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.
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...
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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?