(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
Killing Inc.
from Hell, MN
Yeah, I was a metallica fan. This record epitomized what Metallica did back in the day when they were a thrash metal band before they turned into another alternative act. These songs are pure metal, but yet they have a very infectious dose of melodies upon them. They are not as driving and hardcore and raw as the previous records, yet none the less they are heavy, they are still metal, and if it wasn't for the horrid digital production, just as good as any other Metallica record before. So, here is where the problem comes in, the production is waaaaay too thin. There is no RAWNESS what so ever. THere is no thickness or "mid" tones on the album. The bass drums ticks, the bass is non existant, the guitars are, dare to say, weak in a Metal album basis. Yet, why of the five stars if this album posseses so many flaws? the songwriting of this record might be the best ever done by Metallica. From the backwards recorded intro of "Blackened" to the dead on end of "Dyers Eve" this record is packed with amazing riffs, beats, the best lyrics Metallica ever wrote, James Hetfield best voice ever, and the most amazing solos this band has ever played. Indeed, as a guitar player and as a metal fan, this record, produced differently would, without a doubt, be the best metal album ever. Brutal as in "The Shortest Straw" and fast as in "To Live is to die" to Melodic as in "One" or amazing as on "To Live Is To Die" this record could have epitomized Thrash Metal itself... Highlights: Blackened, One, Dyers Eve, To Live Is To Die Lows: OVERPRODUCED (too clean, no rawness).
