Metallica - Death Magnetic

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biggestmuff

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2001
8,201
2
0
I picked it up the morning and listed to about 4 tracks on my way to work. I think it's fairly 'meh' so far. The first song isn't mixed well (not enough bass, low cymbals, vocals fluctuate in volume too muh), but the second track seemed better.

EDIT: I forgot to mention how poor Lars still is at drumming. The speedy *boom clack boom clack boom clack boom clack* does not make a song sound heavier or give a sense of power or urgency. Just crap. Lars is so uninteresting behind his kit.
 

CKent

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
9,020
0
0
Originally posted by: Triumph
Does anyone have a legitimate link where I can listen to sound clips, at least? Amazon has nothing yet. And I don't have Itunes.

Originally posted by: CKent
:laugh::laugh: <---

Hahaha! :) Where did you find that? The author deserves credit.

I first found it on head-fi forums, but it was probably crossposted there from somewhere else, it's been all over the internet lately.

Anywho after listening a bit, I have to say this is a really good offering, musically. But the sound quality kills it for me, it sounds like complete ass. There's no more loudness war, Metallica won it with this album. This mixing trend used to just result in low dynamic range, but in recent years it's reached its limit. This is the first album I've seen to go louder yet, even now that the sound has to brickwall to allow for it. Hopefully it's not a harbinger of things to come... although with as bad as most peoples' ears & equipment are, I suppose it will end when every album sounds like static :|
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,928
142
106
Picked it up Friday. My rankings of songs I liked:

1) My Apocalypse
2) All Nightmare Long
3) The Judas Kiss
4) Cyanide (Live version owns this one otherwise higher)
5) End of the Line

The other songs are either slow (not digging the slow vocals) or sound too disjointed for me. The instrumental is decent, but wouldn't rank it above the other songs. All in all I give it a 7/10, better than Reload/St.Anger but not Load/Black. My .02
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,483
8,344
126
Originally posted by: CKent
Originally posted by: Triumph
Does anyone have a legitimate link where I can listen to sound clips, at least? Amazon has nothing yet. And I don't have Itunes.

Originally posted by: CKent
:laugh::laugh: <---

Hahaha! :) Where did you find that? The author deserves credit.

I first found it on head-fi forums, but it was probably crossposted there from somewhere else, it's been all over the internet lately.

Anywho after listening a bit, I have to say this is a really good offering, musically. But the sound quality kills it for me, it sounds like complete ass. There's no more loudness war, Metallica won it with this album. This mixing trend used to just result in low dynamic range, but in recent years it's reached its limit. This is the first album I've seen to go louder yet, even now that the sound has to brickwall to allow for it. Hopefully it's not a harbinger of things to come... although with as bad as most peoples' ears & equipment are, I suppose it will end when every album sounds like static :|

This is my biggest complaint. It sounds like my speakers are turned to "11" even though they are more like at 2. Anything remotely fast is just a crashed together distored mess. Absolutely horrible production quality. Why they choose to do this I have no idea. It's not like they are saving money or disk space by compressing it that way.
 

Arcadio

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2007
5,637
24
81
I got this CD for free with tickets to the New York concert in January. I'll listen to the album later today.

BTW, my favorite Metallica album is ...And Justice For All.
 

CKent

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
9,020
0
0
Hey guys, turns out the Guitar Hero 3 version is the only one which isn't horrible (even the vinyl sounds bad :Q). The usual suspects have what you seek. I'm finally listening to it as it should sound, and god damn it kicks ass!
 

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
WTF?!

The audio quality sucks!

It's distorted as hell. I thought that the MP3's I downloaded were just a shitty rip but I got the CD today and the problem is at the source. How can the richest heavy metal band in existence produce an album that sounds like it was recorded by an amateur who doesn't understand that recording something louder than it should be recorded is a no no....

As for the music its great. Just stop kicking and screaming about how much it doesn't sound like Master of Puppets and this fact will sink in.

Does anyone know if Master of Puppets and Ride The Lightning will ever be release on DVD-A. I have the Black album on DVD-A and its not that much better than the CD.
 

davestar

Golden Member
Oct 21, 2001
1,787
0
0
Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
I'm rather disappointed actually. Except for a couple of songs I have a hard time listening to this album. It's so devoid of genuinely moving music that my attention keeps wandering. I'm glad this came up though because I've been listening to some of Metallica's older stuff to make sure that I'm judging this new offering fairly. Doing this has resulted in the fruition of an idea that has been building for years within me.

Here it is; You "purists" are full of shit when it comes to Load. I like Load BETTER than the black album and almost as much as RTL, MOP, and AJFA. It goes without saying that I think that Load wipes the floor with this latest album which I think Metallica made solely to appease you people who think they should never stop playing the same kind of music for album after album ad infinitum. Get over your prejudices for a bit and listen to Load again I beg you. It's swingin' hard rock badassery through and through, and furthermore I think this is the kind of music Metallica really WANTS to play now. St. Anger and Death Magnetic don't fail the test because they're different from what Metallica is best known for. They fail because they completely miss that special place in my gut that really good music grabs. Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, And Justice For All, The Black Album, and Load all at least tickle that spot for me and some damn near rip it to bleeding chunks.

That goes back to what I was saying originally. Death Magnetic "sounds" faster and heavier than Metallica's other recent albums, but does it sound inspired? Is there even a single musical transition in the whole album that gives you the same chills you feel multiple times when listening to Call of the Ktulu? I don't think so.


Nice level-headed commentary. I'm pretty much with you, though I don't think Load was quite as inspired as you do. I've always viewed Load as Metallica's answer to Pantera. Pantera brought the swing/power groove to metal and Metallica tried to jump on that bandwagon. Unfortunately for them, Lars is a terrible drummer as compared to Vinnie Paul, Hammet can't play his way out of a paper bag unless he has a wah pedal, and neither of them can groove. Hetfield (the real talent in Metallica) can't go anywhere with those guys weighing him down.

That said, I think that there's some quality tracks on Load. Death Magnetic, however, doesn't manage the same. It feels like an album full of unrefined riffs and uncreative patterns. Nothing sounds like it was written with a goal in mind, nothing links together in a satisfying way.
 

LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
Boooooring. It just lacks and Metallica is finished with. They're trying to recapture their youthful sound that they'll never be able to do. It's time to move on.
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
8
81
Originally posted by: Anubis

yes as i said the CD was horribily mastered

the music is good, mastering kills it
How can we realistically get them to fix this?

It makes me sad. Metallica is better than this. I can't imagine that they aren't aware of this, but some part of me wants to believe they would be angered by this.
 

Arcadio

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2007
5,637
24
81
Is the Guitar 'ero version available somewhere? Reps for info. PM me if necessary.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Anubis

yes as i said the CD was horribily mastered

the music is good, mastering kills it
How can we realistically get them to fix this?

It makes me sad. Metallica is better than this. I can't imagine that they aren't aware of this, but some part of me wants to believe they would be angered by this.

IDK if we (as fans) can do anything other then bitch and not buy the album, they could fix it however it would cost them and the producers/label millions
 

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
Well, Metallica (or their label or whoever) doesn't allow for ZunePass download...so I won't be listening unless it's on the radio. *shrug*
 

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
Its a marketing ploy to sell CDs that the majority would find appealing because it is loud. To bad there is a large group of people that actually want their metal to sound good. We have amps to make it sound loud, Lars.

...this is no surprise since all Metallica cares about is money. Depeche Mode recorded "Playing The Angel" in analog until the CD stage and it doesn't sound as distorted as this shit.
 

NL5

Diamond Member
Apr 28, 2003
3,286
12
81
MASTERED BY MUPPETS

End of session day, Rubin works away:
I'm your source of song-destruction
Tunes that hurt you ear, poor sound engineer
Leaving spikes on my instruction
Trust me you will see
Volume?s all you need
Dedicated to
How I'll limit you

Compressing faster
Limit your Master
Your albums sell faster
With a loud Master
Master

Mastered by muppets, brickwalling your dreams
Clipping, distorting and smashing extremes
Ruined by me, you can't hear a thing?
Just spiking snares, and auto-tuned screams
Mastered
Mastered
Rubin?s my name, and I'll hear you scream
Bastard
Bastard

Need to mix this way, never you dismay
?Loud? makes death magnetic clearer
Gain monopoly, ritual Waves L3
Squash your tracks til it?s severe
Gate and you will see
More and more dB
Dedicated to
How I?m killing you

Compressing faster
Limit your Master
Your albums sell faster
With a loud Master
Master

Mastered by muppets, brickwalling your dreams
Clipping, distorting and smashing extremes
Ruined by me, you can't hear a thing?
Just spiking snares, and auto-tuned screams
Mastered
Mastered
Rubin?s my name, and I'll hear you scream
Bastard
Bastard

Master, Master, where's the version I've been after?
Bearded, Bastard, you promised only lies
Blaster, Blaster, recorded on a ghetto blaster?
Laughter, laughter, laughing at those highs
Spike to me!

Lars ain?t worth all that ? ?natural? kick and hats
Kirk adds wah without a reason
Never ending phrase, Jaymz goes on for days
Rob, your shirt is out of season?
I?ll record til 5 (then)
I will help you buy
Sandals that suit you
Now you look cool too