( Image Source : Metal Archive.com )

Loudness was formed in 1981 by Akira Takasaki, Munetaka Higuchi, and Hiroyuki Tanaka who were transitioning from rock band Lazy to trying their hand at a heavy metal band, unhappy with the musical direction of Lazy. Shortly after formation, however, Tanaka quit the band to pursue a career in anime soundtracks with the band Neverland. In turn, Takasaki recruited childhood friend Masayoshi Yamashita as the new bassist and shortly after hired frontman Minoru Niihara formerly of Earthshaker through an audition.

In 1985 following the band's first North American and European tours Twisted Sister's co-manager Joe Gerber helped Loudness ink a deal with Atco Records. This was the first time in history that a Japanese heavy metal band had signed with an American label, or toured the US, and under Atco, the band released their American debut Thunder in the East which was met with good sales and commercial success reaching #74 on the Billboard 200 and remained there for 23 weeks, also a first for a Japanese metal band. After two more albums and two more Billboard appearances, producer Max Norman suggested that the band hire an English speaking vocalist which would end up being Michael Vescera. Vescera would serve as vocalist for the next two Loudness albums before leaving in 1991 to join Yngwie Malmsteen.

Following a steady decline in popularity through the Vescera era, Loudness returned to Japan where Masayoshi Yamashita also left the band. He was replaced by Taiji Sawada of X Japan fame. But by 1993 Sawada quit to form Dirty Trashroad followed by founding member Munetaka Higuchi who joined Niihara's new band Sly leaving Takasaki as the only original member left. Later that year Loudness introduced replacement members Masaki Yamada and Hirotsugu Homma of Ezo on vocals and drums, and finally Naoto Shibata, band leader of Anthem on bass essentially turning Loudness into a supergroup. This lineup would release three albums before Yamada indicated his desire to leave the band in 2000.

Before leaving, Yamada suggested that Loudness hold a reunion tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary and by 2001 Higuchi, Niihara, and Yamashita had all returned to the lineup where they would remain for the next 7 years until the death of Munetaka Higuchi which was mourned greatly throughout Japan.

In 2009, the band indicated that they wouldn't be disbanding despite the passing of Higuchi and hired Masayuki Suzuki to fill the void left due to Higuchi's passing. Loudness remains active to date.

Compilation Appearances

- "Esper" on Hell Comes to Your House (Music For Nations, 1984)

- "Crazy Nights" on Welcome to the Metal Zone (Music For Nations, 1985)

- "In the Mirror (live from Tokyo)" on Time to Rock (WEA, 1987)

- "1000 Eyes" on Hard and Heavy (Warner Music Group, 2017)

- "Like Hell" on Headbangers Heaven Hits (Warner Music Group, 2017)

LOUDNESS DISCOGRAPHY

The Birthday Eve~誕生前夜 Full-length 1981
Devil Soldier~戦慄の奇蹟 Full-length 1982
The Law of Devil's Land~魔界典章 Full-length 1983
Live-Loud-Alive Loudness in Tokyo Live album 1983
Disillusion -English Version- Full-length 1984
Thunder in the East Full-length 1985 
Gotta Fight EP 1985
Shadows of War Full-length 1986
Lightning Strikes Full-length 1986
Risky Woman EP 1986
8186 Live Live album 1986
Best Tracks- Compilation 1986
Hurricane Eyes Full-length 1987
Hurricane Eyes (Japanese Version) Full-length 1987
Jealousy EP 1988
A Lesson in Loudness EP 1989
Early Singles Compilation 1989
Soldier of Fortune Full-length 1989
On the Prowl Full-length 1991
Loud 'n' Rare Compilation 1991
Loudest Compilation 1991
Loudest Ballad Collection Compilation 1991
Loudness Full-length 1992
Loudness Box Compilation 1992
Once and for All Live album 1994
Heavy Metal Hippies Full-length 1994
Loud 'n' Raw Live album 1995
Best Songs Collection Compilation 1995
Masters of Loudness Compilation 1996
The Very Best of Loudness Compilation 1997
Ghetto Machine Full-length 1997
Dragon Full-length 1998
Engine Full-length 1999
Eurobounds Live album 2000
Spiritual Canoe ~輪廻転生~ Full-length 2001
Best of Loudness 8688 - Atlantic Years Compilation 2001
The Soldier's Just Came Back Live album 2001
Pandemonium ~降臨幻術~ Full-length 2001
Re-masterpieces - The Best of Loudness Compilation 2001
The Very Best of Loudness - The Days of Glory Compilation 2002
Biosphere Full-length 2002
Loudness Live 2002 Live album 2003
Terror ~剥離~ Full-length 2004
Rockshocks Full-length 2004
Racing/音速 Full-length 2004
Racing -English Version- Full-length 2005
The Best of Reunion Compilation 2005
Breaking the Taboo Full-length 2006
Loudness Complete Box Boxed set 2007
Metal Mad Full-length 2008
The Legend of Loudness ~Live Complete Best~ Boxed set 2008
Golden Best - Early Years Collection Compilation 2009
The Everlasting -魂宗久遠- Full-length 2009
Live Loudest at the Budokan '91 Live album 2009
Original Album Series Boxed set 2010
King of Pain~因果応保 Full-length 2010
Eve to Dawn Full-length 2011
Loudness Best Tracks - Columbia Years Compilation 2012
Loudness Best Tracks - Tokuma Japan Years Compilation 2012
Loudness Best Tracks - Warner Years Compilation 2012
2･0･1･2 Full-length 2012
Single Collection Compilation 2012
Super Best Compilation 2013
The Sun Will Rise Again〜撃魂霊刀 Full-length 2014
Thunder in the East 30th Anniversary Boxed set 2015
Samsara Flight ~輪廻飛翔~ Full-length 2016
Buddha Rock 1997-1999 Compilation 2016
8186 Now and Then Live album 2017
Rise to Glory -8118- Full-length 2018
Live in Tokyo Live album 2019

Read More

METALLICA

 

( Gambar : sumber Metal Archive.com )

On top is an old photo of the band from 1984. Left to right: Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Cliff Burton.

Pictured below is the band nowadays. Left to right: Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo.

Metallica was formed by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield in the fall of 1981. Ulrich (who originally went to the US from Denmark to play tennis) had, during that summer, met Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records and secured an appearance on an upcoming compilation called Metal Massacre, but had no band. He quickly found Hetfield, who was playing in Leather Charm at the time, and one day in December of 1981, they recorded the rhythm tracks to a remake of a Leather Charm song, "Hit the Lights". Hetfield tracked all guitars and bass on this recording, except for one of the solos, which was performed by guitarist Lloyd Grant in January 1982, and the song appeared on Metal Massacre in February.

Permanent guitarist Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) was brought in in February 1982, and a bassist, Ron McGovney, was found. Ron (who also designed the famous Metallica logo) was James's roommate, and James taught him to play bass, so that the band could play live. This line-up re-recorded "Hit the Lights" for the second pressing of Metal Massacre. The first live show was on March 14th at Radio City Music Hall in Anaheim. James did only vocals, and Dave was the single guitarist. The band at this point had several rehearsal tapes floating about, but then in response to one of those being pressed to vinyl by Bongus Loadus Records, decided to record their first demo, with the Grant version of Hit the Lights and two covers. This demo was first given out at the March 27th, 1982 gig at the Whisky, when they opened for Saxon. A vocalist named Sammy Dijon, of the band Ruthless, was in for a few rehearsals but no actual gigs (so do not add him to the former members section!).

Two more studio demos were recorded in 1982, one in April and one in July. On April 23rd, 1982, guitarist "Damien Phillips" (real name: Brad Parker) played one gig, before quitting, because Dave wouldn't let him do duelling leads. James took over as second guitarist live from then on. Extensive live gigging occured, including one show at Lars's high school on May 25th at which the final attendance was zero. On May 28th, Jeff Warner was on vocals, but this show seems to have been a glorified rehearsal. He sang only that one gig. Also, Tygers of Pan Tang vocalist Jesse Cox was considered, but he did not accept.

A live demo was recorded on November 29th, 1982 on a road trip to San Francisco. This road trip would prove useful, as the opener for Metallica on November 29th was a band called Exodus with Kirk Hammett on guitar. Also, Metallica attended a Trauma gig, with Cliff Burton on bass, and immediately tried to convince Cliff to join Metallica.

Cliff was convinced to join, on the condition that Metallica move to San Francisco. Cliff's first gig was March 5th, 1983. Ron McGovney was later seen in Phantasm. Problems between Dave Mustaine and the rest of the band arose in late March on a road trip to the east coast. Dave was given a bus ticket back home and unceremoniously released, while Kirk Hammett flew in and the band did not miss a gig. At this time, the band stayed with Anthrax and from what the band has said, it was very tough living, as all their little money went towards the band.

The first album, Kill 'em All, was recorded for Megaforce Records in the summer of 1983, and after some touring, they cut a four song demo in October. James Hetfield became the vocalist out of necessity and had considered finding a replacement so he could be a full time rhythm guitar player. They contemplated asking vocalist John Bush, vocalist of Armored Saint and later to be vocalist of Anthrax, to join but he declined, deciding to stay with "his buddies band." In the end Hetfield decided to take over vocals once and for all. The second album, Ride the Lightning, came out in the spring of 1984, featuring riffs from Dave Mustaine and also Tom Hunting via Kirk Hammett.

Work on a third album began in the summer of 1985, and the album, Master of Puppets, was released in the spring of 1986. As an early parody of the PMRC's "explicit lyrics" warning labels, many prints of Metallica's '86 release of Master of Puppets featured an octagonal sticker on the front stating:

"The only track you probably won't want to play is Damage, Inc. due to the multiple use of the infamous "F" word. Otherwise, there aren't any Shits, Fucks, Pisses, Cunts, Motherfuckers, or Cocksuckers anywhere on this record".

When James Hetfield broke his arm in a skateboarding accident in July 1986, six weeks of gigs featured roadie John Marshall on rhythm guitar (he would later join Metal Church). On September 25th, James was back. One more gig was played on the 26th, and then on the morning of the 27th, their tour bus hit a patch of black ice and flipped over, killing bassist Cliff Burton. (Morbid aside: he and Kirk had switched bunks just a few hours before.)

The band decided to continue, and began searching for a new bassist. Among those that tried out was Kirk Hammett's friend, bass legend Les Claypool (Blind Illusion, Primus), who was rejected, because he played too well. In the end, Flotsam & Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted was brought in in November, being officially sworn in at a restaurant in Phoenix called Tommy's Joint. The ...and Justice for All album was recorded in 1988, with a serious lack of bass presence, and then a world tour followed in 1989.

In 1989, Metallica was nominated for a Grammy in "Best Heavy Metal Performance of the Year" alongside AC/DC, Iggy Pop, and Jethro Tull. Everybody was expecting for Metallica to take the award, but, surprisingly, the award went to Jethro Tull, who did not even play metal or anything resembling it.

In 1991, the fifth Metallica album was released and this time they had a new producer. Flemming Rasmussen (producer of Pretty Maids, Blind Guardian, etc.), who had produced the previous 3 albums was out, and the new producer was Bob Rock. The new album was self-titled and had a much more commercial feel to it and sold 20 million copies worldwide.

And this time, justice took place as Metallica received a Grammy award for "Best Heavy Metal Performance of the Year". When they received it, Lars Ulrich said: "We wanna thank Jethro Tull for not putting out an album this year."

After extensive touring over the next four years, Metallica returned to the studio in May 1995, and recorded the album Load. The album was less metal-orientated and more laid back, and it still divides fans to this day. The follow up to Load, Reload, was released in 1997, and consisted of outtakes from Load.

The next album was released only a year later. Garage Inc. was a collection of B-Sides and the long out of print Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, along with a second disc consisting of brand new covers of songs from bands such as Mercyful Fate, Misfits, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others.

After a year of touring, the next Metallica project was entitled S&M a collaboration of sorts with the San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra. This consisted of two live shows, with Metallica playing some of their songs with a full Orchestral Backing.

S&M was released on cassette, CD, VHS, and DVD formats in November 1999. Metallica then won a grammy for "Rock Instrumental Performance" with "The Call of the Ktulu" taken from the S&M album.

The next few years would see a lot of upheaval within Metallica. In 2000 Metallica sued the file-sharing service Napster, with the claim that Napster "encourages and enables visitors to its website to unlawfully exchange with others copyrighted songs and sound recordings without the knowledge or permission of Metallica." This move, while ultimately successful, alienated a significant portion of Metallica's fans. Next, in January 2001, Jason Newstead, who had been Metallica's bassist for 14 years, quit "due to private and personal reasons, and the physical damage that [he had] done to [him]self over the years." This was followed by James going to rehab in July 2001.

Over the next few years Metallica were quite close to splitting up, as was documented in their DVD Some Kind of Monster However, they managed to overcome their differences, and by July 2003 they had Rob Trujillo as their new bassist and had released their eighth studio album, St. Anger.

On April 4th, 2009 Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On November 30th, 2012, Metallica launched their own label, Blackened Recordings and took ownership of all of their master recordings from the Warner Music Group.

In late 2013, the band won a Guinness world record for playing in all continents (Antarctica included) in less than one year.

They played a (not so) secret gig at their own Orion music festival, on June 8th, 2013, performing their debut, "Kill 'Em All", under the name Dehaan. That's the name of the main actor in their "Through The Never" movie of the same year.

Compilation appearances:

- "Hit the Lights" on Metal Massacre (Metal Blade, 1982)

- "Metal Militia" on Hell on Earth (Music For Nations, 1983)

- "Motorbreath" on Metal Hammer (Metal Hammer/Roadrunner, 1984)

- "Whiplash" on Metal Treasures and Vinyl Heavies (Action Replay, 1984)

- "Creeping Death" on Hell Comes to Your House (Music For Nations, 1984)

- "Hit the Lights" on Giants of Steel (Roadrunner, 1984)

- "Trapped Under Ice" on Metal Concussion (Bandit, 1985)

- "Creeping Death" on Banzai Axe (Banzai, 1985)

- "Disposable Heroes" on Mad Trax II - Beyond Metal Zone (Music For Nations, 1986)

- "Creeping Death" on Mad Trax II - Beyond Metal Zone (PGP RTB/Music For Nations, 1987, Yugoslavian press)

- "Seek and Destroy (live)" on Metal Shock (CGD, 1988)

- "Sad But True", "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters" on Metal Attack (On Tour, 1993)

- "For Whom the Bell Tolls (The Irony of it All)" (w/ D.J. Spooky) on the Spawn soundtrack (Epic, 1997)

- "53rd & 3rd" on We're A Happy Family - A Tribute to Ramones (Columbia Records, 2003)

- "We Did It Again (Feat. Ja Rule & Swizz Beatz) on Biker Boyz - Music from the Motion Picture (DreamWorks Records, 2003)

- "Remember Tomorrow" on Maiden Heaven, Kerrang! magazine's Iron Maiden tribute album. (Kerrang! Magazine, 2008)

- "When A Blind Man Cries" on Re-Machined A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head (Eagle Records, 2012)

- "Ronnie Rising Medley" on Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life (Rhino Records, 2014)

Metallica Discography Album  :

Album	Category	Years
Kill 'Em All	Full-length	1983
Ride the Lightning	Full-length	1984
Master of Puppets	Full-length	1986
The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited	EP	1987
...and Justice for All	Full-length	1988
Metallica	Full-length	1991
Live Shit: Binge & Purge	Live Album	1993
Load	Full-length	1996
Reload	Live Album	1997
S&M	Live Album	1999
St. Anger	Full Album	2003
Live Earth	Live Album	2007
Death Magnetic	Full Album	2008
Six Feet Down Under	Live Album	2010
Six Feet Down Under Part II	Live Album	2010
Beyond Magnetic	EP	2011
Fifth Member Exclusive Deluxe Box Set	Live Album	2016
Liberté, égalité, fraternité, Metallica!	Live Album	2016
Live Metallica: Minneapolis, MN	Live Album	2016
Live Metallica: Webster Hall in New York,	Live Album	2016
Live Metallica: House of Vans in London,	Live Album	2016
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct	Full-length	2016
Live Metallica: Seoul, South Korea	Live Album	2017
Live Metallica: Shanghai, China	Live Album	2017
Helping Hands... Live & Acoustic	Live Album	2019
Live in Argentina (1993 - 2017)	Live Album	2020
S&M 2	Live Album	2020
Live at Donington '87	Live Album	2020
Motherload	Live Album	2020

Read More

GARAGE INC ALBUM REVEIW

Covers that thrash....well kind of!

By PowerMetalGuardian, March 1st, 2003

This album really isn't all that bad! Yes I know I am a metal head and saying new Metallica is good is blasphemy! But fuck that, okay I will admit they have lost there thrashy edge, but it is still good for being hard rock! Garage Inc. was acually one of my top favortie albums of that year. Let me start with the first disk! okay some of these songs are pretty stupid:

Free Speech For the Dumb, The More I See, Loverman, these are all skippers. Yes I realize that these songs have been recorded in the "new" age Metallica but there really not that bad. Covering everything from Black Sabbath's Sabbra Cadabra and Diamon Head's Its Electric. These are the bands that influenced Metallica greatly. Even Turn the Page is done good, not great, but not butchered. The Mercyful Fate melody is the best melody ever, taking all the great Mercyful Fate songs and cramming them into one. Kirk even manages to throw in some well copied solo's of MF. And the BOC cover! How can this album not be great, the riffs of these original songs are done heavier for a more modern age of listeners. The last couple of tracks were taken from the original Garage Days... EP!

The second disk is even better. Most, if not all of this is the old recording. Thrash??? Fuck yeah, Motorhead, Misfits, Diamond Head, come on this is what motivated these guys to come up with some of the greatest albums of all time (ie. Kill 'Em All, Master of Puppets, etc.) Once again, the riffs are nicely taken from the originals and played either at the same level or pumbed up with killer thrash speed! Tired of Metallica's new age and want them to go back to their roots? This disk is there roots!

This album is very important to any Metallica fan. Not only are these covers great, but they are nicelt performed, with little difficulties and crappyness. Over all blend is great, vocals good, guitars good, can't go wrong. And this my fellow metal heads is what got Metallica going! Their influencers! That is why cover albums kick ass, because they open you up to a whole bunch of other kick ass bands!

Track List  :

Disc 1

1. Free Speech for the Dumb (Discharge cover)
2. It's Electric (Diamond Head cover)
3. Sabbra Cadabra (Black Sabbath cover)
4. Turn the Page (Bob Seger cover)
5. Die, Die My Darling (Misfits cover)
6. Loverman (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds cover)
7. Mercyful Fate (Mercyful Fate cover)
8. Astronomy (Blue Öyster Cult cover)
9. Whiskey in the Jar (Thin Lizzy cover)
10. Tuesday's Gone (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover)
11. The More I See (Discharge cover)

Disc 2

1. Helpless (Diamond Head cover)
2. The Small Hours (Holocaust cover)
3. The Wait (Killing Joke cover)
4. Crash Course in Brain Surgery (Budgie cover)
5. Last Caress / Green Hell (Misfits cover)
6. Am I Evil? (Diamond Head cover)
7. Blitzkrieg (Blitzkrieg cover)
8. Breadfan (Budgie cover)
9. The Prince (Diamond Head cover)
10. Stone Cold Crazy (Queen cover)
11. So What (Anti-Nowhere League cover)
12. Killing Time (Sweet Savage cover)
13. Overkill (Motörhead cover)
14. Damage Case (Motörhead cover)
15. Stone Dead Forever (Motörhead cover)
16. Too Late, Too Late (Motörhead cover)

***Disclaimer*** 

I do not own any copyright for any of this material!

Copyright belongs to Metallica and Blackened Recordings!

Purchase your remastered copy today!

METALLICA - GARAGE INC FULL ALBUM 

( Poor Quality )

Read More

RELOAD ALBUM REVIEW

 

Kissing Ass!!! 

By Anus_Canis, January 5th, 202

If there was any album from Metallica's discography that disappointed me, it was "Reload". I'm even more disappointed to have ranked this album so low, as I thought this album was pretty decent. This may surprise most people reading this because I am aware of how much most of you hate this album, but I genuinely enjoyed ten out of thirteen of the songs from this album. These songs are truly unique gems; I mean, sure, they aren't as awesome as the songs from "Load", but I still found them to be exceptionally enjoyable. However, if I didn't bother to listen to them again, I would've given this album a profoundly low ranking, as this album as a whole is one of Metallica's worst. I still think this is one of Metallica's worst albums, but I mostly feel this way because of three songs that completely kissed ass. I would still recommend most of the songs from this album for those of you that are open-minded, but as for the others, I encourage you to avoid the shit out of them like the plague.

The songs from this album that completely kissed ass were "Slither", "Attitude", and "Fixxxer". The banality of these songs literally put me in a shitty mood, especially the latter two, and I'm not even exaggerating about that either, as no song, no matter how awful, has ever had this effect on me before, well, perhaps except Christian worship music, as that shit is banal AF. Although "Slither" had a decent riff, James Hetfield's vocals were horribly obnoxious (which is never something I would usually say about his vocal work), and the lyrics were horseshit. They were so piss poor that I was unable to determine what value they added to the song because, to be honest, there was no point to these lyrics. But hey, at least they weren't as shitty as the lyrics appearing on Mortification's "Impulsation", which is saying a lot, as I hated the lyrics on "Slither". As for "Attitude", there was no attitude (pun intended); instead, there was nothing but boring shitass background noise. Lastly, as for "Fixxxer", there was no FIXXXING that (pun intended), as it literally had the most boringly repetitious riff I have ever heard in the history of heavy metal music. I have yet to hear any song or riff as shitty as that.

However, although there were kiss-ass songs from this album, there were songs I genuinely enjoyed, with "Fuel" absolutely being the best song on the album, as it has kick-ass riffs and lyrics. The rest of the songs are excellent masterpieces, with perhaps my favorite of these being "The Memory Remains" featuring Marianne Faithful, who helped to give this song a sinister feel, and "Devil's Dance" because of how catchy it was. But perhaps the most unique songs from this album were "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Low Man's Lyrics", as they have a sound that cannot be found in any other Metallica song. "The Unforgiven II" is an extremely underrated song that I think is better than the first unforgiven. Finally, as for "Better Than You", "Carpe Diem Baby", "Bad Seed", and "Prince Charming", they are also underrated songs I genuinely enjoyed. Although "Carpe Diem Baby" has mediocre lyrics, I like how the overall point of the song is to live in the moment. I enjoy that! Overall, I would recommend these songs, even if someone ends up heavily disliking these songs in the process.

To summarize, although there were awesome, underrated songs from this album, the album as a whole was average at best. It didn't come remotely close to comparing to the masterpiece that was "Load" or to any of Metallica's other previous albums, although I still found it to be better than Mortification's "Post Momentary Affliction". Furthermore, I gave this album a ranking of 79%. It frustrates me to rate this album so low, but that’s only because “Slither”, “Attitude”, and “Fixxxer” add literally no value to the album as a whole. Although I love the riff in the first, everything else about it sucked. As for the latter two, they were absolute horseshit! Overall, although “Reload” had a lot of potential, it was honestly just an inferior version of “Load”. Unlike its predecessor, which kicked ass, this album, by comparison, kissed ass. In other words, if there is anything this album did well on, it was kissing ass!

Track List :

1. Fuel
2. The Memory Remains
3. Devil's Dance
4. The Unforgiven II
5. Better than You
6. Slither
7. Carpe Diem Baby
8. Bad Seed
9. Where the Wild Things Are
10. Prince Charming
11. Low Man's Lyric
12. Attitude

13. Fixxxer

***Disclaimer*** 

I do not own any copyright for any of this material!

Copyright belongs to Metallica and Blackened Recordings! 

Purchase your remastered copy today!

METALLICA - RELOAD FULL ALBUM

( Poor Quality )

Read More

ST. ANGER ALBUM REVEIW

 

A Perfect Hot Mess - 

By Anus_Canis, January 6th, 2021

Remember how I said that RTL was Metallica's best album (assuming you've read my RTL review)? Well, fuck that, because that's only true in terms of musical composition. Metallica's "St. Anger" was their true masterpiece all along. Now I am aware of how much this might be pissing off some readers (assuming there are any), but my intention is not to troll anyone, but to give my genuine opinion on this album. Although it may have been one of their worst albums in terms of musicianship, there was a reason why it sounded the way it did. Upon taking into consideration the fact that James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Lars Ulrich repressed a lot of their negative emotions throughout the '90s and early 2000s, the overall cacophonous sound of the album makes perfect sense, as it adequately expresses the frustration of each band member. Now the reason I didn't mention Jason Newsted was that he had actually quit by this time, so Bob Rock played the bass in this album instead. Even though "St. Anger" may have been a hot mess of cacophonous sound, that was the entire point of the album, thus making it perfect for what it is. James, Kirk, and Lars never tried to make this album good musically, but they accidentally created an absolute masterpiece that surpassed RTL in my opinion, although that's primarily because "Escape" wasn't particularly great.

First, Lars Ulrich's drum playing perfectly expresses the sheer annoyance the band experienced at the time. The tinny drum sound is extremely annoying, hence why it was perfect for this album. It was almost as if Lars kept hitting himself over the head with a frying pan due to how annoyed he was with both himself and everything else around him. It was almost as if Lars continuously felt annoyed even before he even left his bed every morning. Overall, the drums really help in evoking an atmosphere that expresses absolute frustration, anger, and annoyance.

Next, the lyrics that appear in songs such as "Invisible Kid" and "My World" are phenomenal. The lyrics in the first are extremely relatable to me, especially since I like to be alone and unnoticed, but at the same time, I also want to be able to talk about my problems whenever I need to. As for "My World", the bridge cracks me up, especially since it feels so random to me.

Not only do I not know what the answer is

I don't even know what the question is

Now anyone reading that might be wondering why I found that funny, but honestly, I didn't expect to hear that being said at all. As for the rest of the songs in terms of lyrics, they adequately express the frustration James, Kirk, and Lars had been repressing for years.

Finally, the overall atmosphere created by James' and Kirk's downturned guitars perfectly complements the album, as they adequately express the pent-up emotions those two had throughout the '90s and early 2000s. It's murky, cacophonous, and heavy AF, and that is exactly what this album needed. I honestly really enjoyed the riffs even though they were messy AF. I also love the raw energy the guitars emitted, as such energy cannot be found even in Metallica's original four albums. Overall, the album is solid and I would definitely recommend it for those who are open-minded, but for those who don't understand this album, this one isn't for you at all.

To summarize, although Metallica's "St. Anger" isn't their best album musically, the album as a whole is perfect for what it is and perhaps performed its purpose better than RTL did with its purpose, which was to kick ass. Furthermore, this album is a flawless mess and is now one of my favorite Metallica albums. Although I still think it's one of the worst Metallica albums musically, I think it's the best put-together album Metallica ever made. If I could summarize it in a few words, it would be a perfect hot mess because that's literally what this album is. "St. Anger" will never be as much of a classic as the original four albums, but it's the one I recommend the most, especially since I believe this was Metallica's final masterpiece.

Track List :

1. Frantic
2. St. Anger
3. Some Kind of Monster
4. Dirty Window
5. Invisible Kid
6. My World
7. Shoot Me Again
8. Sweet Amber
9. The Unnamed Feeling
10. Purify
11. All Within My Hands

***Disclaimer*** 

I do not own any copyright for any of this material!

Copyright belongs to Metallica and Blackened Recordings! 

Purchase your remastered copy today!

METALLICA - ST. .ANGER FULL ALBUM

( Poor Quality )

Read More

DEATH MAGNETIC ALBUM REVIEW

Magnetic, but Not Strong Enough to Attract My Fitbit Sense 

By Anus_Canis, January 9th, 2021

Metallica's Death Magnetic was the first album in which Metallica fully returned to their original roots. However, although they did a pretty good job at doing so, I never expected it to be a masterpiece, as I was never really into Metallica's latest two albums. It turned out that my expectations ended up coming true; it wasn't exactly a masterpiece, but it was slightly better than I expected. I enjoyed the cleaner sound implemented for James Hetfield's and Kirk Hammett's guitars, as well as Robert Trujillo's bass playing. However, as much as I enjoyed some aspects of the album, it has a few flaws (though that primarily has to do with its overall sound).

First, most of the tracks on the album sound a little bland by comparison to its predecessors. Although they were enjoyable to a certain degree, they didn't come close to measuring up in quality to albums such as RTL, MOP, AJFA, or even Load. I mean, sure, James, Kirk, Lars, and Robert still played well, but the tracks on this album don't have the same spirit as any of their previous albums aside from Reload. But perhaps the best example of this is "Broken, Beat & Scarred". It wasn't remotely enjoyable due to its banality and lack of passion, but at least it wasn't as bad as songs such as "Slither", "Attitude", or "Fixxxer" from Reload. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it or songs such as "The Day That Never Comes" and "All Nightmare Long".

In contrast, I would recommend tracks such as "The End of the Line", as it is an underrated masterpiece. This song demonstrates how to return to thrash metal the right way, as well as songs such as "That Was Just Your Life" (which was a great way to start the album) and "My Apocalypse" (which was a great way to end the album). I mean, these songs weren't as kick-ass as Testament's "Stronghold" from Brotherhood of the Snake, but they still did an amazing job at kicking ass nonetheless. Overall, I would recommend these three songs above any of the others, as they demonstrate how to approach modern thrash metal the right way.

Finally, as for the rest of the songs, they are decent. I especially enjoy "The Unforgiven III" and Robert Trujillo's bass playing in "Suicide & Redemption". However, although I really love "The Unforgiven III", the studio version isn't as good as I remembered it being. In contrast, the live version in 2010 from Oslo was significantly more enjoyable and soulful. As for "Suicide & Redemption", I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, but I especially enjoyed being able to hear Robert Trujillo's bass playing, which is perhaps his best work for Metallica. Although it was perhaps Metallica's worst instrumental to date, it was still great. Overall, I would recommend these songs, albeit not as much as the songs I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

To summarize, although Metallica's Death Magnetic is pretty good, it is rather flawed in its overall delivery. It didn't have the same passion or charm as most of its predecessors and is perhaps one of Metallica's worst albums. Although it wasn't nearly as bad as Reload, it still kissed ass by comparison to most of Metallica's albums. Overall, if I could summarize this album in a short sentence, it would be Magnetic, but not strong enough to attract my Fitbit Sense.

The songs I encourage anyone reading this to check out most are "That Was Just Your Life", "The End of the Line", and "My Apocalypse".

Track List :

1. That Was Just Your Life

. 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

***Disclaimer***

I do not own any copyright for any of this material!

Copyright belongs to Metallica and Blackened Recordings!

Purchase your remastered copy today!

METALLICA - DEATH MAGNETIC  FULL ALBUM

Read More

LOAD ALBUM REVEIEW

Kicking Ass!!!

By Anus_Canis, January 4th, 2021

Five years after the release of Metallica's controversial self-titled album, "Load" was released. It was during this time that Metallica completely moved away from thrash metal and into hard rock. However, the release of this album continued to alienate their original fanbase and further piss them off. In fact, even to this day, "Load" is one of Metallica's most hated albums, with reviews from Metal Archives being good examples of this. However, I am not one of these people, as I think "Load" is an absolute masterpiece. In fact, I think it's better than MOP even though it's not a thrash metal album. The majority of the songs on this album are top-notch and are worth listening to, even if someone ends up disliking them. But if someone dislikes this album, either they genuinely don't like it or they are viewing it from the lens of a thrash metal album and end up disappointed as a result. This is honestly as stupid as watching the original Star Wars trilogy and expecting it to be exactly like the prequels. The best parts about this album are the wonderfully written lyrics and James Hetfield's vocal performance, which is perhaps his best vocal work to date. Although this isn't Metallica's best album, I think it's their best out of their last five albums.

Now the songs that I felt are the worst from this album are "Until It Sleeps", "Cure", "Mama Said", and "Poor Twisted Me", with the first being my least favorite. Although "Until It Sleeps" isn't nearly as bad as songs such as "Sad But True", "Slither", "Attitude", or "Fixxxer", it is the song I least enjoyed, as I feel that the rest of the songs had more substance. "Cure" is an interesting song I genuinely enjoyed (most likely to the surprise of anyone reading this) and would definitely recommend. "Mama Said" is the only song from this album that is a ballad; however, I don’t think it’s their best ballad, as it sounds too much like a country song, which is not something I would ever expect in a hard rock or heavy metal album. Lastly, "Poor Twisted Me" is my second least favorite song, as I feel that the rest of the songs have more to offer than this one.

In contrast, the songs that ultimately take the cake for me are "2x4", "King Nothing", "Wasting My Hate", "Thorn Within", and "The Outlaw Torn", with my favorite out of these songs being the last one mentioned. "The Outlaw Torn" is truly a masterpiece of its own, easily besting most of the Metallica songs I've heard. However, I have only one complaint about this song, and it is the fact that Bob Rock (Metallica's producer at the time) cut out the song at literally THE best part, all because he thought the overall song was "too long". Man, get that shit out of here! That was honestly a dick thing to do, especially since he cut the song out while James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett were in the middle of playing one of their all-time riffs and solos, but I digress. My next favorite songs are "King Nothing" and "Wasting My Hate", with my favorite part of both songs being their catchy riffs. In the former, I really enjoyed Jason Newsted’s bass playing, as I believe it was his best work. The latter is my second favorite song from this album and I believe that if anyone directs any hatred toward this song (especially without listening to it), then they are wasting their hate (pun intended), as this is one of Metallica's best songs. "2x4" and "Thorn Within" are perhaps one of Metallica's most unique songs containing wonderfully composed riffs that are rather difficult not to enjoy (unless if someone listening to these songs finds them too repetitive).

Finally, the rest of the songs offer something both amazing and unique, with my favorite of these songs being "Bleeding Me" and "Ronnie". I really enjoy the riffs and the choruses in both songs, as they both do a damn good job at capturing my interest. As for "Ain't My Bitch", it was the perfect way to start the album, as the riffs are catchy AF. Lastly, "The House Jack Built" and "Hero of the Day" are wonderful, underrated masterpieces which I would definitely recommend, but especially the former.

Overall, although Metallica's "Load" is one of the most hated albums in Metallica's discography, I believe it deserves more credit than it earns, as there are many interesting and wonderfully written songs from this album. Although it never will be Metallica's best album, I think it is the best out of the last five albums. Furthermore, I have given this album a ranking of 96% when rounded to the nearest whole number. To further elaborate, I ranked "2x4", "King Nothing", "Wasting My Hate", "Thorn Within", and "The Outlaw Torn" at 100%, "Ain't My Bitch", "The House Jack Built", "Hero of the Day", "Bleeding Me", and "Ronnie" at 98%, "Cure" and "Mama Said" at 93%, "Poor Twisted Me" at 90%, and "Until It Sleeps" at 80%. If there's anything this album did well, it was kicking ass!

Track List :

1. Ain't My Bitch
2. 2x4
3. The House Jack Built
4. Until It Sleeps
5. King Nothing
6. Hero of the Day
7. Bleeding Me
8. Cure
9. Poor Twisted Me
10. Wasting My Hate
11. Mama Said
12. Thorn Within
13. Ronnie 05:17
14. The Outlaw Torn 09:49   

***Disclaimer***

I do not own any copyright for any of this material!

Copyright belongs to Metallica and Blackened Recordings!

Purchase your remastered copy today!

METALLICA - LOAD FULL ALBUM 

( Poor Quality )

Read More