Talent Tuesday: Metallica's "Death Magnet"

It has been 5 years since Metallica has released a new studio album. Death Magnet is the pet project that die hard metal fans been salivating over for those 5 long years. And I guarantee you, it does not disappoint! With drum beats and guitar solos reminiscent of their earlier music stylings, this album brings back the old Metallica, the one the fans fell in love with! If metal had roots, this would be Metallica digging those musical roots into the ground and pulling up some damp, pungent, healthy earth. Well, welcome back guys!

With a new producer it seems as though Metallica has found their inner 80s rockers again, the product of which are long head throbbing songs, not one under 5 minutes long (most closer to the 7 or 8 minute mark), and a throw back to their earlier hits with songs like The Unforgiven III. This album is a perfect mix of the head banging soon-to-be classics and truly melodic feeling songs that even make my 1 year old bounce up and down.

There is a death theme supposedly set throughout the album, but it was hard for me to makeout. Maybe a few more listens and more concentration are needed to discern the dark meanings behind some of the lyrics. The husband and I already discussed one line in track 4, The Day That Never Comes in which Hetfield states "love is a four letter word". I came to the conclusion that he was musing that love is nothing more than a word. I strongly disagree with him phylosophically, but musically this album is a strong one.

This album's tough lyrics, and moshpit worthy beats are sure to inspire many an air guitar artist to pickup right where Metallica's earilier records left off. Death Magnet feels like it should have been released in the early 90s, wiping the slate clean of the country-rock sound of Load and the open wound sound of St. Anger. So, now, metal fans everywhere can come out of hiding and once again raise their hands with the symbol of rock and roll and give theirselves over to these new songs with as much ferver as they did in the 80s. Long live Metallica!