At first listen, I had similar thoughts, but since then I have realised it takes more than one listen to judge Death Magnetic (and most albums for that matter). After I scratched the surface of the lyrics, I found myself finding meaning in many of them and enjoying them a lot more than I first thought that I could. The sound doesn't bother me too much, I have heard a "mastered" version from the GH3 tracks, and the clarity from them didn't offer anything extra in terms of impact from the music, so I will stick with my CD copy. As for the band remaining relevant, a lot of what they are playing is just as technical as both the band has ever been, and as other bands of the genre are today, so I think they are doing fine. I can't wait to see them play some of this material live, especially James playing and singing much of it. Brilliant.