Now that St. Anger is out

I've heard the single, and I personally think it's a terrible song, but I have no idea about the rest of the album, so I can't say.
I just don't like Metallica, but I don't feel it necessary to make fun of them or anything, I just personally don't like them much. I respect them for still being around after two decades though.
 
deathbearer said:
Yes, it is brilliant to call a buch of lame nu metal pop bands exactly who they are..I take it the only reason that you are insulted is that you listen to lame pop bands like Limp dizcut, and Stikin Park religiously and you know nothing of metal..
I was a Metalllica fan when you were in diapers (or perhaps before you were born) and I saw Metallica play with tons of good thrash bands..This Summer Sanitariuim tour is just Metallica hooking up with top 40 radio bands instead of supporting the plethora of underground metal bands..
What do you excpect from Selloutica, and why are you so insulted?
Do you listen to boy bands like N Suck. Limp dizcut and Stinkin Park? I bet you do! As Mike Arkenfedlt said, "Boy bands with guitars"..
The reason why we (in the underground) make fun of these bands is because the music is nothing other than uninventive, unoriginal mall rock for teenagers..
Linkin Park and Limp bizcut are NOT even metal, so please reserve your defense of these bands for another BB as you are fairly new to this board and know nothing of metal..
You're defending some of the lamest bands on the planet.Ii bet you wouldn't have listened to Metallica back in 85, or 88 when they were a true thrash band as you problably were defneding New Kids on the Block..
You are lame..

Gimme a break. Childish name-calling makes you "tr00?" You can make fun of the bands all you want, just you could at least appear like you're more than 10 years old when you do it. It got old about 20 years ago. I doubt that Mikael Akerfeldt comes up with incredibly lame new names for specific bands he dislikes. Your whole BS about how I must listen to Nu Metal because I don't like to say REALLY FUNNY THINGS was highly intelligent too, I don't even feel a need to defend myself from that. I never said I was insulted, what I was implying was that it's sad to see that Opeth fans can be so immature and childish.
 
my opinion: it's the worse thing they have done so far...I think Load (+) and Reload (-) a much better than St.Anger...I can't keep on listening to it after the third track (and that was a sacrifice).
and as you said, like you I grew up listening to these guys...I started playing drums due to Lars, anyway, they were in my top bands...maybe they still are due to the other material, but St.Anger...(speechless...and maybe waiting for something better for the next album)
 
St Anger is bad. I don't like it.

In a backlash to the inherent badness of St Anger I've been thrashing a helluva lot of old-school Metallica, why bother with imitation metal when I can listen to the real thing?

St Anger lacks emotions, is immature and bone-headed, badly played and has terrible riffs. Avoid.
 
St Anger is proof positive that Metallica must be forced into RETIREMENT for he sake of metal- they must never release a album again- I dont ever want to waste another bit of my time listening to crap- and talking about how bad their crap is.
 
Alright...
I got it my pre-order in from Amazon today, and I finally listened to the whole album start to finish on my stereo with surround sound VERY LOUD. You'll find I use the term "old school" a lot. :D
My Review:
Frantic - The band works well together as a whole. I love the riffs. I wish they had made a song from the ending riff of it. Jaymz has a lot of energy in his voice.
St. Anger - Heavy ass riffage. There is a good contrast in the song with the lighter parts. It helps to bring out the heaviness. If that soft part had not been in there and if Jaymz sang heavy throughout...it would not give the same effect.
Some Kind of Monster - Very interesting riffs. Lyrically I get an "old school vibe" from it. With lyrics like "Voice of silence no more" and the last verse, I really hear the old Metallica come back in this song slightly. I love the riffs though.
Dirty Window - This is my favorite track off the album. Downtuned guitars sound great....and the band brings back their old school riffage. I love it. The vocals are old school Metallica too....
This is definitely the closest Jaymz is going to get to singing like he did when he was 20.
Invisible Kid - The drums on this track are very old school. Its an emotional song, and essentially....Jaymz is the invisible kid.
My World - There is an overall ANGRY feel to the song. Jaymz is shouting in parts of it, and I get a Battery vibe from it.
Shoot Me Again - Heaviness Galore! There is a really dark, ominous feel to the song.
Sweet Amber - Very different from the rest of the album. It starts out really bluesy, reminiscent of Load. The guitar work is quite good. Kirk does something with some FX in the background.
There is a double bass fill that Lars does which is straight from ONE. The song goes from a laid back bluesy feel and then it gets REALLY heavy.
Unnamed Feeling - More old school Metallica in this track. I also get a Low Mans Lyrics vibe from the chorus. I like the use of FX in the song too. The riffs are heavy and low, its an emotional song and reminds me of ONE at times too. There's minimal lead work in the song, listen carefully.
Purify - Fast song...Definitely a song to rock out to. Straight up metal. This would be really good live, I can see the band having fun to it. The ending riffs sound great too.
All Within my Hands - Interesting intro. The use of effects provides the song with an emotional atmosphere. Then out of nowhere. BAM! METAL right in your face. The song is emotional like many on the album...
_______________
The lyrics of the album have so much meaning to Jaymz I feel.
He sings "I hid inside, but I'll show you" He really pours out his emotions on St. Anger.
Lars' snare is only really harsh on a couple of songs....soon I forget about it, and his drumming as a whole fits well with the songs.
A lot of people complain at the softness at times....but remember....
Metallica has NEVER been all heavy. Listen to Kill 'Em All. There are soft, melodic parts in their debut "thrash-metal" album.
Versatility is something we have to remember. And Metallica is the epitome of versatile metal bands.
The thing I love about St. Anger though is the heaviness.....the really brought that back after Load and Re-Load being really blues oriented.
I know these songs are going to be great live.
Remember, Jaymz records his vocals without playing guitar at the same time. Its just him and the mic.
But when it comes time to the concert....Jaymz performs in a totally different way whilst playing guitar and singing.
After all, //\/\ETALLIC/\\ is a LIVE band
that wasn't too long was it?
 
(By WHIPLASH, afternoon dj @ Rock 1057, Peoria, IL.)

"Metallica’s St. Anger is 75 minutes of aggression, violence, chaos and brutality. It’s an electrical meltdown wrapped inside a nuclear explosion surrounded by a 500 mile earthquake. On this, we all concur.

From here, we become less agreeable…

After listening to the album twice in its entirety, I’ll state my conclusion now…then spend several paragraphs explaining it…then I’ll state the conclusion again:

This is either the worst dumpster-full of rotten, spoiled garbage Metallica has ever written…or it’s brilliantly groundbreaking. But there is no middle ground. This album isn’t "okay." After hearing it twice, it either sucks or it’s phenomenal.

I suppose I’ll begin by touching on - and agreeing with - all the negatives about which I’ve heard others chanting. First, someone wake up Kirk Hammett and tell him his band’s recording a new album. His alarm clock has been broken for the last 6 months. Where’s Kirk! You’ve got (arguably) the greatest metal guitarist plugging in next to you, and as a reward for all his years of jaw-dropping, neck-shredding, light speed distorted dominance, you give him a grand total of… ZERO solos? What the f*** guys? In every song, there’s at least 2 places where Kirk could just lift off…but we get nothing. Maybe it was Kirk’s decision…in which case he should be flogged. Maybe it was Bob Rock’s decision…in which case he should be drawn and quartered. Most likely it was a collective decision. Now since we can’t execute the whole quartet, I’ll guess I’ll just shake my head and move on.

Secondly, everyone complains about the quality…the production…the mixing…the overall Bob Rocked sound on the record. I agree with the criticisms. St. Anger sounds like it was recorded for less than $1,000 on an 8 track in my friend’s sheet metal garage. Maybe Lars really is broke from Napster, but don’t Metallica have access to a multi-million dollar recording studio with top notch equipment and an unlimited budget? And let’s be honest about Bob Rock…the guy knows his stuff. Dr. Feelgood sounded great. The Black Album was amazingly produced. Bob didn’t suddenly go deaf. You have to believe it was intentional…but why? I’ll get to my theory…

Also, in the mix, the drums are WAY too loud. All you can hear is Lars banging on that tin can. The guitars (what little there are) are buried behind "Tama garage fury," as I will now call it.

As for James’ vocals…they’re rough. They’re raw. It sounds like he did one take and kept it no matter how it sounded. No overdubs, either. I remember watching A Year & a Half in the Life Of…which documented the recording of the Black Album…and Bob Rock made James sing "…and I dub thee Unforgiven" about 40 different times, keeping every take and overdubbing those vocals until they sounded thick and perfect. What a difference 12 years makes… James is thin, often out-of-key, often missing notes, his voice cracks occasionally. I almost started laughing during the Frantic-tic-tic-tock part of that song it was so out-of-key and warbling.

And as for the songs themselves…everyone I’ve talked to says the same thing: "the whole album is the same, repetitive song." It’s true, all the songs sound alike. And yes, all the songs are repetitive, lyrically and musically. The songwriting and arrangement are incredibly subpar compared to past Metallica efforts. Random, pointless time changes litter St. Anger. And several of the songs even start out in the tradition of newer hard rock songs, meaning they play the riff softly, then break into it hardcore. (Think Linkin Park’s One Step Closer or Godsmack’s I Stand Alone.) It’s very typical and, therefore, uncharacteristic of Metallica.

I think that’s about it, right? Have I covered all the reasons why most people think this album tanks?

Alright, now for the flipside…think about this…

Lars warned us for weeks that this record would blow our minds. Critics who heard it early said it was commercial suicide. They would lose all their new Black Album and beyond fans, and their old school fans would be jaded by the lack of creativity, harmony, and guitar solos that were so prevalent on the first 3 albums. Critically, Metallica couldn’t win. We’ve heard this for months.

My first point: we shouldn’t ACT so surprised with what we hear. That said, it’s easy to say "oh, yeah…I’m ready for anything," and then you’re presented with St. Anger and your preparation goes out the dirty window because you can’t believe your ears.

But here’s my big theory on why this album just might be brilliance in disguise…

Metallica have always been anti-glam. Lars has always described them as the anti-Motley Crue. They’ve always gone against the grain, forcing their heaviness down the pop-driven throat of the world. But remember in the late 80s and early 90s when glam was at its peak? Bands like the Crue, Skid Row, Posion, etc. ruled the music scene with their sex, drugs and party attitude accompanied by their teased hair, caked make-up, spandex, leather, lipstick and enough hairspray to make any drag queen proud.

At the time, that was the standard, and everyone did it…

Then along came a band wearing flannel. Their lead singer couldn’t sing like Sebastian Bach. He looked liked a bum. His name was Kurt. He didn’t use hairspray. He had a band called Nirvana. They could rock too, but they said the hell with this false image. They stripped everything down…naked…rock n roll, depressing lyrics and ripped clothes. And grunge was born.

Ten years later, Nirvana is credited with launching a revolution and igniting the hairspray into a flaming glam-wildfire…

So what has happened in the 10 years post-Nirvana? Other bands have come and gone. Grunge had its run. Then when hip-hop took off, suddenly rap rock was thrust upon us…Rage Against the Machine. Kid Rock. Limp Bizkit. 311. Technology improved dramatically. Bands like these started using turntables in their sets and on their albums. More crazy sound effects were incorporated in hard rock. Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie pioneered the industrial techno-metal. Korn uses drum machines on their albums. It’s all programmed to sound perfect. Other metal outfits like Iron Maiden and Iced Earth use big orchestras, pianos, voice distortions. Linkin Park uses the digital muting and computerized beats. Guitars are compressed, vocals are overdubbed. It’s technology gone wild to produce the most "perfect-sounding" rock records possible.

At this time, it is the standard, and everyone does it…

Then along comes a band we know very well. They’ve gone through a lot in the past few years. They’ve lost their bassist. They’ve been tangled in unpopular lawsuits. Their front man was in rehab for alcoholism. They can still rock too…but they said the hell with this false image that "hi-tech is best." So they stripped everything down…naked…heavy metal, angry lyrics. Raw. No technology. No effects. No orchestra. No drum machine. No vocal overdubs. And St. Anger was born.

They say things move in cycles. In ‘83, Kill ‘Em All wasn’t popular. It was raw. It was basic thrash metal. Very good thrash metal…but it was simple. Now in ‘03, twenty years later, Metallica have gone full circle. St. Anger is simple. And although not as creative as the debut, it’s more like that record than any other.

So by this analogy (the same way that Nirvana was anti-glam, St. Anger is anti-technology), is Metallica’s new CD fresh and ground-breaking? Or is it more a return to roots? Given the cyclic nature of things, can it be both?

If this album is brilliant, it’s because it was written by a band that could have done something else. They have the money. They have the talent. They have the resources and the best producer in the world. They CHOSE to make St. Anger the way it is, and they did it on purpose. They see how hi-tech hard rock and heavy metal is becoming…so they put out a record that was completely the opposite. They put out a record that was about music…about feelings…about deep emotions. Not one about how many cool samples and effects we can mix together with our budget. St. Anger is a human record. It’s raw. It’s imperfect. It’s real. It’s…human.

Isn’t it refreshing to hear a human record in such a computerized world?

I think so…

And the more I think about it, the more this idea seems brilliantly groundbreaking. Maybe the songs themselves aren’t spectacular, but the POINT they make, from their production quality to their content give the album an amazing cohesion…a unity that gives modern techo-rock the finger. Actually, St. Anger pretty much gives everything the finger.

But here’s the kicker…

It could be said that any garage band from Peoria could make a record that sounds like the new Metallica CD. Why aren’t they considered groundbreaking in their stripped-down, simple philosophy? Well, because our Peoria garage band is poor. Their record HAS to sound naked. And they have no history. Metallica has 20 years of legacy and expectations. And for Metallica to do this by choice, gives the idea its appeal. It had to be the right band at the right time…and Metallica stepped up to the plate to carry the torch.

So if I’m right…if this album is brilliant, does it represent the future of hard rock? Will it have that much influence? Or does the public still want more years of super techo computerized ultra produced rock that showcases megabytes and digitalia instead of talent and songwriting?

I don’t know…

Now the conclusion again. This album is either a serious mistake and the biggest load of crap Metallica ever penned…or it’s brilliant and could change the sound of hard rock for the next 10 years.

Think about it…I’m gonna go listen to the CD again because I have a feeling it's really, really good."
 
wankerness said:
Gimme a break. Childish name-calling makes you "tr00?" You can make fun of the bands all you want, just you could at least appear like you're more than 10 years old when you do it. It got old about 20 years ago. I doubt that Mikael Akerfeldt comes up with incredibly lame new names for specific bands he dislikes. Your whole BS about how I must listen to Nu Metal because I don't like to say REALLY FUNNY THINGS was highly intelligent too, I don't even feel a need to defend myself from that. I never said I was insulted, what I was implying was that it's sad to see that Opeth fans can be so immature and childish.
Actually I could care less about being "troo" as I could care less about the black metal pose..
If you would get your head out of your ass and stop being so uptight you could easily see the humor in making fun of lame bands like Limp Bizcut and Stikin Park..
Stop flaming me, take some zoloft and check your head..
 
deathbearer said:
Yes, it is brilliant to call a buch of lame nu metal pop bands exactly who they are..I take it the only reason that you are insulted is that you listen to lame pop bands like Limp dizcut, and Stikin Park religiously and you know nothing of metal..
I was a Metalllica fan when you were in diapers (or perhaps before you were born) and I saw Metallica play with tons of good thrash bands..This Summer Sanitariuim tour is just Metallica hooking up with top 40 radio bands instead of supporting the plethora of underground metal bands..
What do you excpect from Selloutica, and why are you so insulted?
Do you listen to boy bands like N Suck. Limp dizcut and Stinkin Park? I bet you do! As Mike Arkenfedlt said, "Boy bands with guitars"..
The reason why we (in the underground) make fun of these bands is because the music is nothing other than uninventive, unoriginal mall rock for teenagers..
Linkin Park and Limp bizcut are NOT even metal, so please reserve your defense of these bands for another BB as you are fairly new to this board and know nothing of metal..
You're defending some of the lamest bands on the planet.Ii bet you wouldn't have listened to Metallica back in 85, or 88 when they were a true thrash band as you problably were defneding New Kids on the Block..
You are lame..

Give me a fucking break... You are acting like a 12 years old metal wannabe who thinks that you can be tr00 and get other ppls atention by making up "funny" names out of band names, like "Stinking Fart" or something like that...

And what does your age has to do with it, seems like some ppl just don't get older when they grow up...

As to my opinion about St.Anger, i only heard Frantic and St.Anger and i can't say i like em. It's not Super bad but i just cant stand the lyrics.

And no i don't realy like Linking Park or Limp, eventhough LInking Park has one or two good tunes.

Edit: And i think that if the people from "The Underground" could stop bashing pop bands and supporting Underground Metal acts then we would all have a better world. I just don't see why you care what teenagers listen to. As long as you listen to what you like then whats the problem.
 
I hate it, its by far the worst album I've ever heard. So dissapointing!!!! It doesnt even sound like Metallica anymore. It sounds like a whole different band!! I hate this new try hard nu-metal crap, it's sooo bad! What the hell is with their long intros and no solos??!! And why the hell has his singing gone so bad?? They're just another band gone commercial like Korn and Deftones (whose new albums suck) Ahhh well I guess I'll just listen to their older stuff. I can't believe they did this and all my friends share my opinion on how terrible this album is..... It's SOOOO horrible I wanted to kill myself too when I was listening to this. It was THAT bad. It sounds like theyre playing on tin cans. I forced myself to listen to it a third time to see if it would grow on me but it just made me cringe with anger even more. Ahhh this is a terrible terrible album. What a f***ing joke!
 
Episode 666 said:
Give me a fucking break... You are acting like a 12 years old metal wannabe who thinks that you can be tr00 and get other ppls atention by making up "funny" names out of band names, like "Stinking Fart" or something like that...

And what does your age has to do with it, seems like some ppl just don't get older when they grow up...

As to my opinion about St.Anger, i only heard Frantic and St.Anger and i can't say i like em. It's not Super bad but i just cant stand the lyrics.

And no i don't realy like Linking Park or Limp, eventhough LInking Park has one or two good tunes.

Edit: And i think that if the people from "The Underground" could stop bashing pop bands and supporting Underground Metal acts then we would all have a better world. I just don't see why you care what teenagers listen to. As long as you listen to what you like then whats the problem.
For your information MORON I support tons of underground metal..I go to more shows (I'm going to see the reformed Suffocation with my freinds in Malamor and Bloodgasm Friday) than you do and I'm into technical brutal bands like Cryptopsy, Necrophagist, Nile and also doom and grindcore..
You have 90 some odd posts on this site and YOU are flaming me because I made fun of LAME pop music..
For your information (as you had the balls to say that Linkin Park had a couple of cool tunes) Linkin Park has NO good tunes as they are midless rap rock drivel..
I can make fun of corperate nu metal bands all that I want as nu metal is just the equal of lame 80's hair bands..What are you going to be a nazi for lame bands..My humor in bashing such crap is taken quite well by metal heads, you are so stupid that you don't see the insanity of a market oversaturated with crap nu metal and rap rock bands..
Keep in mind that you are new to this BB and this is ULTIMATE METAL with the focus being on metal not lame boy bands..
So please do us all a favor either stop Flaming me for making fun of your fave bands or FUCK OFF! I'm dead serious..
Opeth are a faaar better band than Stikin Park and if you don't like it get fucked..!
 
ElectricWiz said:
I don't know if anybody has commented on this yet, but hear it goes...

I'm 32....my first Metallica record was Ride The Lightning....I bought Master of Puppets the day it came out...yada yada. I then proceeded to pretty much dislike Metallica from the Black album on. I will say though, that I have swallowed my pride....because....St. Anger is brilliant.

Feel free to start casting barbs at this post now....but I can't get it out of my CD player, and think that every song is good, heavy as fuck...etc.

Metallica might still be a bunch of corporate whores, but the new album is a very real, organic, fantastic thing. Don't miss out because of what you think you know about them, I almost did.

Metallica is back, like it or not.

Well - I'm 43, and have been listening to Metallica since they were born. I listened to them along with Anthrax, Slayer, Exodus, and other speed metal greats of the time.

I was excited about this release, but I must say I am greatly disappointed. It doesn't have the "feel" of Metallica - just like Load/Reload etc didn't. It's all a matter of taste, and my Metallica taste says the Black album is their greatest.
 
metalmancpa said:
Well - I'm 43, and have been listening to Metallica since they were born. I listened to them along with Anthrax, Slayer, Exodus, and other speed metal greats of the time.

I was excited about this release, but I must say I am greatly disappointed. It doesn't have the "feel" of Metallica - just like Load/Reload etc didn't. It's all a matter of taste, and my Metallica taste says the Black album is their greatest.

The black album is their greatest! *covers my eyes/ears* Don't let it be true! I have to say that Master of Puppets is hand down their masterpiece!