Metallica - Death Magnetic Format: Album Release Date: 12th Sep 2008 Label: Vertigo Records Rating: Metallica, the band who put the grrr! into grumpy fortysomethings, who still inadvisably wear shorts and who probably use the word motherfucker a lot in press interviews, are back in the saddle (same horse, new saddle). A band who ought to be reviewed by a qualified psychiatric nurse than a music journalist. Their personal issues are public property, their woes are well documented and their music is perhaps the least interesting part of the whole equation. Calling yourselves Metallica and existing within a genre so conservative as metal, you kind of paint yourself into a corner. You can't be seen to sing about holding hands with your lovely, pretty girlfriend, for example, or wax lyrical about the beauty of a sunset over Venice (unless of course the girlfriend in question has breast cancer, or that the sunset is the colour of blood running from a dead man's mouth after he's been strangled by a wizard). You're not allowed to play anything vaguely melodic and all your album sleeves must contain photos of death, decay and desolation, all rendered in 5 shades of gray and with no primary colours at all. Metal just will not die. The bands get bigger, the shows become ever more huge, the album sales remain enormous. Just like some kind of crazed Frankenstein's monster, metal lurches through the countryside searching for new victims and, fortunately for the record companies, there are lots and lots of teenage boys out there. Do girls like Metallica?... I have a theory that it's a teenage bloke thing, probably called obsessive death disorder. Couple that with an inability to lose your virginity and you've got one hell of a lethal combination. Girls like The Kooks and The Zutons and boys like Iron Maiden and Slipknot and never the twain shall meet (except on their wedding day where there wil be the inevitable arguements over what to play at the reception and the bride declaring that under no circumstances is' bring your daughter to the slaughter' going to be 'our tune'. After the muted response to their previous outing 'St Anger', the band have paid legendary producer Rick Rubin lots of money to sprinkle some magic Rick Rubin fairydust over proceedings.The results still feel like you've been hit round the head for seventy minutes with a coffin lid, but at least its done with incredible clarity. There are so many riffs in here that it's possible to suffer from riff lag. if you are in the right frame of mind it will make you feel invincible. If however you suffer from migraines you might be better off sticking to the collected works of Nick Drake. All ten tracks are lengthy, all averaging the seven minute mark. Of the ten, one is an instrumental 'Suicide and Redemption' which is the most conventional tune in terms of structure. One big riff relentlessly hammered into the ground with an epic lead guitar blitzkrieg three quarters of the way in. What's not to like?! In fact, there are lots more Kirk Hammett solos this time around, which is always a good thing. Especially evident on a nasty little song called 'broken beaten and scarred', which really pumps iron and contains the defiant bravado of a lyric that goes 'what don't kill ya makes you more strong' and for seven and a half minutes it's almost as good as 'Enter Sandman'. Kirk is also less than retiring on 'the day that never comes' which starts off sounding like Thin Lizzy but soon turns into a twisted tale of blurred riffage and mad fast guitar solos. There's a solo at the five minute mark of 'all nightmare long' which is just demented (this is perfect music to play just before you go into the bosses office to ask for a pay rise). Death Magnetic does reward repeated playing. Initially i wasn't impressed but i've lived with it for a week now and we've become very good friends. Lars Ulrich's vocals can grate a bit but at least on this album he's trying different approaches and James Hetfield's drumming  remains superhuman/ He must have the upper arm strength of Optimus Prime. All things considered this is a bloody good album. Yeah... this is one monster the aforementioned Dr Frankenstein would have been proud of.

Written by: John Haylock