Production issues aside (Everyone agrees that the production on this album sucks), I just don't think this is a very strong album. I've been listening to it for over a month, and I REALLY wanted to like this album. I really did. But the problem for me is the songwriting. To my ears, there are no "stand out" tracks here. Don't get me wrong...it's not a BAD album. But it's not all that great either. It's just kinda "ehhhhhh" for me. I know I probably sound like an old 80's "Give me thrash era Metallica or give me nothing at all" kinda guy.....but I remember listening to certain songs off of Lightning or Master or Justice and saying to myself "Yeah, this song is KILLER. This song is going to be a CLASSIC!" I remember saying that the first time I heard "For Whom the Bell Tolls" or "Sanitarium" or "One." I even remember saying that to myself during the 90's when I didn't particularly care for the direction the band was going in anymore. There were still certain songs during the Load / Reload era that were good songs. Songs that stuck with you.
But I'm listening to this album, and the writing is just kinda...mediocre. I dig some of the songs while I'm listening to them. But as soon as I stop listening, and put the CD away, I don't find myself going back to them. There's just nothing that sticks with me. Nothing that I listen to and say to myself "Yeah, now THAT is a Metallica classic! That's one that they're going to be playing in concert for the next ten years."
This had all the markings of being a fantastic album. They had a ton of time to write the songs, they had Rick Rubin at the helm, they had Rob on bass and he is a monster bass player....and God knows they've had enough flack during the last five years after the nightmare that was St Anger to know what they did wrong on that record. And I was expecting something phenomenal. Maybe I was expecting too much? I dunno. I was expecting to be blown away by this album, but I just wasn't.
Just my $0.02. Your mileage may vary.
