Death Magnetic was produced by Rick Rubin, one of my favorite producers. It was the first time since …And Justice For All that they didn’t collaborate with Bob Rock. This album also marked the debut of current bassist Robert Trujillo (whose work includes Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Ozzy Osbourne, and others). It debuted at #1 with 3 singles. It has been certified Platinum.
Members:
James Hetfield: vocals, rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett: guitar
Robert Trujillo: bass
Lars Ulrich: drums
The Tracks:
- “That Was Your Life”: Finally, an album with a good start! In fact, I’d say it’s an amazing start!
- ” End of the Line”: This song actually has good percussion. No random banging this time! And an actual solo?
- “Broken, Beat, and Scarred” : Hetfield and Ulrich disagreed about the title, but this song is explosive. Robert’s bass is great.
- “The Day That Never Comes”: This song has a good use of distortion on the guitars.
- “All Nightmare Long”: One of my favorite songs from start to finish. I love this!
- “Cyanide”: The bass and drums are on fire on this. On first listen, I thought the song was uneven, but I liked it better the second time.
- “The Unforgiven III”: This is a worthy climax to the trilogy, with a beautiful piano and guitar. It sounds more reminiscent of the first song than the second ever did.
- “The Judas Kiss”: Some more good drumming and shredding on this.
- “Suicide and Redemption”: This is the first instrumental in a long time. It feels uneven.
- “My Apocalypse”: My least favorite song on the album. The production seems louder than it should.
Final Verdict: Metallica is back to top form with an excellent album!
Grade: A
Aspie Catholic 