by Jean-Michel Desmeules

Created on: March 27, 2009   Last Updated: March 29, 2009

The last good album from Metallica was the self-named "Metallica" black album which came out in August of 1991, or at least it is how I feel and it seems to be the general opinion from fans of this cult band. The world renowned band started producing a series of poor albums after that, living off its past established fame and the "St-Anger" album was the last straw for many a fans who then decided the band was "pass". I feel they strayed too much from what they knew best to experiment with pop friendly melodies and meaningless lyrics. Oh don't get me wrong: the audio quality, musical talent and cd presentation always stayed good in quality. However, it is the content that lacked anything interesting for the listener!

While their newly released album "Death Magnetic" doesn't offer anything new (although they kept their sound current), it has the value of returning to their beloved roots. It is safe to say they have heard their fan's voices and took a step back to evaluate their musical direction. Song after song, you'll get an automatic smirk on your face as you recognize the melodies and raw vocals that once made this your favorite band. With this new album, I think Metallica is ready for a very grand international "come back" tour as fans from all over the world are re-kindling their love for the classic metal music of this historical band. There will be a lot of demands for concerts worldwide soon and if I were a local promoter I'd get on the phone RIGHT NOW!

This being said, I am happy but not satisfied: at least not until I get a new album that sounds good, but all the while offers some evolution in their music and lyrics. We can only hope that these past few years were indeed used by the band to create new songs, good lyrics and a new start at the rest of their careers. May this new album be the launching pad they need to get their fans' allegiance once again? I hope

Apart from the music, you will find the packaging to be most pleasing and beautiful. It is intricate and very well made, well thought out and nicely illustrated. Nice enough to keep on display for your guests to see.

Bottom line is it's an album you want in your collection, but you definitely have to get these first:

Kill 'Em All

Ride the Lightning

Master of Puppets (you especially need this one for sure)

...And Justice for All

Metallica

I hope you found my review accurate and fun to read, because if you did, I'll definitely post more music reviews as I feel music is what ties our world together and as a visual artist I could not create so much without this important inspirational media.

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