Metallica

[The Heartbreak Kid]

Bob Rock was a major influence to them sucking. The band didnt seem to have the balls to tell him to fuck off when it went sour. Unlike Motley Crue because after Dr Feelgood was a success, when the next album was crap they got rid of him.

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

I have heard a lot of people blame Bob Rock for metallica sucking and the entire over production but I honestly think Metallica just never expanded as musicians(same with bands like Slayer,Sepultura). I think you can only go for so long just being good musicians before your lack of skills start to show with time. Metallica for example in my opinion should have turned more into a melodic and progressive metal band during the 90's. I wonder if james burning his arm and not being able to play guitar for years prevented him from really expanding and going to another level. You hear load and think how can james go from what he wrote during the entire 80's too this. I remember seeing footage of james playing around the time during St. Anger and he honestly sounds and plays like an amatuer musician. How can musicians that have been playing for 25 years sound like teens rehearsing in a garage.

I always just figured that their hearts weren't really in it anymore. In fact, didn't Ulrich even say at one point that it was no longer about the music at some point? Someone told me he said that, but I've never seen it quoted anywhere.

 

[lordcatfish]

Bob Rock was a major influence to them sucking. The band didnt seem to have the balls to tell him to fuck off when it went sour. Unlike Motley Crue because after Dr Feelgood was a success, when the next album was crap they got rid of him.

I remember that "My Friend of Misery" was going to be an instrumental (and from the first minute or so of the song, it would've been a very good one) but Bob said they should try it with vocals (or something along those lines) and it got turned into the shitfest it is today.

 

[CF87]

Bob Rock was a major influence to them sucking. The band didnt seem to have the balls to tell him to fuck off when it went sour. Unlike Motley Crue because after Dr Feelgood was a success, when the next album was crap they got rid of him.

Bob Rock did influence the band, at the sametime the band did not seem to have ideas or musicianship. Just because a band is changing or influenced to change or going more commercial it does not mean the band has to throw their musicianship and creativity down the drain and forget how to play. It's not like Bob Rock told the band you can't play your instruments because I want you to clean up your sound and head into a different direction. I honestly think the band is just lazy when it comes to being musicians. Bands change all the time and still retain their musicianship or are even better muscians regardless if say you prefere their older albums. I tend to notice 80's metal bands have a hard time expanding or becoming modern.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

I have heard a lot of people blame Bob Rock for metallica sucking and the entire over production but I honestly think Metallica just never expanded as musicians(same with bands like Slayer,Sepultura). I think you can only go for so long just being good musicians before your lack of skills start to show with time. Metallica for example in my opinion should have turned more into a melodic and progressive metal band during the 90's. I wonder if james burning his arm and not being able to play guitar for years prevented him from really expanding and going to another level. You hear load and think how can james go from what he wrote during the entire 80's too this. I remember seeing footage of james playing around the time during St. Anger and he honestly sounds and plays like an amatuer musician. How can musicians that have been playing for 25 years sound like teens rehearsing in a garage.

I think you are probably correct in the not-advancing as musicians comment.

 

[The Living Fields]

Doesn't need remixing really. Rasmussen was a fantastic producer and everything he's done has been brilliant, from Morbid Angel to Ensiferum.

I listened to "Covenant" a few days ago and was floored at how good it sounded. I remember when it came out, Trey was quoted saying something like "It sounds like there are demons running through it," and I'm inclined to agree with him.

"Justice..." is was it is, and while it would be nice to hear a TAD more bass, I would never want it to sound like 1) the standard clicky-bass guitar sound all the '80s thrashers used, or 2) the bass-heavy mix of the Black album, which ruined the couple of thrashier tunes that were on that one.

The sad fact is that there's little room for the bass on that album.

And for the record, you CAN hear the bass in spots on Justice. I think it's Dyers' Eve – possibly One – where there's a smidge of bass guitar on one of the start-stop riffs; Newsted didn't choke the note as tight as Hetfield did, so his squeaks out a bit there.

Man, I love that album.

 

[The Living Fields]

I remember that "My Friend of Misery" was going to be an instrumental (and from the first minute or so of the song, it would've been a very good one) but Bob said they should try it with vocals (or something along those lines) and it got turned into the shitfest it is today.

Bah! That's the 2nd best song on the album, after The God That Failed. I'm GLAD they didn't turn it into Orion, Part II.

 

[CF87]

I listened to "Covenant" a few days ago and was floored at how good it sounded. I remember when it came out, Trey was quoted saying something like "It sounds like there are demons running through it," and I'm inclined to agree with him.

I agree.

Very great production for an early 90's death metal album. Covenant is where Trey starts to get that really cool thick guitar tone that you can tell influenced the future of polished modern death metal world wide. I would not consider Covenant tech but at the sametime the band is probably moving the genre forward with how extreme instruments can be played. I would say Covenant is one of the most innovative early 90's death metal album.

 

[skeptik]

Bob Rock did influence the band, at the sametime the band did not seem to have ideas or musicianship. Just because a band is changing or influenced to change or going more commercial it does not mean the band has to throw their musicianship and creativity down the drain and forget how to play. It's not like Bob Rock told the band you can't play your instruments because I want you to clean up your sound and head into a different direction. I honestly think the band is just lazy when it comes to being musicians. Bands change all the time and still retain their musicianship or are even better muscians regardless if say you prefere their older albums. I tend to notice 80's metal bands have a hard time expanding or becoming modern.

Have you actually seen A Year And A Half In The Life Of Metallica?

 

[CF87]

No

 

[skeptik]

Well that explains why you don't really understand just how much Bob Rock has to do with Metallica's change in direction.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

it is no surprise of Metallica's change in direction from AJFA to the Black album and beyond.... that is when they switched from Rasmussen to Bob Cock... With Rasmussen you wouldn't hear a song like Nothing Else Matters.. sure they did a ballad like One or Fade to Black but they were light in the beginning and heavy at the end... not really so with Nothing Else Matters... so yes Bob Cock is to blame for their shit albums of the 90's as well as blaming Metallica for letting him influence them... Metallica is much like the Beatles... the Beatles could not do what they did with another producer... hence he was the 5th Beatle so to speak and that is how i view Rasmussen... the 5th Metallica... with him on board everything clicked...

 

[skeptik]

Actually Nothing Else Matters is exclusively upon Hetfield's shoulders, but whatever. In the long run, though I only listen to it once every two years or so, I still enjoy it, if only nostalgically.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

I kind of like that song to tell you the truth but i knew where they were heading after listening to that album when it first came out back then... regardless if it was James responsible for that song... the whole album was due to Bob Cock and every album after that...

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

the problem with metallica was the lack of hunger IMO

they hade made it as metal/rock superstars sellings tens and millions of albums. There was no need for them to attempt to write challenging music, they could release a pile of dogcrap and have it go triple platinum

 

[Hatebreeder]

What is it that you don't like about the lyrics? I've always liked them, just want to hear your opinion on them. Maybe variety isn't "great" or anything, but Metallica didn't ever seem to run into a dead end with lyrics, everything seems pretty unique to me, nothing's worn, maybe a bit cliche but Metallica seemed to be "smarter" than the average thrash or metal band.

I appreciate some of their lyrics, but the majority of them seem to me to be pretentious, and I tend to feel this way about any band that tries to be "politically-aware" or "profound" in a worldly way. Though I care little about any band lyrically, I appreciate lyrics about supernatural topics. So it's really my bias that comes into it.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

they never really tried to be super political, they wrote pissed off lyrics relating to the government and society and whatnot, and it fit the music perfectly.

 

[Satanstoenail]

I appreciate some of their lyrics, but the majority of them seem to me to be pretentious, and I tend to feel this way about any band that tries to be "politically-aware" or "profound" in a worldly way. Though I care little about any band lyrically, I appreciate lyrics about supernatural topics. So it's really my bias that comes into it.

What the goddamn hell are you on about.

 

[entanglement]

I appreciate lyrics about supernatural topics. So it's really my bias that comes into it.

With that bias and yours shoes, I'da divided the total metal scene that could appeal to me to be about one hundredth(?) of the total size.

Drop it. While its hot.

 

[YouFoolWarrenIsDEAD]

Metallica's first four albums have been completely remastered. They were released a couple of years ago on vinyl available as a very-limited edition box set. I have it and it sounds amazing.

Oh, and I personally love everything of Metallica's barring the St. Anger debacle.

Load is their best album in my opinion.