St. Anger

Scott Hardie | June 5, 2003
Do any other Metallica fans on here have comments on the new album? For me, it couldn't have come on a better day: I quit my job today after the boss dragged me over the coals to make a point. (Doesn't matter to me; I start a new job on Monday.) So I've been driving around Tampa, eating junk food to say "fuck my diet" for a day, and cranking this fucking CD as loud as I can stand it. This is exhilarating music! I got to wondering what demon drove Metallica to play so furiously on this album, and I think it's having sucked for so many years now. The fans abandoned them, the industry they courted for so long dismissed them, and they became a joke by taking a stand against Napster. Now they sound like they want to jump through the speakers and beat the living shit out of their detractors. I don't know if their plan to regain their long-lost hard-rock creds will work, but I'm glad they tried; the album's a rush. Though the choruses are weak and sometimes derivative of current shit-metal bands (especially the title track), the overall sound is as heavy as a fucking planet. It feels like an old friend is back.

K. R. | June 5, 2003
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Mike Eberhart | June 6, 2003
As a lifelong Metallica fan, I usually like anything they do. However, I've only heard a few of the songs from the new CD and I really think they blew it with this album. None of the music sounds like it goes together, and when the singing starts, it just sounds bad. I don't know, maybe there are some better songs on there that I haven't heard yet, but so far, I'd have to say "It Sucks"... That's hard for me to say because I like pretty much anything they do and I have every album. But it's not looking good for me purchasing St. Anger....

Erik Bates | June 6, 2003
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Scott Hardie | June 6, 2003
Damn. I'm not sure what to say besides, "I like it, anyway." The scruffy, canned sound quality appeals to me, in this case. Their 90s albums sounded too perfect; they lacked an edge. As for consistency, the songs do match each other to my ears; as much as I'll always love the 80s albums, it was those that had incompatible songs. I'm not into the lyrics and James has never been a good singer, but I almost never listen to song lyrics anyway, which is probably why I like Joe Satriani so much. What I like here is the intensity of the album, which sounds like Metallica has something to prove again. I don't have to feel embarassed for liking it, as I did with the last few albums. And, so far anyway, I haven't found any tracks I have to skip past, as I did with half the tracks on Load and Reload. The only thing missing (almost entirely) from the album, and for good reason because it clashes with the theme, is a sense of fun. I like Metallica most when they're goofing off and having a good time, as on Garage Inc.