Track Listing

1. That Was Just Your Life
2. The End Of The Line
3. Broken, Beat & Scarred
4. The Day That Never Comes
5. All Nightmare Long
6. Cyanide
7. The Unforgiven III
8. The Judas Kiss
9. Suicide & Redemption
10. My Apocalypse

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1740 in Music
• Released on: 2008-09-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review

CD Description
'Death Magnetic' is the ninth studio album from heavy metaltitans Metallica, who link up with producer Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Slayer) for the first time. Epic guitar solos from Kirk Hammett, constant speed changes and multiple riffs per song make the follow-up to 2003's 'St. Anger' a throwback to the band's pre-1990s style. James Hetfield's vocals and the pounding rhythms of Lars Ulrich are as powerful as ever, while Bass player Rob Trujillo appears on a studio recordingwith the band for the first time.

Customer Reviews

NORMAL SERVICE IS RESUMED....
A BIG return to form here! This album takes all the experimentation of the past (the groove of Load, the raw anger of St Anger & the prog touches of And Justice For All) and successfully melds it with the thrashier elements of Lightning & Puppets.
The problems of St Anger have been erased; the lyrics are far less self loathing and repetitive, the arrangements are more varied and technical, the drums sound like drums, the bass is once again the holding player in midfield and the solos are back in style. This album showcases Hammett's most emotive & powerful lead work in over a decade! And there is also the small matter of some of the band's best riffs since 1986!
Hetfield is more 'in control' than on the 2003 misfire, and the production while not in the Black album sphere, is clear and powerful. Personally I would prefer a slightly fuller snare & less clicky bass drum but the guitars and bass are really strong. Had my doubts over Trujillo - not as a player, but more if he was suitable, but I have to say I'm really impressed.
There is much for all here; from the symphonic orchestration on Unforgiven 3 (STUNNING lead break) to the all out Thrash Metal of My Apocalypse and the epic The Day That Never Comes (similiar to One but better. Really!).
That Was Just Your Life is a corker of an opener and is reminiscent of the St Anger days but with better quality.
Instrumental track Suicide & Redemption has a real groove with some seriously crunchy riffs, and tasty leads. Not as good as Orion or the S&M version of Call Of Ktulu but more engaging than the plodding To Live Is To Die from 1988's AJFA.
What strikes me here is how clear the influences shine through; the rhythm of Zeppelin, the riffs of Sabbath, the swagger of Motorhead. Even the odd hint of Maiden & Priest. And yet this still sounds very modern.
I can't see how any Metallica, or Metal fan could fail to appreciate this. Please don't read too much into all this talk of a distorted sound -it's really not the case.
Here's to another good decade from the Masters....
And the second coming of Thrash gathers pace...

thank you thank you thank you thank you
Finally. After all these years of mild disappointments we have a new Metallica album worthy of the name.

First impressions track by track (because I'm that sad)...

"That was just your life" starts with a slow heartbeat then builds until by about 1 min 30 we're on our way. This could easily be off "Justice" its that good. 4m 52s and Kirks been thawed out of his deep freeze and ta da! we have serious solo action on a Metallica album again [large smile spreads across face]

"The End of The Line" keeps it going. Could it be off "Puppets"? It even sounds a bit like "Puppets". Did he just sing "taste me you will see..." ok maybe not but he could have. Always knew these guys still had it in them.

"Broken, Beat & Scarred" starts with just a hint of "Harvester of Sorrow" and we're away again - 'what don't kill you will make you more strong' the man says and this is strong. This album just isn't letting up. No longer will you have to defend Metallica to your mates who think 'they used to be good but...' Practice looking smug in the mirror.

"The Day That Never Comes" the single. Sounds better as part of the album . In the good old days this would be one of those last song on side one type of tracks like "Sanitarium".

"All Nightmare Long" some more serious heavy riffing - According to James 'luck runs out' not ours it hasn't. Killer solo again and James's voice sounds better than it has in years while Lars wears out some more pedals.

"Cyanide" you might have heard this live - the studio version is just as good as you'd hoped. Brilliant bassline. Brilliant track.

"The Unforgiven III" as you probably guessed its Black album time again. Piano and cello intro. Nice ballad which picks up in the last couple of minutes with another top solo.

"The Judas Kiss" sounds like it could be straight off "Justice" again. With another fierce solo - how amazing is this album?

"Suicide and Redemption" instrumental. Fade-in to killer bassline/heavy riffing. Slower tempo but heavy. Nice Calpton impression from Kirk about 4 mins in then approaching 6 mins its take off time with another big solo. Lars crazy on those drums too.

"My Apocalypse" last song on a Metallica album can only mean one thing - crank up the pace to meltdown. So close to breaking into "Damage Inc." at times. Awesome.

Overall impression? Buy this album. Right now. And you might as well shell out the £70 for the coffin version its that good

Death Fantastic...
It finally arrived through my letterbox after days of frustration. But now that it's here, I have to say that it might well be the best Metallica album since '...And Justice For All'. I think it's better than the Black Album, if only marginally.

The opener, 'That Was Just Your Life', is classic 'Justice' era-Metallica, and has riffs you wouldn't find out of place on that magnificent album of 20 odd years ago.

Some of the riffs sincerely blew my mind, and the tightness of this four-piece unit is beyond belief. Rob Trujillo has become part of the furniture here, and James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett's twin-guitaring is in complete harmony. It is very 'Justice', and very impressive. 10/10.

The second track starts with a sample of a preview track we heard a few months ago in 'The New Song', which was played in a key lower than we find on the album. Except for this time, we open into a more high-tempo track of Thrash Metal. This one's called 'The End of the Line', and while it is brilliant, it isn't the best track on the album. 9/10.

Track three is called 'Broken, Beat & Scarred', and has a catchiness you wouldn't find out of place on 'The Black Album'. 'Through dark days, through dark nights, through pitch black insights!' Hetfield sings. All three tracks so far have a strong feel of thrash-metal through the proverbial veins of the songs. This feels less structured than the previous two songs, but that doesn't mean it's worse off. It's catchy and has riffs that throw you sideways and back again. It really is a remarkable album. 9/10.

Track four is the first single to be taken off 'Death Magnetic', and it's called 'The Day That Never Comes'. Four minutes of a ballad, a minute of a breakdown, and a glorious three minutes of thrash metal, mean that this song is roughly somewhere between 'Fade To Black' and 'One'. The riffs are astonishing and while James's voice isn't quite what it was, it isn't far off. Hammett's guitaring is the best in years as is James's rhythm playing and Lars Ulrich has dramatically been revitalised in his drumming since Load/Reload and St. Anger. 10/10.

Track five is the eight minute epic, 'All Nightmare Long', and in my opinion, a bit like a modern-day 'Enter Sandman' with a twist of 'Disposable Heroes' as well as 'Wherever I May Roam'. The beginning has an eerie feel to it with Trujillo's bass guitar prominent. James's speed-picking comes in along with Lars's excellent drumming. The chorus is infectious as it could have come off 'The Black Album'. In my opinion this, as well as the opener and 'The Day That Never Comes', is the best track on the album so far. 10/10.

Track six is 'Cyanide', a track which debuted at Ozzfest this year, and on first impression, I wasn't too keen on it. Having heard the studio version however, I changed my mind as I thought it was an excellent track. I think this, along with 'The Unforgiven III' have some of the best lyrics found on the album (except for the 'suicide, I've already died' bit). But otherwise, a solid track. 9/10.

Track seven is 'The Unforgiven III'. I really didn't know what to expect when I saw this on the tracklisting but I thought Metallica had ruined it by making a third. How wrong I was. It is a great song and it is almost as good as 'The Unforgiven', and streets ahead of the second instalment. It is more poignant and has more feeling to it. 9/10.

Track eight is perhaps the messiest track on the album. It is called 'The Judas Kiss' and it is eight minutes flat. There are so many riffs here that it is difficult to know where to start. It is progressive to say the least, and Hammett has a monster solo on this one. I love the chorus, I think it is fantastic. 9.5/10.

Track nine is the drawn-out instrumental, 'Suicide and Redemption'. Ten minutes long, it would be easy to say that is it too long and boring. While I take into consideration the last instrumental, 'The Call of the Ktulu', it is nowhere near that, or 'Orion' for that matter either, but it isn't too shabby and fills a good ten minutes with plenty of riffs and solos. 8.5/10.

The final track is brilliant. It's called 'My Apocalypse' and is the shortest track on the album by some distance. Clocking in at 5 minutes flat, it is an all-out thrash/speed metal frenzy. Outstanding. The fastest thing they've done since 'Battery', and quite possibly the best since then as well. 10/10.

So overall, it is an imperious album, and Metallica have returned with a bang. They've blown the cobwebs of St. Anger away, and if their next album is as good as this one, I think we could be witnessing the beginning of something quite spectacular.

Best tracks are: 'That Was Just Your Life'; 'Broken, Beat & Scarred'; 'The Day That Never Comes'; 'All Nightmare Long'; 'The Unforgiven III'; 'The Judas Kiss'; and 'My Apocalypse'.

Seventy five minutes of music has never been such good value for money. Buy it if you haven't already. 9.5/10.