St. Anger - The wait is over, My Review - The wait is over

[The Amazer]

Well, may I just say that the first time I heard the album I was completely, totally, really drunk, but I've listened to it quite a few times since then.

Initial impressions on this album were very good, but... I knew that I hadn't gotten into the album. There are many albums that I like that took me quite a while to get into. The greatest album of all time, Led Zeppelin's IV took me 2 weeks before I really dug it, and Megadeth's Rust in Peace also took a while. So I wasn't worried when I wasn't completely into it, but now I've listened to it a few times the songs are growing on me major fast... and I'm loving them to the max... yet I still know that it'll take some more listens before it truly sinks in.

Song by Song review:

1. Frantic - Most of you have heard all, or at least 1:55 of this song. Well, its really quite awesome with the studio version. The initial sound feels really tight, and sort of Pantera-like... but then it builds into the song and its got a nice crispness to it. The harmonised vocals for the "Keep Searching" part are really nice.

2. St. Anger - You've all probably heard this song, so not much needs to be said apart from that it is probably the most commercial song on the album. I love the song to hte max, because its a lot more melodic that I was expecting.

3. Some Kind of Monster - awesome intro with awesome production... you can hear the snare rattling and I love that. The intro is very long but I love the main riff of this baby. A real groover of a song, but it still has fast parts, but overall is very headbangy.

4. Dirty Window - Now this song I like. Stop-start action at the start of this song, then that real rocker of a riff kicks in. The vocals are nice in this one, and I love the soft guitar work in the "I'm judge and I'm jury and I'm executioner too" part. I really really like this song.

5. Invisible Kid - Long song. Nice thrashy riff... but doesn't feel too hard, I like it a lot. The song is very nice with all its different sections. The soft vocals for "I'm ok, just go away" section take a while to get used to... as it doesn't seem to fit the music at first. Probably my least fav on the album at the moment.

6. My World - I love this song, its really up-tempo, and goes off like a rocker. I love the far-out vocals in the "ITS MY WORLLLLD NOW, ITS MY WOOOORLD NOW" parts. (second time its "ITS MY TIME NOW") one thing that doesn't please me totally though is the little bits where he seems to say "sucker" (not sure if that's what he's saying though)

7. Shoot me Again - This has a lot of stop-start action to it, with some vocals that remind me a redneck biker or something. Took me a while to get into this song, but its a fairly fun song to headbang to. Not much else to say about it though.

8. Sweet Amber - This song is awesome, I mean simply stunning. I fucking love this song, its got a nice soft little guitar intro, then it turns into a thrashy 80s-feeling variation of the intro. Then it keeps this speed goibng, and slows down and speeds up and its just an awesome journey of a song. I love the chorus's weird feeling about its timing.

9. The Unnamed Feeling - This is my other favourite song along with Sweet Amber. This song is possibly the 'heaviest' song on the album... but also comes across as the most ballad-like (to me at least) and I love the chorus to the max. I also love James' emotive vocals in the "get the fuck out of here" section.

10. Purify - One of the harder songs on the album, I really like the chorus to this, and the verse's are really weird, especially the structure of the vocals. Doesn't really take long to get into this one... just a while to get used to it. One to really bang your head to.

11. All Within my Hands - It really does remind me of an upbeat Outlaw Torn, or Fixxxer. Its an epic of a song, and I especially love the clean guitar bit which feels... hard to explain. Classical guitar sorta, and then there's a happy little melody, then everything cuts out. then BAM - ALL WITHIN MAAAAAAAH HAAAAAAAAANDS. It just kicks in with a fucking fury. I love it.

This album is a rocker, with a fair bit of emotion thrown in. James' voice cracks in places, and its very intentional, and just adds to the overall vibe of the album. I would've loved if there were solos in the songs, but you don't really notice it when listening to them... but maybe that's because we haven't heard them WITH solos, hehe.

The packaging is very nice, with cool pictures everywhere, and I like the way the booklet has all the lyrics, but is still in a LOAD booklet styling.

The DVD is also very awesome, and I'm going to go watch that now.

 

[Icarus]

1. Frantic - Most of you have heard all, or at least 1:55 of this song. Well, its really quite awesome with the studio version. The initial sound feels really tight, and sort of Pantera-like... but then it builds into the song and its got a nice crispness to it. The harmonised vocals for the "Keep Searching" part are really nice.

Frantic tick tick tick tick tick tock. Thats all I have to say about that song

2. St. Anger - You've all probably heard this song, so not much needs to be said apart from that it is probably the most commercial song on the album. I love the song to hte max, because its a lot more melodic that I was expecting.

Heard it on jjj. Its quite terrible imo.

3. Some Kind of Monster - awesome intro with awesome production... you can hear the snare rattling and I love that.

Seriously man, have you lost your hearing? Good production? Is this the same metallica album we are talking about?

Anyway thats my 2 cents on crappy new metallica.

Viva Vinnie Vincent! :Spin:

 

[Mark]

I'm listening to Some Kind Of Monster now - the sound on the melodic guitar refrain after the opening riff has a very vintage electric Neil Young sound to it

 

[Blitzkrieg]

The production suits some songs more than others. Some Kind Of Monster is one song where the productions suits VERY well, where as Frantic is a song where it doesn't.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

OK, here is a few things I picked up on after two listens and watching the DVD once:

The production is different from most things they have done before, and pretty much sounds like a thrashy, raw version of the production on Load. This fits some of the songs very well, but doesn't sit that well with others. Songs that don't sound that great on the cd (mainly Frantic) will sound awesome live though IMO. As ceydn said, no real stand out tracks, just consistancey throughout. Here is my breakdown:

Frantic - cool opener, and I really like the riffing. The sound doesn't sit too well on this one, and I think it will be more of a live song. I think it will fit into the set among the older material really well.

St Anger - the first thing that comes to mind about this song is that it sounds WAY better on the album. I thought it sounded ok from the video and such, but on the album it sounds good, and the mix sounds MUCH better. As ceydn said, probably the most melodic on the album, and I really like that. On first listen I didn't like the "flush it out" part at all, but now I am more used to it I think it sounds cool.

Some Kind Of Monster - I think this song sits along side other Metallica slow and heavy songs like Devil's Dance and Sad But True, it has that thick groove sound too it. Production actually sounds good on this song.

Dirty Window - another one that sounds a bit more like Metallica than the others. Consistantly rocking from start to finish, and I liked it alot more on second listen with the lyrics in front of me.

Invisible Kid - I think the thrashy riff in this sounds alot more like Megadeth than Metallica, which is interesting in a Metallica song. Great song I liked at first, but I now think it would benefit from being cut down.

My World / Shoot Me Again - it was listening to these songs the second time that really made me appreciate the album more. I think many of the songs would be better cut down, but I think St Anger as an album has a very strong theme running through it, and these songs help to drive that. From the samples, I didnt like the sound of Shoot Me Again, but the chorus is really pretty cool. The lyrics in both songs are quite cool, and as I said, really show what Hetfield is trying to say.

Sweet Amber - pretty similar to what ceydn said, but I probably wouldn't put it among my favourites.

The Unnamed Feeling - as ceydn said, this is probably the closest to a ballad on the album, which is weird as it is still very heavy. It is just the feeling in the lyrics that give the ballad vibe. Brilliant song writting from Hetfield, really full of emotion, and an instant classic. If anything a little too long, but that doesn't stop it being great.

Purify - probably the fastest hardest hitting rocker on the album, and really quite a strange song. It seems like a simple song, with a not so simple structure. This will take some more listens to get into fully.

All Within My Hands - as ceydn said, definately has the feel of The Outlaw Torn, the long album closer with a sort of epic feel. I really like what Hetfield is saying with this song, song really good lyrics in there.

Overall, the St Anger is very solid, and each song adds to the overall theme of the album. Individually, I think a few of the songs could benefit from being cut down, and would be better rounded if they were (Invisible Kid is the main offender), but as an album the longer songs still sit well. On first listen I simply thought, its good and has its moments, but after another listen and reading the lyrics, I can see deeper into the album and understand how the songs fit together to form a type of theme.

To anyone who has only heard the title track and maybe Frantic, and some samples of other songs, I would give the rest of the album a listen before forming any concrete opinions. My opinion on most of the material I had heard has changed already. The production isn't horrible, the vocals are good, and it doesn't sound very nu-metal at all. I even withdraw most of my comments about it having System Of A Down influences, as it really doesn't sound like that at all really. As I said, imagine a thrashy Load type of sound and you will be closer.

 

[Southy]

Its about the therapy in Rehab..its James Rehab sessions I say, any one that has ever been in rehab, or very close to anyone that has been there would know why I have this feeling every time I hear this CD..and that is what makes it so powerful and awesome IMO