Metallica
Metallica – The Black Album
U.S.: CD | MP3
UK: CD | MP3
Recorded October 1990 – June 1991
Released August 13, 1991

At the end of the 1980s, an epic battle was about to take place. Grunge was wafting its sweaty cardigan in the direction of the drainpipe-trousered metallers hoping to lay claim to their throne. One band was not about to concede the new decade to any pretenders and set about writing not only one of the defining albums of the decade, but one of the greatest metal albums of all time. The almighty Black Album arrived, and nobody was going to remove Metallica‘s crown.

Officially titled Metallica, it became known as the Black Album thanks to the cover art. It’s black. Released August 13, 1991, it demonstrated a marked change for Metallica. The band’s thrash-heavy, white-hot relentless riffs were replaced by a slower, heavier sound that was less like a machine-gun attack and more like a steady series of hammer blows. On previous albums like “¦And Justice or All and Master Of Puppets, Metallica showcased their songwriting abilities through epic, challenging musical pieces. This time, however, they went in the opposite direction and kept everything much more simple. The riffs were shorter and catchier and in “Nothing Else Matters” they even have a love song that is actually my favourite track on the album. The galloping riffs of “Through The Never,” “The Struggle Within,” and “Holier Than Thou” prove that Metallica is still the same band. Much of this praise — or blame — was laid at the feet of producer-of-the-moment Bob Rock.

Metallica
Master Of Puppets
UK
U.S.: CD | MP3
Recorded September – December 1985
Released March 3, 1986

Metallica pierced the ears of metalheads in with their 1983 debut album Kill “˜Em All; a shocking statement of intent with its aggressive, fast onslaught of sonic terror. They hurdled the “˜difficult second album’ phase with ease on the mighty Ride The Lightning, signaling a grander scope of songwriting. These were good albums, full of promising talent that metal listeners hoped would turn into greatness.

When it comes to bands, every so often everything falls perfectly into place. The best of them experience this perfect moment maybe once in their career. That one album where every song is perfectly written, each vocal perfectly pitched with lyrics encompassing and evoking an issue or time. Master Of Puppets was Metallica’s moment.

Released on March 3, 1986, Master of Puppets has never been a “˜grower’ demanding repeated listens nor has it ever been considered a misunderstood work of genius. It is an immediate album. Right from its release it was considered a great metal album and in the proceeding 25 years since its release its reputation has only grown. The songs still hold up as iconic metal tracks, with the title song still being one of the defining anthems of the genre.

Metal fans and followers will remember that yesterday we posted news that The Big 4 (meaning Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer) would be making a major announcement today via their Facebook page regarding a U.S. tour dates. Everybody assumed, justifiably so, that it would be the announcement of a major Big 4 U.S. tour. Boy, were we way off, and the resulting rampage of fury and anger from metalheads across the country should make the so-called Big 4 hang their heads in shame!

It turns out that the “major” announcement was that the 4 bands would be playing a show. That’s “a” show. As in one. Singular. Uno.

The Big 4 will be playing their one show in Indio, California on April 23, 2011, at the Empire Polo Club and…

Wait, what? A club? The Empire Polo Club doesn’t seem to have seating charts in many places in the short Google search I did, but one report I found mentioned a capacity of no more than 1,000*. I cannot vouch for the reliability and accuracy of that information, but if there is any validity to it, why choose such a lame venue for one show?

If you’re a die-hard Slayer fan with some money to spare, here’s a neat collectible for you.

Guitar company ESP plans to release a limited-edition Slayer guitar which will feature the cover art from the band’s classic 1986 thrash metal album Reign In Blood.

The guitar, which is called the LTD Slayer-2011, will have a limited edition of 250 guitars worldwide and celebrates the 25th anniversary of Reign In Blood‘s release.

Metallica – Death Magnetic
2008
Produced by Rick Rubin
Warner Bros.
Release date: September 12, 2008

I wished Metallica would have walked away (or done the decent rock band thing and imploded in a cloud of drugs and lawsuits) after And Justice For All. The Black Album at the most. Since then their output has been pretty awful. Let’s face it: St Anger was a catastrophe. The album was shrouded in turmoil and embarrassment. Welcoming ex-Ozzy bassist Rob Trujillo into a mixture that was ready to explode, the band released St Anger, which displayed their ability to perform generic riffs to a very high standard. Gone was the boundless energy and, most interestingly, guitar solos. The documentary Some Kind Of Monster demonstrated how fragile Metallica had become thanks to, well, almost everything and as such it seemed their creativity and tolerance for each other and love for the music had vanished.

But now five years after their last studio album, Metallica is back to metal up your ass with Death Magnetic. I was very apprehensive about pushing “˜play’ on my CD player when I put this in. But one thought kept pulsing through my head: “It’s Metallica!” Whether I liked it or not, whether I was ready or not, Metallica had returned.

And what a return it is.