Review Summary: Metallica comes up short in an attempt to reclaim their former glory
“My god Lars, you guys woke me up and said, ‘you know what, you’re out.’ And I said ‘what no warning? No second chance?’ and you guys said ‘No, go’” (Some Kind of Monster) That quote comes from Dave Mustaine (former guitarist of Metallica and current lead vocalist for Megadeth) speaking to Lars Ulrich (drummer for Metallica) about being fired from the band he co-founded. It’s easy to see why Mustaine is so frustrated. While he went on to find success in his own band Megadeth, he has always been considered second fiddle to Metallica, a band he co-founded. However, while Metallica have been on a downward spiral for their last several albums, Megadeth just won their first Grammy for their newest album Dystopia. It’s fair to say that Megadeth have claimed the throne for best thrash metal band today. With Metallica’s new record Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, are they able to kick Megadeth off the throne and retake their place at the top?
Metallica are somewhat of a controversial band in the metal community. Every metal head loves head banging to the first four Metallica albums which include 1983’s Kill Em’ All, 1984’s Ride the Lightning, 1986’s Master of Puppets, and 1988’s …And Justice for All. These four albums revolutionized metal and created a sub-genre, which would be called “Thrash Metal”. The controversy comes into play with their fifth studio album, 1991’s Metallica also known as The Black Album. This record contained classic rock radio hits such as “Enter Sandman”, “Sad But True”, “Wherever I May Roam” as well as others. To many people, this represents the best Metallica album to ever exists. However, to metal heads, this represented something different. This represented Metallica selling out, and ditching their thrash metal roots in favor of a hard rock, more mainstream approach. The next three albums, 1996’s Load, 1997’s Reload, and 1998’s Garage Inc., would only continue this trend, with the songs only getting worse with each album. Metallica would attempt a comeback album that went back to their roots with 2003’s St. Anger only for the album to backfire. St. Anger is considered Metallica’s worst album of all time, leading one reviewer to say, “The already-notorious drum sound does come remarkably close to the ring of a garbage can cover, while guitars rise and fall in the mix, crisp and precise one moment, muddy and distorted the next” (Kaye).
However, in 2008, Metallica would attempt a comeback once again with Death Magnetic. This album represented a true return to form for Metallica. The album wasn’t perfect, but this album showed that Metallica are still capable of writing powerful riffs and James vocals came back with a force. For the first time in 20 years, metal heads were optimistic about the future of Metallica and we couldn’t wait for their next album. After 8 years, Metallica have returned with their 10th studio album Hardwired… To Self-Destruct. Overall, Metallica show they are still capable of writing powerful songs, but also show that the days of Master of Puppets are truly over.
Let’s start with the good news. Hardwired…To Self-Destruct contains some of the best Metallica songs over the past 20 years. Songs such as “Moth into Flame”, “Spit out the Bone”, and “Halo on Fire” harken back to classic Metallica albums that made them thrash metal legends. Specifically, “Moth into Flame” brings back a more melodic Metallica, one that we haven’t seen since the ...And Justice for All album. The dueling guitar melodies between Hetfield and Hammett come closer to the song “Ride the Lightning” with the song becoming even more melodic with the addition of James Hetfield’s vocals. The song eventually progresses to a more bluesy midsection with strong songwriting and transitions between parts of the song. This is something that’s been missing from Metallica for a long time and is a welcome return to form.
“Halo on Fire” truly shows Metallica fans the polarizing sound the band brings. Ever since the song “Fade to Black” on Ride the Lightning, we’ve always known that there is a lighter side to Metallica. However, this song also brings in some themes used in the song “Until it Sleeps” on the Load album, as well as some themes from The Black Album. It’s interesting hearing songs include a mix of past themes from Metallica that seems to work very well and is a welcome addition to Metallica’s collection of songs.
It’s important that we address the real problem that brings this album down. This album is over 1 hour and 17 minutes long. Every song, with the exception of the title song “Hardwired” clocks in at 6 minutes or beyond. This is nothing new for Metallica. In past albums, it wasn’t uncommon for songs to reach the 8-minute mark. However, those albums only consisted of 8 or 9 songs total. On this double album, we are given 12 songs. With this many songs, we are subjected to a lot of similar material over and over again. Songs such as “Murder One”, “Am I Savage?”, and “ManUNkind” start promising, but are dragged on for so long listening to them becomes a chore. Furthermore, Metallica’s thrash metal style makes listening to these extremely long songs a hassle. There are only so many riffs and so many drum beats that you can use during a song (or album) and it feels like Metallica have used up all their ideas in the first half of the album. I’d also like to point to James Hetfield (lead vocalist) and say that he simply doesn’t have the voice to lift an album. Hetfield is not a great singer and it feels like the band is asking him to do too much on this album. I think it’s safe to say that if the songs I mentioned earlier in this paragraph were eliminated from the album, I wouldn’t have nearly as many complaints.
This album, while not Metallica’s best work, shows us all something. The longevity of the band continuing to work on their craft is something to be admired. This album represents to everyone that we should never give up on our passions. If people keep putting you down and the critics continue to bash your work, don’t let them stop you. Metallica have been one of the more criticized bands in recent years, but they never stopped. They never quit. If you truly love something, don’t stop. It has been 34 years since Metallica released their first record and they continue to make music. Not for the money and not for the praise. They do it because they love it. Whether you enjoyed the album or despised it, we all need to respect and admire the fact that Metallica never let the critics drag them down. If anything, this album represents that we should never give up on our dreams or our passions.
So, did Metallica take the throne back from Megadeth and reclaim their spot at the top? No. This album is far from perfect. It’s safe to say that this album is simply, too long. Songs tend to bore you out halfway through and the whole album overstays its welcome. However, there are some fantastic songs to hear from the first half of this album. It’s important that we appreciate Metallica while they’re still making albums. No matter what you may think of Metallica or metal in general, you have to admire their passion and love for the music. Not many bands continue to make new music after 34 years and that’s something we can all appreciate.
