MetallicA and St Anger

MetallicA my once all time favourite band I mean their last album St Anger was mostly crap not because what the general public think that they have gone downhill far from that. I remember 6 years ago I had a listen to some of their tracks that they put on their main website and they were actually really good and I was anticipating for a killer MetallicA album but a year later when St Anger hit the shelves I was extremely PISSED OFF that they didn't include songs like Dead Kennedy rolls, I Disappear and a few other songs that were discarded off the album and most of the songs that were included on the album were crap mostly because they were repetitive, sounded like they were just written by the last minute, the actual production was awful it was completely over the top when it came to how raw they were and that was all of their songs on the album with the exception of Frantic, Some Kind of Monster and St Anger (sounds only good live).



I slowly started despising MetallicA throughout that time especially when I heard that were opening for crappy amateurish "metal" bands like Limp Bizshit, Mudvayne, The Deftones and other filth that I can't think of mentioning. A year later I became more focused on Megadeth and when that MetallicA movie came out it started putting me off MetallicA altogether due to the fact on how much a fuckwit Lars was and their general attitude towards metal and seemed like a bunch of yes men when they were dealing with Bob Rock.



Bob Rock isn't all bad I like his work with bands like Skid Row, Motley Crue,etc and his sound engineer work with Krokus but with MetallicA I reckon he should of only have produced the black album and then MetallicA have gone back to their old producer with their albums in the post black album (era) and they should of gone the same road as Overkill did by releasing a Stoner Metal album (ie I hear Black) that would of been a good thing since Stoner/Doom Metal was the flavour in the early to mid 90s and they would of regained their old fan base, would of pleased the record company, would of kept (and regained) their respect in the metal community and may of gained a new fan base as well so they would of won both ways and come to think of it James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet were die hard Trouble fans. Despite that Load and Reload have some great songs on that album that have a Stoner Metal influence songs like Bad Seed, Fixxxer, Outlaw Torn (one of the best songs they have ever done) that sound reminescent to Tony Martin era Black Sabbath, Trouble and of course Kyuss.



Enough of my rant on MetallicA's past I now truly think they have pulled themselves together at this present moment and have woken up to the fact they have dug themselves a big hole with St Anger and they were are now listening to what their fans want like cmon they changed their producer because of that petition (which I signed as well) and according to the latest news on their new album they are going back to their thrash roots. Not only that Lars doesn't have that stupid ridiculous Eminem hairdo he had 5 years ago ,they are putting better metal bands on their bill that are actually gving metal a good name bands like Machine Head,etc. Also some other well known metal icons like Matt Sorum, Bruce Dickinson (MetallicA's harshest crtitc LOL) gave the album the thumbs up and also Rick Rubin lets MetallicA do their own work and doesn't dominate the recordings as much as Bob Rock did. I now have a good feeling MetallicA will release a killer album this year.

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Overkill did by releasing a Stoner Metal album (ie I hear Black)

i've never heard anyone classify I Hear Black as "stoner metal" before.

mc666 wrote:

Quote :

Overkill did by releasing a Stoner Metal album (ie I hear Black)

i've never heard anyone classify I Hear Black as "stoner metal" before.

Ditto. It might have been a tad slower than Overkill were, but it's hardly "stoner metal". I'd describe it as a solid slab of raging heavy metal.

I like Load and ReLoad. I even like a song or two from St. Anger. The songs are much better on the DVD than on the CD. "Frantic" is a decent song. I also think that St. Anger has one of the more raw and honest vocal performanes from Metallica since their first two albums. Otherwise, I don't have much use for that CD.

ultmetal wrote:

mc666 wrote:

Quote :

Overkill did by releasing a Stoner Metal album (ie I hear Black)

i've never heard anyone classify I Hear Black as "stoner metal" before.

Ditto. It might have been a tad slower than Overkill were, but it's hardly "stoner metal". I'd describe it as a solid slab of raging heavy metal.

I like Load and ReLoad. I even like a song or two from St. Anger. The songs are much better on the DVD than on the CD. "Frantic" is a decent song. I also think that St. Anger has one of the more raw and honest vocal performanes from Metallica since their first two albums. Otherwise, I don't have much use for that CD.

Well I sortta exaggerated there labeling it Stoner Metal but alotta Thrash metal purists hated the album due to the fact they slowed down but I reckon that album is one of Metal's most underrated and unappreciated albums and its the for those don't like Overkill album

Although I think you might be a little off on some of your points, I can most certaintly relate to your aggitation, fingers.


I don't hate Metallica. I hate the Metallica that exists NOW, not Metallica itself.

Why do I hate Metallica? It's no because they cut their hair (c'mon fanboys, you get old, you lose your hair. Get over it). It's not because they became extremelly financially successful. It's not because they 'sold out' (whatever that means).

No, I hate Metallica because the music they make now SUCKS, and I KNOW that they can do better. Hell, we ALL know that they can do better.

Seriously, when people say that Metallica was untouchable in the 80s, they aren't lying. The albums they made in the 80s were virtually musical perfection. Even their debut was far better than most of what had been released that year. These guys once played with passion and and virtuosity.

Maybe I'm being a bit unfair. After all, one of their key members died, and to be perfectly honest Jason Newstead, as talented a bassist as he is, just could never match the virtuosity of Cliff Burton. Maybe Cliff's death killed some kind of youthful spirit that used to exist with the band.

Either way, Metallica honestly needs to get it's proverbial sh*t together and prove to the world that there's a REASON they're the most popular metal band on Earth.

on what points did you disagree with me?

I don't know if it was the booze or the $, but at some point it became obvious that they no longer had much concern for the early fans. The fans that bought all the merch they could get thier hands on, traded 23rd generation boots to get others turned on, filled every venue withiin 500 miles of their home - basically LIVED Metallica. I have not heard them say once in the last 20 years that their roots mean diddily to them. It's all about "me". "I" like Dwight Yokum, so "I" don't care what you think. "I" am losing a ton of cash because of Napster. "I" need a councelor to get out of bed in the morning.

Metallica may have forgotten about me, but I will never forget about Kill 'em all, Ride the Lightning, or especially Master of puppets. I still sleep with on MoP pillowcase ever night and that won't change. I can forget about the humans that made that music, but those three albums will be a part of my daily existence until I die. And I really don't foresee those humans ever doing anything that will change my mind on that. They are basically a non-issue now.

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I still sleep with on MoP pillowcase ever night and that won't change.

Maybe the government killed Metallica after the Black Album and replaced them with the current Metallica.

I haven't had any respect for Metallica since they released Load as it became painfully obvious to me that they were now trying to be part of the "in" alterinative movement for the sake of the almighty dollar. From there it just got worse with each passing moment " were not metal " "we don't owe the metal scene anything" blab blab blab blab............
touring w/ Limp Bisket etc. and mostly just the crappy non metal rock they were releaseing to the delight of their new found pop "punk" crowd.
And that terrible symphony album ( and I like symphonic metal ) where they and the symphony seemed to be playing two different songs at the same time. And then on to covering Bob Segar and hordes of other new lows for the once mighty foursome.

I will always be a huge fan of KEA RTL MOP GDR & IJFA and I even have grown to like the Black album over the years but the new era Metallica are total meat head morons that make crap for music snivel and whine
and are not worthy of my respect as they try to crawl back into the metal scene they deserted all those years ago just because it has clawed it's way back from near death and they see money over here again. To hell with those clowns

That is how I have seen them since the Black album. Not a fan of anything beyond Garage Days, but at least they were still innovators with Justice and the Black album. They went from trend-setters to trend-followers.

Why don't you like Justice, Sax? I dare say I like it better than Master, but then I'm soooooooooooo burnt out on Master.

Metallica who?

They've been pretty much irrelevant to me since the day I bought the Black Album. Up until that point I lived and breathed for that band probably would've willingly taken a bullet for any of the members, but the Black Album was a major disappointment and the beginning of a slow, steady decline that has yet to be stopped IMHO.

Even though I kinda knew deep down that I was wasting my time and $, I still bought LOAD and RELOAD out of some weird sense of duty/loyalty to what was once my favorite band. I didn't like'em much, but I kept trying to convince myself that a turn-around was right around the corner and they'd get it right "next time." I was briefly pleased by the GARAGE INC. collection but then came ST. ANGER. That was it. Three strikes, Metallica's out.

I don't hate Justice, just not a fan. The hypocritical aspect of the "One" vid puts a black mark on it for me. Definitely a very distant 5th for me. And Master is my fav album of all time. I don't think I could become burnt out on that one. All the stars aligned at the moment of that release in my youth. Not just the tunage. It has a lot to do with timing, memories, and other intangibles.

SAXON1500 wrote:

That is how I have seen them since the Black album. Not a fan of anything beyond Garage Days, but at least they were still innovators with Justice and the Black album. They went from trend-setters to trend-followers.

100% agree! The moment they tasted commercial success with the "One" video, the old Metallica ceased to be. They started to listen to other people who told them they could make more money in the mainstream market than simply just the underground market. It looked to me like they were the once cool kids trying to stay cool and hang out with the current crop of cool kids. They started trying to fit in with the radio friendly rap metal Fred Jurk (Durst) was churning out. I sometimes wonder if deep down they heard the cries of sellout and they felt pressure to "return to their roots" without looking like they were doing it on purpose or actually having to admit to doing it?
IMHO, if they had stayed true to thier original vision of never having a video or a hit song or selling out to the allmighty dollar, they would have certainly made less money but would have made far superior albums to Load, Reload, and St. Anger. If the Metallica of 1986 met the Metallica of 2006, the former would take the latters head clean off w/a battleaxe.

I worship Ride the Lightning. This is a killer album. However for me the problems started with MoP. Damage, Inc. are killer. The title track is good, but the others songs don´t give me much.
Justice was a huge step forward, especially Eye of the Beholder and Blackened. But because of sound issues I prefer the live versions over the studio ones.
I do not care much for the Black album. I do not think going for a more softer direction is the problem, the problem is bad songwriting. St.Anger was an interesting experiment, but since the songwriting didn´t improve it was useless.

I think we can expect something good on the upcoming album. It seems as though Trujillo has brought to the band a new-found (or revived) sense of connection to the fans. The set lists have improved dramatically, with the emphasis on older material (though they really need to drop all post-Black Album material...and leave only a few Black Album songs).

Their proclaiming the upcoming album as a return to their roots could be driven by dwindling sales; it might be that they realize that at this point they'll fare better by pleasing core fans. However, I think that they're genuine in their desire to get back to the core sound. If they were truly intent on recreating that success, they would simply copy RTL or MOP. Yet, after hearing some of their new material, it's pretty obvious that they're not going down that route. Lars can build up hype by claiming the album's a cross between Justice and the Black Album, but, truthfully, it seems to have its own sound. Whether or not the album is a masterpiece, this creative change should find the band regaining respect from the metal community.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting at the door of my local CD store with drool hanging from my mouth.........

BUT NOSTRADAMUS WILL BE BETTER!!!

I honestly think that they do not have one fan left from the original fanbase. I don't think I've ever come across someone who was with them in the KEA days that liked St. Anger.

St. Anger is the worst album recorded by anyone, ever. The vocals are constantly off-key, the lyrics are poorly put together, and the production could have been done better by a deaf man with no hands.

Does anyone know if the band is proud or ashamed? Bob Rock seemed to hint in one or two interviews (I could have taken things the wrong way) that he was dissatisfied with how it turned out.

I dont get why people dislike the ''Black Album'' have you listened to it? Thats some pretty heavy stuff. The riffs are pretty amazing.. Right at this moment im listening to Wherever I may Roam and i cant get enough of this song.. And as for St. Anger like my good friend White Mage says St Anger would be a good album if it werent made by Metallica and I totally agree with that.. Some songs have a good rock and roll feel to em which IMO is good enough for me..

ThrashedOutCobra33 wrote:

I dont get why people dislike the ''Black Album'' have you listened to it?

I think your perspective is different than alot of ours. We were actually alive when it came out.

I will never bad mouth the Black Album because without it I never would have become a metal fan when I did. That being said, after getting into TBA and the rest of the Metallica catalogue I became a die hard Metallica fan and they were my favorite band along with Iron Maiden (who I got into in '93). When Load came out that was when I realized that they no longer cared for fans of the old stuff and were just pandering to the masses. It wasn't the hair or the clothes, it was the watered down, barely heavy, no double bass drumming, generic, music for the masses. For years I stopped listening to them completly and only in the last 6-8 years have I gotten back into their old stuff (I now have Kill 'Em All, Master Of Puppets, Justice, and TBA-just need Ride the Lightning and I have all I need). I choose to do what all old Metallica fans did-listen to old Metallica as a band that doesn't exist anymore.

My biggest complaint of St. Anger (apart from the hype of "Metallica is returning to their roots" crap) is the tin can banging going on with the drums. They tried to be heavy again but they lost their ability to do so and released a steaming pile of monkey crap. Metallica IMO died after The Black Album (which compared to the rest of the catalog was a sign of dying down-sort of like Johnny Cash's voice, at the end there was signs that it was almost over but it was still enjoyable).

spectrefate wrote:

ThrashedOutCobra33 wrote:

I dont get why people dislike the ''Black Album'' have you listened to it?

I think your perspective is different than alot of ours. We were actually alive when it came out.

Word up homey.
Some of us actually bought it on the first day of release and simply didn't like what we heard.

Yeah that album was advertised like it was another gospel of the Bible in metal mags and then you went and bought it the day it came out and kind of shook your head. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't Metallica. How dare James Hetfield sing ballad-y songs! The proverbial beginning of the end......But you had to be there at that moment to fully understand.

spectrefate wrote:

Yeah that album was advertised like it was another gospel of the Bible in metal mags and then you went and bought it the day it came out and kind of shook your head. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't Metallica. How dare James Hetfield sing ballad-y songs! The proverbial beginning of the end......But you had to be there at that moment to fully understand.

Yup, I remember it vividly. I was working in NYC at the time (college internship) and there was a Sam Goody a few blocks away, so on my lunch break I skedaddled down there to get a first-day copy. I was so excited that my hands were trembling as I ripped off the shrinkwrap! I popped the tape into my Walkman for the walk back to work, and by the time "The Unforgiven" came on I was already like "uh-oh." By the itme "Nothing Else Matters" came along I was well and truly p*ssed. Everything in between sounded OK, but that was it... just "OK." Up till that point, anything Metallica did would completely annihilate me on first listen.

I spent the next week or so listening to that tape constantly, really WANTING to love it as much as I'd loved all the past works, but eventually realized that I was beating a dead horse. Having to declare a Metallica album "disappointing" was a very depressing day for me.

I remember listening to the Black Album in my buddy's car after making the purchase in Tower Records. When "The Unforgiven" came on, we both went looking in the liner notes to see who was singing. Honeslty, I though maybe Jason was doing lead vocals or something. Same deal when we heard "Nothing Else Matters". We couldn't belive it was the same guy that sang "Jump in the Fire"