Death Magnetic review

The ninth studio album from the gods of erstwhile Thrash Speed Metal lord is their fifth #1 album on both sides of the Atlantic. Hell, this guys had started their music way back before I was ever born and now look at 'em; they're almost in their fifties yet the song remain the same. I had my first experience with Metallics's riffs and solos in the early nineties when my old man gifted me the self titled album aka Black Album. Since then there was no coming back. I eat, drink, sleep and worship the gods till date.
Before moving into the current groove, let me scrutinize their old music. These bay area thrasher first album, Kill 'em All was a classic, if you name tracks like 'Whiplash', The Four Horseman, Seek and Destroy etc. But till today, my #1 track from these Frisco's metaller will be Master of Puppets from their third album of the same. As we are all aware tragedy struck the gods when they met an accident in 1986 killing their original bassist Cliff Burton; but nonetheless, the band struggled on to released their next album And Justice For All with Jason Newsted on the four strings. It was somewhat dismal for MTV leading them to lose the prestigious award for Best Heavy Metal category although riffs like One, And Justice For All were all classic.

But the greatest ever achievement for any heavy metal outfit came out in the mid 1991 when Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammet and Newsted released The Black Album which went on to sell a whooping 17 million albums, a feat no other metal band had ever done. On top of that, the album was in the Billboard charts for over a year. However, nothing last forever, yes the band lose their fans and music when they released Load (96) and Reload (97). These two ablums were purely disappointing as the garage boys discard the fast pacing hard rock act to a bluesy grunge influenced rock. For once, I was personally trashing away their records. The next two albums, Garage Inc I & II were full of covers (the word covers itself sucks for a rock band)
As stated before nothing last forever which lead us to the departure of the bassman Newsted after fourteen years with the Bay Area Thrasher to go solo project. The space was slowly filled up by Ozzy's bassist Robert Trujillo who recorded with the band, the album St. Anger (2003). Though the sounds were a bit lively, it couldn't match the Metallica which every fan would expect.

Come 2008, after 23 years, Metallica are really back to real business. Although, it would be a little exaggerating but its true, this ninth album is no more less in comparision with the third (Master of Puppets). Check out their first single, The Day That Never Comes; I am frenzied by the harmonic riffs which went through and through. The Intro was awesome. A slow plucking from James followed and in harmony with Hammets' into. Sure it sounded a little ballad in the beginning but was elevated to a full crescendo later on. James is back to his twenties in vibrating his vocal cords and Lars on tubthumping the snares and kicks. Here we've seen the act greater than Newsted or even Burton (God bless his soul) from the former Osbourne's. I used to get disappointed while Newsted was in the band as I could never hear cool riffs from him. His sound were always fuzzy and faint.

The opening track That was Just Your Life reminds me of Battery, Master of Puppets or Creeping Death. A speeding metal of thundering riffs and blistering solos.
Another cool part in this album, was the third installment of Unforgiven aka Unforgiven III. The bass riffs and six strings plucking surpass the predecessors . soft but nonetheless hard eventually. The kickass flangered guiter work in the intro of All Nightmare Long is really mindblowing. But the best part come when the tune was shifted to the thick and signatured licks from the Distortion sound of Hammet coupled with the rolls of Ulrich.

Well, lets me conclude by stating that, to listen to this album is something like being fasting for 23 days and having a real heavy meal on the 24th day...
Grab one fast. cos we're off to never never land