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
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