Preview Of New Metallica Tracks Available
Band Photo: Metallica (?)
Classic Rock Magazine has issued the following report:
Classic Rock was among a select band of rock journalists to hear a taster from the new Metallica album today. At present untitled, the band’s new record has been nicknamed by management “Nine epics and one song”. We heard six of 'em – unmixed and all unnamed (we guess at some of the titles in our track by track, below).
Classic Rock was one of the few magazines to give the band’s last album, St. Anger, a bad review on its release, Philip Wilding giving it 2/5. “It’s unfettered hell-for-leather nonsense pretty much from beginning to end,” he wrote. “Forget nuance or gravitas – or Metallica, for that matter – this is latter-day heavy metal pulverised into a risible mush that owes as much to rock music’s deviation in the last three years, as to the credible legend that Metallica have built and cultivated since the early 80s.
“This, you reason, must be the sound of a mid-life crisis…”
The following year’s documentary Some Kind Of Monster let fans see exactly that – the creative and personal meltdown that occurred during the creative process.
So is the new album the sound of conquering heroes? Or just the sound of some multi-millionaires with a franchise to exploit? Does it try too hard to please – or is it the sound of a band who know they’ve got everything to prove and the year is their’s for the taking?
Maybe it’s the one multi-million-selling triumph that will actually get some radio airplay without resorting to Chili Peppers-style bland-outs. Maybe it’s a re-hash of former glories. Maybe it’s too little too late. Or maybe it’s some metal masters showing the young pretenders how to do it (with riffs and solos and, y’know, singing – not growling).
Are the lyrics the work of a middle-aged doofus with a rhyming dictionary? Or are they the work of thrash titans who’ve found a voice and created fittingly intense music for these intense times?
The jury is out until we can spend some quality time with the album. Until then, this is what we heard…
Track one – (working title ‘Flamingo’)
Opens with a lightly chorus guitar riff, slightly reminiscent of Sandman, a hugely long intro before a gruff, Hetfield patented “three four” breaks down into a SLAYER-ish thrashy riff barrage.
The drum sound is infinitely better than St Anger. Includes a serious wah-wah breakdown and several, distinct melodic chorus refrains. Could be a good radio bet – there’s no mistaking that it’s a Metallica song.
Which is more than could be said of St Anger. Back in the early 00s, of course, Nu Metal producer/overlord Ross Robinson famously banned guitar solos from albums by the likes of SLIPKNOT. That Metallica – metal’s biggest band – seemed to toe the line with this philosophy in order to win the kids over beggared belief.
The good news? The guitar solos are back. With a vengeance. Hammett has been let back off the leash – this track even sees him breaking open the whammy pedal again for a spot of Tom Morello-esque tomfoolery.
Its false ending even fooled the guy from management who has heard it several times before!
Track two – (aka The Single)
It’s an eight-minute behemoth. Intro has elements of techno metal, vaguely reminiscent of QUEENSRŸCHE’s Silent Lucidity clean picked guitar sound (think Martha & the Muffins’ Echo Beach on downers).
It’s a Metallica power ballad – whoever thought a Met song would ever feature the line ‘Love is a four-letter word’? – and it follows more traditional lines than their previous forays into balladry.
Just when you think it might be a little meandering, The Single breaks down with a Battery-style riff and Hammett and Hetfield let rip with a twin-guitar THIN LIZZY-style solo. Nice.
The solo doesn’t stop there, Hammett takes centre stage and ramps it up with a very technical, IRON MAIDEN fret melting solo.
Read the full article at Classic Rock Magazine.
What's Next?
137 Comments on "Preview Of New Metallica Tracks Available"
Writer, Reviewer
Member
9. writes:
The repeated questioning in the article is pretty annoying, but what they've written about the songs sounds promising. When I clicked to read the rest of the article I found myself reading an article even shorter than the one above. Maybe they were asked to remove their song descriptions?
I poked around and found a couple more articles with some more details and they continue to sound promising, although the comparisons to Rage Against the Machine are worrying me. I'm hoping I can tack that up to the authors liking RATM just a little too much.
10. writes:
farthammer is a total idiot that has no taste in metal......sh**allica has not had ANYTHING good since master of puppies....(i'll even GIVE you & justice for all was ok)....i've been in the hardcore/metal/punk/grind scene for a long time & i know what's good...sh**allica is not (cliff is rolling over in his grave).....there is soooooooo much better out there.....open your fukkin eyes for christ sake......i was a fan a long LONG time ago......until they released the black album which was bad enough, but st. anger???? wht the hell is that piece of sh**???.....then sh**allica started saying how they used to do the hard stuff...been there done that....then they started the prosecution of shared music web sites....they're total d***s, as musicians & humans.....that is my case & so explains my eternal hatred for sh**allica & the d***heads who defend them.....sh**allica, i hope your tourbus does flip & farthammer's car as well
Member
14. writes:
all this flip the tourbus talk is gettin outta hand. would you talk like that about dimebag? its not a matter of musical taste or anything it's a matter of respect. if you really feel that strongly about it, go to ozzfest during tallica's set, go face to face with some real fans and state your case. i guarentee runnin your mouth will end you up like danzig when he talked trash to the northside kings. as for talkin trash on the internet? it's a place for porn and pirating music, not telling people to go die. grow a set and learn some manners
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23. writes:
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34. writes:
who would ever buy iran-made products?? even china made products are better!! if it wasnt for the threat of a 3rd world war we would invade your a$$ and wipe Iran off the map!!! all iran is gonna do is ally with N korea and bomb the sh*t outta the world. too bad you dumba$$es forgot about mutual assured destruction!! we'll drop our entire arsenal on you. Muahahahaha!!!
Former Contributor
35. writes:
Wah solos = probably sh**.
And wtf - Would you guys really trust someone so out of touch with metal he uses the phrase "techno metal"?? Tech or technical is what he's getting at. This sounds like a review from some ponsy Rolling Stones new age hipster - f*** off.
Overall the whole thing sounds pretty average, I'll buy it but my eagerness for the next Cynic album is growing tenfold by the day.
Now Playing: Bal Sagoth - "Hammer Of The Emperor"
Writer, Reviewer
37. writes:
I'd probly go for an obscure and almost meaningless band name - Soulshell or something, I dunno, hahah. Eternal Moment. Third Eye View. Paradise Forgotten. Circle Bridge. You know, something that sounds interesting but probably doesn't have much thought behind it hahah.
Former Contributor
38. writes:
I've already decided my band name which I'll hopefully get cracking on once I leave uni - Computer. I like short, sharp, weird, blunt names that keep the metal tradition, you know - Death, Cynic, Atheist etc :) Was previously called Machine/Watchmaker but apparantly those are taken!
Reviewer
39. writes:
my current band that i'm in is called amidst the shadows and it's mainly a thrash/death/black metal band.
for my side projects, my goal is to make one PURE album in each metal subgenre...along with other genres like blues, jazz, folk, a baroque concerto etc. just to keep things interesting.
Writer, Reviewer
40. writes:
I wanna make an album where every track is the same song done in different genres. Black metal, prog, thrash, jazz, blues, psy-trance, rnb, classical, symphony/orchestra, rock, and so on. I think it'd be interesting to see how the different genres affect the same song in different ways. Only problem is... christ I'd get sick of that damn song! hahahah
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42. writes:
I used to be the vocalist in a band called Napalm Cheese and after that I was in a band called Drunk Edge which had song titles like "I Masturbated In Your Bagpipes", "Slamming Your d*** In A Door" and "I Took A sh** And Put It In Your Microwave". The aim of the band was to be absolute crap and I think we accomplished it ;) Which is why we gave ourselves the label of "Bollockscore".
43. writes:
Wasn't this article supposed to be about Metallica?
Anyways, I totally agree with hot k, wishing a tourbus would flip is just f&$%ing wrong. Even if u don't like the band, just say u hate them and be done with it. anybody that wishes that someone's tourbus would flip is a F&$%ing LOSER. As for the new album, I've been waiting for it for a long time now, (I think it was February last year) and I'll be glad to see it finally come out.
God love all you haters, cause sure as hell no one else will.
Anyways, can't wait for the new album.
Metallica Rules.
Peace out.
44. writes:
I think YOUR the loser.....keep waiting for the deuch bags in sh**allica to put out something good....you'll be waiting forever....in the meantime, you'll miss out on good bands like:
The Red Chord
Burning Skies
Vampire Moose
Agnostic Front
Hatebreed
MadBall
Pig Destroyer
Get a Fukkin life.....Tour bus flip with you & your family & friends in it & on top of your pets..........Idiot....
45. writes:
^wow, I never thought I would see the day when someone quoted both Hatebreed and Pig Destroyer as what they thought were good bands in the same comment. when people like one, they usually intensely dislike the other, so surprise, surprise on my part. :p
I don't really know what my band name should be yet, but I'm planning a concept album based entirely on the Cannibal corpse song "Hammer Smashed Faces", just for hilarity's sake. Every song will be slightly different lyrically i.e.- "Hammer smashed midgets", "Hammer smashed p***s" (ouch), "n***** Smashed Faces"(sure to get some fanmail for that one!) and the list goes on. The instrumentals will be as though we were actually making original songs, and the lyrics are going to be nothing like CC's, it's all just in mockery and tribute to them and that song. We already tried out n***** smash.. in front of our friends and we had the whole house laughing, even the people who couldn't understand the death metal growls, it was just that great. :D
Now Playing: Torture Killer- "Forever Dead"
50. writes:
coldiem, uncle sam wants you.....to learn how to spell and get rid of your yoda talk in your name. coldiem----cold I am----I am Cold.....there you go i fixed it for you. i think you need to be dropped in the middle east to warm up with all the explosions of suicide bombers.
52. writes:
I dont have a cool band name but if I were a rapper (which I am not), my name would be Busta Nut!!!
Oh yeah, and can you all please cease and desist with the "(generic insult)tallica" crp! It wasnt that funny the first 100 times! If you want to insult the band, there has got to be more creative ways of doing it! Pu alittle thought into it and at least TRY and make your remarks interesting. Please, for the kids.
Supporter
60. writes:
unbelievable.the quality and depth of work that this band produced in during the KILL 'EM ALL -
...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL era is, to this day {and the ones to come},UNEQUALED.load\reload,not their finest hour[s],however ST. ANGER is as ahead of the curve as JUSTICE was in in '88.
every band going, with the exception[s] of SABBATH,PRIEST AND MAIDEN would not exist were there no METALLICA to show the way.{zeppelin is not metal!}all you numetal posers {as well as several thrash posers} can bite me,your music is gutless,as well as growthless.metallica sucks...blah blah blah-you can do it your own way , if it's done just how i say-well METALLICA is not going to do that.they are not going take a poll to in order to have you chose which way they are going with their music.why do you spend most of your time slagging a band you are supposed to hate?
to paraphrase the rude salesman guy on the simpsons:
"ooh, a fat, sarcastic {insert band name here} fan. you must be a devil with the ladies"
61. writes:
Good point, dmetal, why r these a$$holes even bothering to comment on Metallica if they hate the band? I think deep down they secretly like them and just are too much of pansies to admit it. And just because they tried a new sound, doesn't mean they sold out, so f$%# you idiots who think they did.
"Do you trust what I trust? Me, myself, and I..."
Bug off you stupid hater bastards. Only the fans of Metallica should be allowed to post here.
So get the f*** out.
65. writes:
you lame a$$ gay little kids can cry,whine & complain all you want....the fact remains that sh**allica still suck & the reason you queers get so mad about it is because you all know it's true......tour bus flip.......or cliff's corpse rises from the grave & kills gay larz, corksukker jamz, & lil jizgobler krk...........
66. writes:
the haters sowing on this thread are really intent on calling METALLICA gay , as well as describing activities associated with people who are gay.um,do protest to much? would you be calling METALLICA gay in order to cover up something you fear in yourself,or are your statements intended to deflect attention away from your collection of brokeback mountain mags stashed in your closet. oh, the tour bus flipping? you really shouldn't ask for a thing that you'd not want your own to go through.
69. writes:
tourbus flip? it's a matter of respect. your parents would be ashamed of you? how would you guys feel if your granny died of a heart attack and some twats on the internet kept going to you "heart attack, heart attack"
cliff's parents lost their son and james, lars and kirk lost their best friend - you motherf***ing sh**heads don't deserve to listen to any music at all if you can't show any respect toward the dead
70. writes:
i have no respect for sh**allica or you, dikkhead, go fukk yerself...they still sukk & you know it, that's why you're soooo p***ed & i'm not cuz i'm listening to stuff that is sooooooooo much better that your feeble minds can't even comprehend.....yes, i do hope they die...HAHAHA & furthermore, i hope you die too, Fukk U, your friends & your gay a$$ family too...eat a big dikk....oh yeah, & for the other turd up there ^^ who thinks i got brokeback mags stashed in my closet, the only thing stashed in there is a mossberg pump.......idiot
Member
71. writes:
I think Metallica use to be a good band, but aren't so much as great as they use to be in my opinion.
I think it's time for fans to move on from Metallica, and go to something else... I don't know what else...Just something else.
And don't get me wrong, they are talented.
79. writes:
jeez....."just explaing youself"......that's really clever.....no wonder that dude's impersonating you.....he's pisssssin' you off (bravo)....and a$$ clown that you are, have absolutely nothing clever, witty or even intelligent to come back with......proves what a deuche you really are........dumbass...........tour bus flip on you & your simple family
Member
Former Contributor
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118. writes:
Why don't you just register an account name "Uncle Sam" (I'm directing this to whoever the real Uncle Sam is), then people won't be able to post comments under the same name as you.
And don't tell everybody when you IP log someone, it makes you look like an idiot.
Member
Former Contributor
123. writes:
1. Is this article about Metallica, or Uncle Sam?
2. The pic at the top is way out of date, Jason shouldn't even be in the picture at all. If Jason's gonna be in the pic, might as well put Dave Mustaine back in it too. Definetly need a newer pic.
3. Back to what dmetal1 was talking about, if u can remember that far back, I totally agree. You hater idiots need to get over it.
127. writes:
i am watching les claypools set from bonnaroo right now. metallica is next. for all who want to watch go to whatever browser you use and type in bonnaroo 2008. at the website click on the at&t webcast link. agree to the terms, and get click next. it will come up....
136. writes:
well, i have watched enough. from what i can see from this performance is they can still kick a$$, but are just a tid bit slower than their golden yrs. i will give it a 7 of 10.
i have to get up at 5 am, so i am stopping the show here. since i didnt finish it out i cant rate it any higher than that. if any1 saw the post with the link to the site with the webcast hope u enjoyed it more than me...
137. writes:
I know that there are no pics of Dave and Jason together, but my point is that if you're going to have an old pic with old members then why not make it the original lineup?
James, Dave, Ron McGovney and Lars.
Anyways, I agree, I don't really feel like arguing over this either.
So, about the new stuff... (The topic of this article if anyone remembers.)
To minimize comment spam/abuse, you cannot post comments on articles over a month old.
1. Richard writes:
Another view http://www.thrashhits.com/2008/06/metallicas-new-album-the-verdict/