With all that is going on in my life as of late, I just needed to set aside a few minutes to talk about the new Metallica album, Death Magnetic.

It comes out in on the 12th and I was counting down the days until that day when, on Friday, a buddy sent me a link to get the album… illegally, of course.

I was expecting it to be good since the band had fired long-time producer Bob Rock, and hired the only man that would have even the slightest chance to get the band back on track, Mr. Rick Rubin.

Since the first Beastie Boys rap album, I have probably put more money in Rubin’s pocket than any other music producer. The Beasties, The Chili Peppers, Slayer, System of a Down, etc. have all had the honor of having this guy at the helm for the majority, if not all of their albums. And now recently he’s been working with CSN and Brandi Carlile… the guy is all over the place. What’s more is that Sam’s dad Wayne is his chef so I have a direct line to him to let him know what I think of this new offering from Metallica.

So, what do I think?

I think they pulled it of. I’m not the first to say it but… METALLICA IS BACK!!

I’m going to look past the Napster thing and Lars’ uncontrollable narcissism and touch on some of the tracks here:

The first three tracks are pure energy and the best on the album. Tears came to my eyes throughout the first track, “That Was Just Your Life”. It starts out with a Dark Side of the Moon-esque heartbeat and from there enters the classic Metallica intro harkening back to the days of “Ride the Lightening” and “Master of Puppets.” What’s interesting is how you can hear System of a Down-type licks come through in this track. Funny how things come full circle.

Track two “The End of the Line” is more heaviness with one of the most obnoxious intros to a guitar solo I have ever heard. It’s only a split second of feedback but it just bursts in and throws you back 10 feet and takes you on a bone-crushing ride into the depths of insanity. WTF?!?! It’s awesome in the truest sense of the word.

“Broken, Beat & Scarred” is the third track and maybe my favorite next to the first track. It just has a killer main riff that only Metallica could have come up with. Not to mention the sing-a-long part “SHOW… YOUR… SCARS!!!” I can’t wait to belt that out at the concert in December.

Don’t get me wrong, the whole album isn’t perfect. The major single off the album “The Day that Never Comes” is probably the weakest track on the album followed closely by yet another Unforgiven sequel. “The Day…” just feels like it was slapped together using licks and devices from past songs like “One” and “Motorbreath.” At least they steal from themselves. It seriously sounds like a garage jam that got recorded by accident and then never completed… but with really good recording gear.

The ninth track is “Suicide & Redemption” and it’s the token 10 min. instrumental. Well, at least it used to be “token.” I don’t think there’s been a track like that since the “…And Justice for All” album. It’s not that interesting musically. There are a few killer riffs that should be in regular songs but not an instrumental. It just can’t hold a candle to “Orion,” “To Live is To Die,” or “Call of Ktulu.”

What this album is sorely missing compared to “Ride the Lightening” and “Master of Puppets” is more classical music influence. Maybe Cliff Burton was responsible for bringing that stuff into the mix. There are a couple of instances where they touch on some good harmonies but it’s just too few and far in between.

Apart from the tracks, I was really excited to hear Rob Trujillo make his in-studio debut as I thought he was the perfect choice for bassist after Jason Newstead was gone. In the mix that I have he’s barely noticeable. Funny since most Metallica albums are so bass-heavy. Maybe I just got some overly compressed mp3’s and it totally squeezed out the low end. Hope it’s better on the CD. I’m sure it will be.

Shit, gotta get back to work.

Final Word: I FUCKING LOVE THIS ALBUM. Although it has its shortcomings the riffs still get stuck in my head just like they did back in the days of pre-Black Album Metallica.

Although I have this advanced copy, I still plan on buying it. So should you.

Well done guys!

[UPDATE]

After a little more listening and talking with friends who have listened to the album, I’ve decided that Metallica is back for those of us who have been sticking with the band in hopes of them making good music again. It isn’t for those who dropped the band when the Black Album came out. To those guys and gals, this album will sound like Metallica trying hard to sound like… um… well, Metallica.

With that said, I think this is their best album since “…And Justice For All”. All the albums in between this one and Justice just never sounded like Metallica to me. Even the Black Album never really floated my boat as much as Death Magnetic does.