METALLICA

[Guest Vitamin X]

I'm going to go

 

Ride the Lightning

Master of Puppets

Metallica

Kill Em All

And Justice for All

Load

St. Anger

Reload

 

as full albums. And Lars sucks not just because of the Napster shit, but because he's a shitty drummer.

[Nighthawk 0]

Master of Puppets

Ride the Lightning

Kill Em All

And Justice for All

 

And that's all I'll listen to, the rest sucks.

 

The black album will forever be associated with Kentucky meth binges, because that was pretty much the stuck on repeat soundtrack. I think Devil Without a Cause and Back in Black snuck in a couple times, but it was nearly all black album all the time. But that's not why I don't like it, just a fun fact.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Master of Puppets

Ride the Lightning

Kill 'Em All

...And Justice For All

Load

Metallica

ReLoad

St. Anger

[skullman80 0]

Puppets

Justice

Lightning

Kill Em All

Load

Black

Reload

St Anger

[Guest Vitamin X]

Wow you guys have Load fairly highly rated. I don't think the Black album is as bad so much as it is just seriously overplayed.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

They're all fucking garbage.

[Slayer 0]

Along the same lines as fkaMilk, I just discontinue their discography after The Black Album. There's maybe 3-4 songs of theirs I could listen to from the late 90's, and St Anger can FOAD.

 

Metallica as a whole has always been overrated to me, and MOP is also overrated as teh #1 metal album of all time. Within their discography, RTL is much better IMO. As far as comparing them to the other "Big Four" American thrash bands, I'd rank Slayer and Megadeth far ahead of them. Kreator easily smokes them as well.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Overall quality-wise, there are plenty of bands that are better (faster, more technical, etc.) than Metallica from the same time period. But they didn't force metal - REAL metal - to the forefront like Metallica did. It also kinda helps that Metallica was, overall, the best package: more easy to get into due to the more mid-tempo style, vocals that were intelligible and coherent, drumming that didn't take attention away from the guitars, and just technical enough to get beginning guitarists going "wow." Plus, as songwriters, Lars and James were probably the overall best in the 80's metal scene. Just about every song from Kill 'Em All to Master of Puppets at least FEELS complete. I personally rank Slayer and Exodus as the best of the 80's thrash bands, and just 80's metal in general (with Maiden directly behind them), but Metallica's catalogue during the 80's was just...heartier. The great was great, the good was good, and the bad was only bad compared to the rest of their output.

 

Also, Slay, I think we've talked about Euro-thrash. IMO, most of it is complete rubbish, lacking that true passion on display from their American counterparts. Demolition Hammer (AKA best undiscovered US thrash metal band ever) says "hello, entire European thrash metal scene, and prepare to see what heavy metal REALLY is."

[Urban Warfare 0]

Ride The Lightning

...And Justice For All

Master of Puppets

Kill 'Em All

Black

St. Anger

Load

ReLoad

 

It's pretty hard for me to pinpoint one album as my favorite, because all four are about the same to me. I always have and always will hate Load/ReLoad. And yes, I have given it a chance. I've tried looking at it as an album by a band other than Metallica, and to me, it still sucks complete ass. I will concede that it does have a couple of good songs (Hero of the Day, Until it Sleeps, etc.) But as a Metallica album it is flat out unacceptable to me. St. Anger is horrible, obviously, but as another poster said, it presented a glimmer of hope, however small, for the next album.

 

As for the new album, Metallica just posted a 10 second clip of a new song on their site. Sounds pretty awesome, even for 10 seconds.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

They have a whole hell of a lot to live up to, even to just satisfy fans who just want something better than St. Anger. That's why fans get disappointed: the first 4 albums are just so flat-out good, just across the board GOOD, that anything besides that is fucking rubbish.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Glad to see Slayer and UW agree with me on Ride the Lightning. "The Call of Ktulu" is such an epic outro (and that was the last Mustaine-penned song they did, too) I love that shit.

 

But they didn't force metal - REAL metal - to the forefront like Metallica did.

Two comments on this.

 

1 - Why is pushing metal to the mainstream an achievement at all? I personally like the underground, "you've never heard this kind of shit before" feeling of certain kinds of metal that most people never heard. I remember playing Nile for a friend of mine back in 2003 in Miami where hip-hop and rap are quite predominant and he was just amazed, saying he'd never heard of anything like that before. But I digress- I don't see what pushing a genre or style of music to the mainstream has anything to do with the quality of the band; if anything, with the way popular culture selects its music, it might say a negative thing. However,

 

2 - Black Sabbath says hi. I know maybe they're not "real" metal, but it's metal, dude, and so is Ozzy's solo shit too. All of those acts got big in the 80's, and you can't say Metallica did it bigger, better, or badder than Megadeth, Slayer (which is way more "real" IMO), and even Iron Maiden.

[Matt Young 0]

My list:

 

Master of Puppets

... And Justice for All

Ride the Lightning

Load

Reload

Kill 'Em All

Metallica

St. Anger

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

But they didn't force metal - REAL metal - to the forefront like Metallica did.

Two comments on this.

 

1 - Why is pushing metal to the mainstream an achievement at all? I personally like the underground, "you've never heard this kind of shit before" feeling of certain kinds of metal that most people never heard. I remember playing Nile for a friend of mine back in 2003 in Miami where hip-hop and rap are quite predominant and he was just amazed, saying he'd never heard of anything like that before. But I digress- I don't see what pushing a genre or style of music to the mainstream has anything to do with the quality of the band; if anything, with the way popular culture selects its music, it might say a negative thing. However,

The same reason why NWA pushing gangsta rap to the forefront is important, or why NIN bringing "industrial" to the mainstream is important. There's a certain it factor about the bands that take a genre previously denied mainstream acceptance and bring it out. And the fact that Metallica did it primarily through hard work, touring, and just spot-on magnificent albums (even some of the most diehard elitists won't disagree with the first 3-4 albums being landmarks of importance and quality, showing that thrash metal could be more than just speed and aggression) is something that should be admired. Of course, they then took this newfound celebrity and decided to just coast the rest of their career, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be given their due respect for past achievements.

2 - Black Sabbath says hi. I know maybe they're not "real" metal, but it's metal, dude, and so is Ozzy's solo shit too. All of those acts got big in the 80's, and you can't say Metallica did it bigger, better, or badder than Megadeth, Slayer (which is way more "real" IMO), and even Iron Maiden.

First off, you misquoted. They took THRASH metal, at the time the most "extreme" and "dangerous" form of the style (aside from the growing black and death metal undergrounds), to the mainstream. Sabbath are entirely real metal. Anybody who says otherwise is an ill-informed pissant. And I can say Metallica did it bigger and better than Sabbath, primarily because while Sabbath's early albums are masterpieces, classics, there are still a few songs that are just all-around misses, and outside of a few songs on Kill 'Em All and ...And Justice For All? Everything is dead-on, right in the fucking face. And the Megadeth/Metallica debate's been around since Megadeth was formed. While I think Megadeth's songs were much more technical than Metallica's from a playing perspective, I don't understand how anybody could say that Megadeth's songs were better. Compare and contrast Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? with Master of Puppets. Night and day. Peace Sells is more about raw speed and aggression, whereas Puppets is about songwriting, and making each song stand out. And if you listen to Peace Sells now? It doesn't stand the test of time too well. "Wake Up Dead," the title track, and "Devil's Island" are, pretty much, the best songs on the album, almost by default because everything else is just passable filler designed to show Dave's shredding ability. Take away "The Thing That Should Not Be," and Master of Puppets is great song after great song after great song. "Battery." "Master of Puppets." "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)." "Disposeable Heroes." "Leper Messiah." "Orion." "Damage, Inc." Even the weakest of these picks is still ahead of anything on Peace Sells. Or even Megadeth's most commonly referred to "best" album (and I actually agree on this popular opinion), Rust In Peace. The album loses its stride following the third song, thrash masterpiece "Take No Prisoners," and doesn't really get it back together until the last song. Justice builds its pace up. Now, conversely, I feel that Megadeth's 90's output smacks Metallica's right down into the mud, face-first. Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia are chock full of solid, solid songs, whereas Load and ReLoad are mostly filler outside of the opening few and closing tracks.

And ah, the Slayer debate. Let me get this out of the way when I say that Slayer and Exodus are my 2 favorite bands from the 80's thrash scene. Easily. They were dangerous, they were angry, and they cared more for finding different ways to incite moshpits than they did for song structures. But Slayer? Well, Show No Mercy and South of Heaven are massive weakpoints, which leaves us with Hell Awaits, Reign in Blood, and Seasons in the Abyss. Now, outside of 3 songs on Hell Awaits, it's more about the total package - the speed and dissonance of the guitars, the guttural screams of Araya, and the insane drumming of Lombardo - than it is the songs themselves. The title track has possibly the best introductory riff(s) in American thrash metal, and the layout of the song has been copied ad nauseum by death and thrash metal bands everywhere (moody, mid-tempo intro, cut right into speedy dissonant guitar work, with small slower parts in the middle before returning to the speed that followed the intro), and Reign in Blood is near-perfect. I say "near" because "Criminally Insane," while containing great thrash riffs, is a huge weakpoint. South of Heaven is solid, but after Reign? It's not what Slayer fans wanted. It's slower, moodier, but does contain classics like the title track, "Silent Scream," and, of course, live staple "Mandatory Suicide." Seasons in the Abyss bridges Reign and South, but the songs between "War Ensemble" and "Dead Skin Mask," outside of maybe "Spirit in Black," lack originality. And then following "Dead Skin Mask," there's nothing until the title track (which is the perfect album closer, too) save for maybe the chug-along march of "Skeletons of Society." Compare their discography to Metallica's, and I'll even agree that Slayer's is the more fun to listen to, the more inventive even (if only because death metal as a genre owes so fucking much to Slayer it's hilarious), but it's almost not as fulfilling. It's almost too easily digested, even if you have the urge to continue returning to it and give it more listens. It's at times irritating, almost grating, but that's the beauty of it: it lays everything out on the forefront, almost inviting you to give it another try, hooking you in with the promises of something more than it is until you eventually love it because it IS so upfront about its strengths AND its weaknesses. All of this said? Metallica put out the more mastered, accomplished work, even if Slayer ultimately became the more influential (at least in terms of extreme music) of the two.

And Maiden...you may have a great argument there. Though I'd say that Metallica's more gritty, down-to-earth approach compared to Iron Maiden almost makes their 80's output stand the test of time just slightly better.

 

Of course, I'd also say that a band like, say, Mastodon, or maybe even Skinless or Cannibal Corpse (now THOSE would be hard arguments to make), is better than Metallica ever was, but I'll choose not to.

[Slayer 0]

Giant wall of text

You know what? Fuck Metallica

[BUTT 0]

St. Anger is fucking hilarious. Reload was just plain boring. IF you're gonna be bad, be REALLY bad. That's what Metallica did for us. They came through with the shittiest shit of the twenty-first century and I'll love them forever for it.

 

not only do i

not know the answer

I DON'T EVEN KNOW

WHAT THE QUESTION IS!

[Urban Warfare 0]

St. Anger is fucking hilarious. Reload was just plain boring. IF you're gonna be bad, be REALLY bad. That's what Metallica did for us. They came through with the shittiest shit of the twenty-first century and I'll love them forever for it.

 

not only do i

not know the answer

I DON'T EVEN KNOW

WHAT THE QUESTION IS!

 

It's my world, sucka

[Urban Warfare 0]

Not sure how many of you guys caught the new Metallica single on the radio today, but for those who didn't, here it is . I like the song. I'm not a huge fan of the singing, but when the song picks up, it is really great.

[skullman80 0]

New Metallica is good stuff. Awesome melody stuff then it hits you in the face from the 4 minute mark on. James sounds great.

 

Just good stuff all around, although they need to release a better quality version.. the mp3 version and the streaming version are way too ... overmodulated. The time I heard it on the radio it sounded awesome.

[DMann2003 0]

Oh yeah I just caught it one the radio driving home, damn it's like mixing together The Unforgiven, Fade to Black and One, I was caught up in the end of it.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Very happy with it. I guess a lot of people don't like the first few minutes, but really: this is Metallica. Hetfield's voice will never be like it was on the first four albums. He's almost 50 now, and he blew out his vocal chords while touring for the Black Album, which is why he sings like he does now. Metallica's trademark "ballads" are all slow at the start with some melody, and then they pick up the pace. This is a staple of Metallica, and it's a good sign that they've brought it back.

 

Some of the riffs were pretty damn prog-y. The one quick lick right after the chorus sounded like something off of a Rush or a Dream Theater album.

[Guest WhackingCockDick]

He's almost 50 now, and he blew out his vocal chords while touring for the Black Album

They're cords, unless he's polyphonic.

[Steviekick 0]

Not sure how many of you guys caught the new Metallica single on the radio today, but for those who didn't, here it is . I like the song. I'm not a huge fan of the singing, but when the song picks up, it is really great.

 

The first three minutes were rough but it did get better when it picked up. I still don't think it is going to be a purchase worthy album though.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Hetfeild's voice on the first four albums, Lazz? He couldn't sing for shit till his voice finally matured around Black album era.

 

LimeWire is being a bitch for me, what are some reliable, quality file-sharing programs some of you guys can swear by for me?

 

UYI

 

Oh yeah, and count me in on loving the new Metallica shit, nice surprise for me, having pretty low expectations going in.

[Guest WhackingCockDick]

Soulseek is my weapon of choice.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

UYI: "Fade to Black," "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," and "One" are all here to refute your claim that Hetfield couldn't sing until the Black Album. He could always sing, it's just when you're playing fast, heavy music? Singing comes second to just getting the fucking words out.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I guess his performance on S&M (my first Metallica album) spoiled me far too greatly.

[Annabelle 0]

will everyone please shut up about metallica. fuck.

[BUTT 0]

So, what's everyone's favorite Metallica song? "For Whom the Bell Tolls" here!

[Nighthawk 0]

"Fade to Black" easily.

[Slayer 0]

"Sanitarium"