Death Magnetic
The Age
Friday September 19, 2008
Death Magnetic
Metallica (Universal) 3.5/5The comic dysfunctionality of metal behemoth Metallica was wonderfully captured in the 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. It revealed many things, including personality clashes and how the well-heeled band had lost touch with their roots. More worrying though was that singer James Hetfield had undergone anger management therapy. After all, it was his rage, channelled into a ghoulish fantasy world, that drove the band's classic '80s material. It also revealed how hard the band tried to recapture their edge on their last album, St Anger, which came across as forced and confessional. But for this, with new bassist Robert Trujillo, hard-rock producer Rick Rubin urged them to embrace their past, and it's paid off. It has the hardness, frenetic face-melting solos and bluesy wah-wah riffage of 1986's Master of Puppets. But this is tempered with some strings, piano and odd time signatures of more recent work, which offers some light relief from the overwhelming darkness. And despite Hetfield's counselling, there's still plenty of rage filling in the empty void in his soul. It's too long and heavy going, but there's still plenty of life in the old beast. -- PATRICK DONOVAN
© 2008 The Age