Metallica - 'Death Magnetic'

After Metallica's last CD, St. Anger, the band seemed to be doing very well on a personal level. James Hetfield was clean and sober and therapy sessions helped them deal with each other more effectively, but questions remained about the musical side of things. Bass player Rob Trujillo was brought aboard, and longtime producer Bob Rock was replaced by Rick Rubin for the band's latest effort. Death Magnetic is a welcome return to form for the thrash metal legends.

It's been 25 years since Kill 'Em All was released, and there have been a lot of musical changes along the way. Death Magnetic isn't a nostalgia trip, but Metallica does embrace some of the elements that made their early albums so good.

The songs aren't short, radio-friendly singles. The shortest track on Death Magnetic is five minutes. That gives plenty of room for solos and musical exploration, and Metallica takes full advantage. Kirk Hammett is one of the best guitarists in metal, and his full repertoire of classic riffs and shredding solos is on display.

There's a nice amount of diversity as well. Old school, balls-out thrash, mid-tempo groovy jams and slower songs like "Unforgiven III" show a lot of range and versatility. And in the vein of previous songs like "Orion" and "The Call Of Ktulu," Metallica has an instrumental on Death Magnetic, the 10-minute epic "Suicide & Redemption."

The CD's production has been criticized for being too compressed and loud, reducing the dynamics. Supposedly the Guitar Hero version of Death Magnetic eliminates a lot of that, so if you're an audiophile that may be a better option for you.

For me, Death Magnetic didn't click instantly. The first time through I thought it was good, but not spectacular. Subsequent listens hammered home the catchiness of the riffs and the intricacy of the songwriting. After a whole bunch of listens, I'm sold. A band that's recorded one of the best CDs in the history of metal has a lot to live up to, and while Death Magnetic doesn't reach the lofty status of Master Of Puppets, it's still their best CD in a long time.