Death Magnetic

[Blitzkrieg]

Having many fans and critics say that Death Magnetic is the best album that Metallica have released in 2 decades makes me think that they can still be refered to as relevant.

 

[Mean Machine]

Having many fans and critics say that Death Magnetic is the best album that Metallica have released in 2 decades makes me think that they can still be refered to as relevant.

Perfectly said. The amount of people I've heard saying "Metallica are back on the right track here, hopefully the next one is even better" says to me that people still care, they're still relevant.

can you name any of their songs since the 70's?

relevance means more that they can't sell an album or draw a crowd or is simply forced out.
so, more relevance to the business and not the fans.

Personally I think that's more of a case of their chart hits and top albums overshadowing the rest of their catalog, not a case of them not being able to write albums anymore.

 

[Shadow298]

Having many fans and critics say that Death Magnetic is the best album that Metallica have released in 2 decades makes me think that they can still be refered to as relevant.

The problem with using such a statement is that if the album was awful then they would be made irrelevant and that every release they made for the past 20 years was irrelevant.

The band made themselves relevant to the critics, industry and casual consumer once again (that is leaving out the proper fans, who would give them a chance).

And that is one thing that Metallica has to be respected for with this release.
They showed how important they are to the music world and why they were so popular in the first place.

After the Black Album Metallica literally had no where to go because they had reached the top of the mountain, especially at a time where metal was seen as a failing endeavour due to the oversaturation of cock-rock and the like and were faced with different lives and attitudes from the ones they had when they were striving for success.
So they changed their style and did something which they felt was right for them in the release of Load/Re-Load -which was met with mixed reviews.

The trouble with an album such as St Anger was it was surrounded by so much pressure and expectation as well as internal strife for the band. As well as markign a fixed pint in music because they tried to adapt themselves to how people thought a mainstream metal song should be (not having solos and such).

This album proves how much impact a band such as Metallica still has and I realy want them to do well and be seen as a great and variable band. I want them to stay on the cuttign edge and not keep releasing the same old album or relying on a handful of hits to coast them through a tour.

well, that is just what I think in my usual raver state.:Smug:

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I couldn't disagree with that post more, but can't be bothered arguing too much. The only thing I will bother saying is that this comment:

The band made themselves relevant to the critics, industry and casual consumer once again (that is leaving out the proper fans, who would give them a chance).

is bullshit. I consider myself a proper fan, and I really like the album. Who do you think helped this album become one of the biggest successes in terms of sales in recent years? The critics? The casual consumer? No. Fans. Critics dont need to buy cds, and casual consumers will rely on hearing albums from secondary sources such as burns and downloads. FANS bought this album, and liked it.

 

[Shadow298]

I consider myself a proper fan, and I really like the album. Who do you think helped this album become one of the biggest successes in terms of sales in recent years? The critics? The casual consumer? No. Fans. Critics dont need to buy cds, and casual consumers will rely on hearing albums from secondary sources such as burns and downloads. FANS bought this album, and liked it.

*sigh*

Here's the issue, Blitzy, it that you don't have to sell to a fan.

A true fan will almost always give a band a chance and purchase.

You seldom have to convince a fan to purchase an album or to buy the merch.

Metallica didn't reach such heights of sale with the Black Album because of fans from their earlier period but by grabbing non-fans, non-metalheads and casual listeners of music and showing them what they had to offer.

That is where all the money from sales comes.
Making those who wouldn't buy purchase an album and showing that the band has some relevance to their lifes (or their lives at the time).

That is why we have music trends and fads or any such trend and fans.

I discounted fans such as yourself because there was nothing to convince you otherwise not to purchase the album.
You are seen as a automatic sale.

in order to gain what is seen as "mainstream relevance" bands must prove themselves to non-fans and critics -who's sole existence is to tear apart and critise something.

even with the stronger, loyalest and largest fan base who will buy anything with their favourite band/personality/products' logo on it, the high ups know that selling to them along won't make them the level money that they desire.
The have to grab that new market and get new fans.

Death Magnetic gives people who don't know the band a reason to go out and buy the album and go back and get all their previous works.
It's a true fan making album that can stand strong with the bands best works.
And that is something that I am glad for because it ensures that Metallica and the metal genre in general stays relevant and viable to record comapnies and non-core fans.

that being said, sure that Chinese Democracy will kill all the good Death Magnetic has done.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

in order to gain what is seen as "mainstream relevance" bands must prove themselves to non-fans and critics -who's sole existence is to tear apart and critise something.

even with the stronger, loyalest and largest fan base who will buy anything with their favourite band/personality/products' logo on it, the high ups know that selling to them along won't make them the level money that they desire.
The have to grab that new market and get new fans.

Death Magnetic gives people who don't know the band a reason to go out and buy the album and go back and get all their previous works.
It's a true fan making album that can stand strong with the bands best works.
And that is something that I am glad for because it ensures that Metallica and the metal genre in general stays relevant and viable to record comapnies and non-core fans.

*sigh*

Would you stick to one side of your arguement, you aren't making much sense.

Also, whilst commercially successful bands like Metallica have a larger fanbase and there are people that will buy any album they put out, being 2008, more and more people take a try before you buy attitude, so I disagree that the sales success of Death Magnetic is based solely on blind fans purchasing for the sake of purchasing.

 

[phlogiston]

What Shadow's saying makes sense, and I think he's being pretty consistent. What he's saying is that Metallica are back in a big way because they're selling to more than just the fans, they're reaching casual buyers as well. If they'd released another crap album that no-one outside of their fans didn't buy then they would have shown that they're irrelevant, but because it's an album that capable of growing the fan base, as well as bringing back old fans that thought they has sold out, they're proving that they've still got it.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

He was suggesting earlier that they may no longer be relevant, then goes on to say that they clearly are, yet argues with my comments saying that they are. *shrug*

Friends?

 

[phlogiston]

No, he said the point may be approaching where they're no longer relevant, but with this album they've at least delayed that for another album or so.

 

[Shadow298]

No, he said the point may be approaching where they're no longer relevant, but with this album they've at least delayed that for another album or so.

give that man a cookie!:Smug:

 

[phlogiston]

I like cookies!

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Ahh, crises averted then.

I still don't see eye to eye on most of what you are saying though. I think Metallica have remained relevant with each release they have put out in their entire career (St Anger aside). It was perhaps the Napster debarkle that may have made them seem behind the times, and they now realise that, whcih is why they are now embracing digital downloads and such other things as Guitar Hero. Death Magnetic doesn't buy them time to hit a bullseye with another release, Death Magnetic IS the bullseye. Sure there is room to improve upon it, but a very high percentage of people are happy with it and are now willing to give the band the time of day again because of it. They have thrown down the gauntlet by taking some of metals biggest names at the moment on tour with them (Machine Head and Lamb Of God), and will no doubt play the pants off both bands every night.
As for what you say about sales, I agree that the black album was such a success for its ability to bring in new fans, and to a very small degree, you can tell the sales of Death Magnetic has done the same in that other Metallica releases entered the Aria top 40 as a result of its release, but in 2008, it doesn't take many sales for an album to chart (less than a couple of thousand in fact). The success of Death Magnetic was attributable to fans, but not only the die hards who will buy anything (which as I said, are fewer and further between in the digital age, especially with a band like Metallica who have hurt fans in the past), but those fans who grew up with Metallica in the 80s, and are now willing to give them another shot after having been turned away from them, and they are willing to give them another shot, because they are now, more than they have been in a long while, relevant.

 

[FerretallicA]

Sure there is room to improve upon it, but a very high percentage of people are happy with it and are now willing to give the band the time of day again because of it.

St Anger was the difference between Metallica being one of my most revered and influential bands and simply not bothering to see them even when offered a free ticket. Death Magnetic can't undo all that but it has definitely restored my faith.

 

[Priest of Evil]

I had some leave from work in the past week/s and dug up my copy of DM. I played the disc once and the first song twice, it was a lot better than I had anticipated. Its certainly the right time/climate for them to be getting back to making metal but I'm still hesitant to consider this "step in the right direction/return to form" as genuine. I thought what Shadow had said on the topic was pretty accurate also.

 

[Spruce Goose]

I watched the 2 hour Making of Death Magnetic the other day (didnt even know that existed) and it made me listen to the album again.
Now that it's been out for 4 years (FOUR YEARS!!! WTF?) how do you guys rate it amongst their back catalogue?
I really, really like The Day That Never Comes. One of the best songs they have done since.... AJFA maybe!
Also love That Was Just Your Life. A great opener.

 

[Spiff]

I haven't listened to the whole album since they toured here whenever. 2010? I do think it's a great album, probably my fourth favourite after the first three (never was a big fan of Black or Justice).

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I think it is a very strong release, and the fact that they have been touring on it ever since and that they are still releasing live DVDs and the like from its tour suggest that they are still proud of it and believe in it. I think the only thing that really hurt the album was all the backlash surrounding its production and the way it was mixed. I hope they learned their lesson from this and make the next album sound much more dynamic.

 

[Shadow298]

I think it's a good album.

Not a long stayer but Metallica isn't a band for me that I play all the time.

Still, good return to form and makes me look forward to their next album.

 

[FerretallicA]

Now that it's been out for 4 years (FOUR YEARS!!! WTF?) how do you guys rate it amongst their back catalogue?.

It's a flip of the coin between Death Magnetic and Justice for my favourite Metallica album.

Hopefully they continue in that direction with future albums but bring back the epic closing track a'la Outlaw Torn and Fixxxer.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Good call. I love those tracks.