Metallica's Reviews
Garage Inc. (Average Rating: 8.40 out of 10)
burning out, or fading away? (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
ixion75
from NJ United States
A listen to these 2 discs of cover tunes raises many questions, not least of them: when will Metallica sound this fiery again? Indeed, can they? The dust heap of fallen rock heroes call them as powerfully as ever. The lure of drink and drugs, the tripe and scuttle of mass success-- it all augurs a fading away, a poked hole in the delicate balloon of artistic inspiration, of hollowed-out sound and fury. A cover of Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" is respectful, hammy, even cute... but, will the real Metallica stand up? You know-- the *metallic* sounding one?_Garage Inc._ is like a traipse through Metallica's shadowed majestic past and a jettison through their present stagnation at one and the same time...we find cleverly-conceived covers of everyone from Black Sabbathand Nick Cave to Bob Seger and the Misfits. "Sabbra Cadabra" is an excellent choice, though the execution is almost too tight, too planned, too flat. "Loverman" works perfectly though, as does Blue Oyster Cult's "Astronomy"--perhaps Metallica needs to do more writing in the progressive metal vein. And no track treads closer to where Hetfield and Co.'s heart is currently than "Turn the Page," its haunting delivery and creepy pace making it a great first single. The second single-- a cover of Thin Lizzy's cover of "Whiskey in the Jar"-- is also brilliant. (Both also have noteworthy videos.) The zip and polish of the first, newer disc jars against the snot-smears and beery-burps of the classic second, but only slightly. Much of this latter salvo is inspired and worthy material: rock's next generation of sonic swordsmen paying swilled tribute to the predecessors. It is this charismatic vibe one may feel has been lost on Metallica, even if their wordly wisdom and experience might atone for it. The best medicine for Metallica may be to struggle some more, and, when the new demons have been vanquished, to reveal how and why it was done in guitar chords that burn more brightly than the ones before... this, or be content to have their tunes sampled by Kid Rock and covered by other, hungrier bands.
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