Impressions/Thoughts:
It has been 8 years since Metallica released their last album Death Magnetic and during
that time, they have done many tours, collaborated on the album Lulu
with Lou Reed, were inducted into
the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 2009,
and released the movie Through the Never. Now they have
release their 10th studio album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, but does
this album have the power to compete with their past albums?
It’s safe to say that I’m not really a big fan of Metallica, or at least their material
after their fifth album, but I am willing to at least give this album a fair
review like I would for any album.
The Music:
“Hardwired” is
just a nice fast and heavy song with kick. It has a simple effective riff that
grabs you. It works well as the opening song of the album, reminding fans that
they are still going strong after 30 + years.
“Atlas, Rise!” is
another song with a great riff. As a song that comes in sequence after “Hardwired”, it keeps the heavy beat and
continues the vibe set by the opening track. It’s another good heavy metal song
that has a great groove. This song refers to the Greek mythological legend of
the titan Atlas and how he holds up the skies of earth.
“Now That We’re Dead”
has a long intro clocking in around 1 minute and 40 seconds. It’s another solid
metal track. One of the highlights in this song is Kirk Hammett’s guitar solo and the breakdown and build up to the
main riff that ensues after the solo.
“Moth into Flame”
starts off with another solid riff that catches the ear. The chord progression
right before the bridge raises the pitch and makes it interesting and memorable
to listen to. This is another thrashy song by Metallica. They are on a hot streak with 4 good songs right off the
bat, now let’s see if they keep it up.
“Dream No More” is
a slower tempo song with an emphasis on heaviness. This song is not as melodic
as their other songs and the vocal style is more like shouting. Right after the
4-minute mark, the song stops for a few seconds and then starts up again with a
guitar solo. The chord progression goes down during the solo and then jumps
into the main riff when the guitar solo finishes. The tone of the song is dark
with the familiar subject of Cthulhu.
“Halo on Fire” is
another slower song that is more melodic with James Hetfield singing and has a softer tone. That is until the
main riff starts and the song picks up with Hetfield doing a short and loud shout signifying the change. About halfway
through the song, the riff changes and marches along with a strong emphasis on
the bass. Kirk Hammett also gets a
few chances to do some great guitar solos on this song. Overall, this song is
an interesting listen and has a few changes to the riff that keeps your
interest all the way throughout the song.
As “Confusion”
opens, it reminds me of the Diamond Head
classic “Am I Evil?” which Metallica has covered many times. After
by what some would say is a blatant rip off of an intro, this piece by Metallica has a fast thrashy riff that
only is slow for the first verse of the song. ‘WaHammett’ uses the Wah pedal in his guitar solo on this song for
great effect. If you can’t guess from the lyrics, the song is about PTSD or
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
*Wahammett is Kirk
Hammett’s nickname as an exaggeration for his use of the Wah pedal
throughout his music carrier.
“ManUNkind”
starts off light and builds up to a heavier riff. The song has a simple and
memorable riff. The chorus of the song is very catchy and during the latter
part of the song the vocals have an echo effect, making Hetfield’s voice sound larger. Kirk Hammett also has a soulful solo
in this song. The music video for this song has a generic looking black metal
band that performs the tunes but still has all the instrumentals and vocals of Metallica
dubbed over them. Overall, the band still demonstrates their versatility and even
though we’re 8 songs into the album, the album is still going strong.
“Here Comes Revenge”
is an angrier sounding song but considering the name of the song that is not so
surprising. The instrumentals have a good beat and the riff is memorable and catchy.
Kirk Hammett, like in most of the other songs on the album, has another good
guitar solo on this song. As the track ends, they deliberately breakdown the
song with heavy distortion from their guitars.
“Am I Savage?”
starts with a serene sounding opening riff. After the wail of the guitar, the instrumentals
go into the main heavy riff. The chorus is syncopated with the riff, which is a
little jarring because the riff and vocal melody doesn’t sync up. This does
catch your attention and is very effective at that. The riff for “Am I Savage?” is very rhythmic as the
bass and drums have more emphasis placed on them. Overall this song is one of
the heavier tracks on the album.
“Murder One”
starts with a short acoustic intro and the main riff is simple, heavy and loud.
This song is a tribute to Motörhead
and specifically music legend Lemmy
Kilmister. The lyrics refence the saying “Born to Lose,
Live to Win”, the song/album “Ace of Spades” and the way Lemmy lived his life. Overall the song is a good original tribute
to the late musician and in the music video it prominently shows an animation
of Lemmy, during which he gives the
middle finger at the end of the video.
The closing track, “Spit
Out the Bone”, ends the album with a thrashy riff that is reminiscent of
early Metallica in it’s speed. Hetfield’s vocals shout out the lyrics which
goes well with the rhythm of the drums. The song is more focused on rhythm rather
than melody. “Spit Out the Bone” is
about our dependency on technology and the instrumentals are definitely reminiscent
of the sounds of a machine. Metallica
ends Hardwired…To
Self-Destruct with the heaviest song, showcasing that they can still do
Thrash just as good as any other Thrash Metal band.
“Lords of Summer”
was the song that was released as a single and was spawned last year during their
Metallica By Request Tour. It’s a pretty generic song and I find some of the
lyrics to be kind of cheesy. As a song, I didn’t really like it when it came
out and while it not as bad as I originally thought, it’s not a terrible song, it’s
just not something that I find to be all that great.
“Ronnie Rising Medley”
is actually from the album Ronnie James Dio - This is your Life,
which is an album full of cover
songs from late Ronnie James Dio’s carrier
by artists like Anthrax, Rob Halford and the Scorpions. The album was for Dio’s official Stand Up and Shout cancer
fund. I thought it was a good tribute and my opinion has not changed.
The next two tracks “When
A Blind Man Cries” and “Remember
Tomorrow” are covers of Deep Purple
and Iron Maiden songs, respectively.
It is well known that Metallica performs some great cover songs and that has
not changed. The following tracks after this are a live recording of a
performance Metallica did at Rasputin Music in Berkeley, California.
Verdict:
Hardwired…To Self-Destruct is a great album. All of the songs
are in the same vein as each other but they are each distinctively different so
as not to be repetitive. Metallica
is clearly at the top of their game and fans will find a great album to sink
their teeth into. This album may not convert any fans who hold resentment against
them over the post-black album music. I
feel that fans should at least listen to the songs and give them a chance, especially the
heavier songs.
Top 5 Songs:
1) “Spit Out the Bone”
2)
3)
4) “Confusion”
5) “Here Comes
Revenge”
 |
| From Left to Right: Robert Trujillo, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett |
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