songs about the perils of not going green.
Magnetic‘s lead single, “The Day that Never Comes,” seems like a weak attempt to recapture the magic of “One,” the single off Justice that launched Metallica into wider popularity. “One” was the first song the band created a music video for. The music video, featuring clips of a soldier trapped in his body without legs, arms, eyes or the ability to speak, told a powerful message.
“The Day that Never Comes” also follows a war theme, with a soldier constantly expecting death, and even has music video combining footage of war. Both songs are divided into an initial section with lyrics and then a heavier instrumental section dominated by guitar solos.
Unfortunately, “The Day that Never Comes” does not compare. Like much of Death Magnetic, the song lacks the well-crafted build up that preceded many of Metallica’s ’80s tracks. The all out power of the band’s metal musicianship is lost without this defining transition. Artists with this much experience should know that you cannot just start at 11, you have to start small and turn it up. Nevertheless, fans who treasure the bands older catalog should be pleased to see that Metallica is coming full circle and maybe by its next album will complete the journey.
