New Metallica CD, St. Anger

[Mr_Cheeze]

I was actually looking forward to this one. It was said that band members "woke up" thanks to the new base player and that their music was going back to being harder and edgier, not like since And Justic For All.

I picked it up on Friday and have had the last few days to ingest it a couple of times. At first I was excited by the hard, driving rhythms, chainsaw guitar, and hard, fast drumming. But it did not take long to notice the conspicuously absent solo guitar work and less than harminious tone of every song on the CD. Upon listening in full for a second time, I feel terribly betrayed, somehow, by this band that used to be great. This CD is sub-subpar. I think the guys decided they didn't really want to work hard at making music this time out, and instead produced pseudo punk-metal. Even the vocal work sounds like no effort was put into it. This might not have been such a bad thing if they at least covered it up with better guitar work. Rhythmic riffs are only so satisfying, and after hearing about four songs in a row, I have to stop the CD and let my brain recover before it starts to believe that this is actually good music.

This is does not come anywhere even remotely close to And Justice..., or even Black. That band died when they hired Bob Rock to produce the lazy music they have been making since. St. Anger is the pinnacle of lazy music making.

[gungywump]

Mr. Cheeze,

I hear ya brother! I haven't liked anything since Justice. Metallica died along time ago It's just taking a while for the remains to decay.

I suggest going out and purchasing the new Led Zeppelin DVD. When you finish watching it (5hours20min) and pick your jaw off the floor you can thank me. ;)

[Mr_Cheeze]

Funny, I came ever so close to buying it today when I was in Newbury Comics in N. Attleboro. I couldn't decide between the new Zeppelin "How The West Was Won" Live CD (from a 1974 in LA I believe) or the DVD you mentioned. So what did I get? The new Marylin Manson and new Steely Dan. Go figure. I have yet to be disappointed by Manson. As Johnny Carson usaed to say, "That is some wierd, wild Shtuff!"

Unfortunately, Steely Dan's latest is not so good. But they are one of my favorite bands of all time so it was a must buy, you know? Too jazzy for my ears, but that's ok. At least they make an effort to make music, unlike Metallica. Goddamn I am so disappointed in that CD.

I also picked up the new Powerman 5000. Industrial metal along the lines of Manson and Rob Zombie. Pretty good stuff. Their last was better though.

Me like heavy metal. 8)

[gungywump]

Cheeze,
I can't say which is better the HTWWW or the DVD. If you are into Led Zeppelin bootlegs the HTWWW CD is the collectors dream. It is actually taken from two successive concerts in Long Beach and LA in June of 1972. Jimmy Page took the best tracks from each show and put them into one complete pseudo show.
The DVD takes everything you know about Zep from hearing them and lets you SEE them. The highlight for me is footage from Royal Albert Hall in 1970, specifically Moby Dick. It rates as one of the most unbeleivable things I have ever seen in my life. Bonham is moving so fast that he actually starts to blur!!

On second thought start with the DVD, get both but, get the DVD first!!


Also, have you heard the White Stripes — Elephant?

[EVIL BOTA]

Well the band members stated in a interview that they didn't spend alot of time in the studio. Instead they just got together and jammed .What ever sounded good to them they recorded. I was quite disapointed my self. The last great album was Master of puppets. Down hill from there. Although "One" is my fav song.
Guess I'll just have to keep listoning to my Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden.

[knucklebuste]

Metallica is all done. Here's my theory. They knew this album would go multi platnum as does every album, but this is the last. Those guys want to retire. They are doneski. James Hetfield has lost his ability to construct solid riffs and incorperate angry melodic yelling with interesting lyrics into songs. He's done. They're on their 3rd bassist. They suck. I'm all done with them. DONESKI. Too bad Dave Mustaine screwed up his arm. Should have been Hetfield instead or that skinny little greedy punk ass mo fu Lars. At least Megadeth stays true to the style that made them famous. Yeah their music sucks nowadays too, but it's still hardcore. Can you say that about Lametallica? NOT. F'EM, they are DONE. I don't want to hear any more Metallica. I grew up on Kill em all and this is what they are playing now? WTF. Every album it's the same lame ass story. "this album goes back to our roots" "this is gonna be the heaviest album yet" "this is gonna be old skook metallica" F'em, they're done. Doneski. Finished. Kaput. Finito. Stopped. Oh yah and filthly rick. Knuckle

[CouchingTiger]

Agreed, Metallica pretty much sux a$$ and are, and always will be a bunch of haz-ben pu$$ies. They are the current, "80's glam rock" of Metal. Brett Michaels could kick all their a$$es combined and GEORGE Michaels, well, uh, he'd do something else to their a$$es ;)

-Couch

[gungywump]

I see the new "Money Making Metallica" breaking up sometime before next summer in preparation for the 2008 Metallica Re-Union Tour.

If this is what a "clean drug and alchohol free" Metallica sounds like, It sounds like maybe someone should "be a friend" and go get Hetfield hooked again.

Or maybe e-mail that whiney little Lars punk with some mp3s of their old material attached so they can be reminded of how bad they now SUCK!!

[knucklebuste]

RAGE ON MY BROTHER. knuck

[Mr_Cheeze]

Whew... and I was afraid it was just me. The thing that mystifies me the most with St. Anger is how Kirk Hammett has seemingly forgotten how to play guitar. Even their last two over produced, pop-metal productions, Load (of ****) and ReLoad (of ****) had some decent, melodious guitar playing, if not quite the speedy, well constructed stuff of old.

Yea, these guys are burnt out. I have zero interest in the Summer Sanitarium Tour, especially with some of the other crap bands that are playing with them. They will make their money. Hell, they just made some off of me, but at least I only paid $10 for the CD.

They should have called this CD, "Taps". I can hear the bugle playing.

[knucklebuste]

I don't know who produced the album, but that one tune (one of the 2 pieces of **** released for radio) has the worst sounding drum sound I've ever heard. I would have smashed that thing over Lars's head, the skinny little punk. See fans don't want to see major deviations from what got them into a band to begin with. These guys get bored, they buy endless instruments and amps and effects and before you know it the sound has completely changed. They need to throw out all the sh*t. Grab an Explorer and a Flying-V and a couple of the Mesa Boogie amps from the recording of Kill Em All, get a bottle of JAGGEDMASTER, 10 Cases of Heineken and a 1/4LB of (ya know) and start playing some guitar. Hell, I'll write the riffs for them. I can play every single song on any album up to MOP. After that I lost interest. I can play guitar better than Hetfield himself. The dude needs a slap in the head. I mean what the f*ck is that compilation of sh*t I heard? Is that even Metallica? Why diddn't they get Dave Mustaine to produce it for fu*ks sake? Well enough talk about them. Soon Metallica will be a forgotton name. They should have threw in the towel after And Justice. That's it. I'm not mentioning the word Metallica again. DONE.
knuck

[Tink]

So I downloaded what was labeled "Saint Anger" prior to its release. This sh*t rocks. Its mad old school Metallica. Its a bit rough and unfinished though. This stuff is so good I bought the album.(MP3's are all bad,right Lars? It sold an album you little prick). Too bad the piece of crap I paid for isnt what I actually downloaded. Has anybody else noticed that the rehersal DVD sounds better than the finished album? Anyway I have no idea what I downloaded but it rocks. Maybe its what "SA" was gonna be before they sold out on this album. Has anybody gone to the web yet for the free downloads? If anybody has high speed internet and is interested in some of the songs I downloaded let me know. Maybe I can email some of them. Would be nice to get some more opinions on them.

[knucklebuste]

Tink, you downloaded Orion from Master of Puppets, which is back when James Hetfield could play guitar. Metallica sucks and they are all done. Washed up finished. KAPUT.
knuck

[gungywump]

Tink, you downloaded Orion from Master of Puppets, which is back when James Hetfield could play guitar. Metallica sucks and they are all done. Washed up finished. KAPUT.
knuck


Soon Metallica will be a forgotton name. They should have threw in the towel after And Justice. That's it. I'm not mentioning the word Metallica again. DONE.
knuck



??? ?!?!?! :P

[knucklebuste]

Well that was the last time I mention that work. Ok?
knuck

[Mr_Cheeze]

You keep mentioning James Hetfield's guitar playing, Knuck. I think you are confusing him with Kirk Hammett, who is lead guitar. Hetfield has always played rhythm guitar. The only thing good about the new CD is the rhythm guitar, because that's all it is. Hammett might as well hang it up because anybody can pull off that crap.

Aside from the canny sound, I actually think the drumming is pretty good as well. But that is canceled out by the fact that Lars is the biggest little whining douchebag in music.

[knucklebuste]

I know exactly who Hetfield is and who Hamett or Hammet is and what they do. It is my opinion that Hetfield has not written a 1/2 decent song with any worthy riffs since Master of Puppets. He sucks. He needs to start drinking large quantities of Jaggermeister again or hang out with Dave Mustaine for a couple weeks. HE SUCKS. I just can't believe the guy who wrote tunes like battery and mop can put out **** like enter sandman and whereever I may roam. As far as Hamlet, he's done nothing since MOP that has impressed me and has worn out the penatonic scale past the point of no return. He needs to go see Joe again. I understand most folks hopped on the bandwagon during the black album and have no idea who they are, but when you listen to Kill em all and the crap they have out now you just have to ask yourself one question. Wheres the riff?
Knuck

[Tink]

So if I downloaded Orion, what are the other 10 tracks?

[knucklebuste]

I don' t know man. Are you familiar with the master of puppets album? All I know is I downloaded 10 different versions of St Anger off Kazaa and it was all the same song; Orion (instrumental) from Master of Puppets. Probably someones joke on Kazaa. I have no idea what you have, but if it's anything from that band and it sucks, it's probably from after MOP or if it's good, It is MOP or before that album. Knuck

[Mr_Cheeze]

I am not so down on Black. Many people got pissed off because suddenly their stuff was being played on the radio, but that's just because they were being marketed differently. Musically, Black was OK. It made a lot of money and they decided they were going to continue in that vein. Unfortunately, that meant compromising their artistic integrity, as they have been downhill ever since. I was never that big a fan if Kill Em All. I prefer a more polished product, like MOP and And Justice, which is a masterpiece. You cannot say that about a single work from Megadeth. Mustaine was never a great lyracist.

Music is such a personal thing, as we each have such different tastes. It is just so disheartening to see a once great band go to ****. It almost makes me forget that even at their current level, they are friggin' Mozart's as compared to the Jimmy Buffetts and Springsteens of the world.

(Cheap shot, I know. I am an angry man today. Must be this friggin cold.)

[knucklebuste]

I never really got into the dry sound of Justice. It has a couple of tunes, but I guess MOP. RTL and KEA had a different effect on me as I was just starting to do drugs, and I found out that I could play the guitar really well. It became my supressed desire to play just like Hetfield and I could keep up with him note for note on any song. Megadeth however is a slightly different style and I'll admit that Mustaines voice takes a little getting use to that's for sure but he shreds and writes just as well as hetfield. Imagine what Dave and James could have come up with if they diddn't part. I don't think Hammett ever contributed a riff to that band. James riffs, writes and Kirk leads and Lars whines. Oh well. Megadeth may not have been as popular and they really aren't as good live, but one thing is true about Megadeth is that their style hasn't softened up nearly as much as the "other band". Thats it I'm done. Why am I going on and on. Agreed they suck. ASS.
Knuck

[gungywump]

Metallica has two parts to their career.

WITH Cliff Burton

and

WITHOUT Cliff Burton

Why didn't Hammett put up more of a fight for that bunk?? Sh*t they shoul have given it to Lars!

[knucklebuste]

Yeah ha? They should have had James stay home with cliff, drive the bus off a cliff with kirk and lars on it, have James and Cliff hook up with Dave Mustaine again and use the drummer from Slayer (forget his name). Thats my ultimate "could have been" band.
knuck

[Mr_Cheeze]

Which drummer from Slayer? The newer guy is just as good as the original. Now there is a band that has never softened one iota and is still making good music as well as ever.

Queensryche is another old favorite band that softened bigtime, but they just rejoined with their original guitarist and are touring with Dream Theater and Fates Warning this summer. What a potentially great show.

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Dream Theater - not the greatest music, but talk about fundamentals! These guys are text book musicians. Ever hear some of the chops from that drummer? JHC! I never heard such clean double kicks on the bass drum. I used to play drums in case you couldn't tell....I wish I spent all those years on a mountain bike >:(

[Mr_Cheeze]

Dream Theater's latest double CD, Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence is excellent, especially CD1. Much, much better than anything else they have done. It showed great maturity as a band. They still go too soft at times with the ballads. They need to just stop making ballads altogether.

You ever hear of a band called Symphony X? If you like progressive metal and good musicianship, those guys are top notch. Check out a CD called Odyssey. Mr. Cheeze guarantees you'll be blown away.

[JimmyTwoTimes]

What you should get is 2 Skinne J's. "The Best" by them was featured in NWD 2 Fat Tire Fury.

[Rip]

Can't see myself getting the cd.

[johnnyt]

I have got to say that I am with the (moose) Knuckle on this one. I saw the MOP tour and it was crazy cool, since then Metallica has really put out alot of crap. Funny how that happens to so many bands. I don't know much about the band cause I really stopped listening to them after MOP.
They went from breaking ground musically to sounding just like everything else out there. St. Anger is about 3-5 years behind the times. I wouldn't even download it, what a waste of time!