pearl-drum-man's Full Review: St. Anger [Edited] by Metallica
INTRO
Rehab, a lost member, public backlash, and an uncertain future, these things sum up Metallica’s last two years. Despite battling all the clichés (that often permeate real life) Metallica has come together to offer its most venom filled album since Jethro Tull won for best metal performance. I should state, I’ve never been a big Metalli-fan, even back in the 1980’s when they were heralded as masters of thrash. Therefore, it was with some reservation that I bought St. Anger, but for $10, and including a free dvd (thanks Napster!), I took the plunge.
THE MUSIC
I guess first I must mention the production values. St. Anger is a lousy sounding album. Obviously the band wanted to go for something a bit different, unfortunately it sounds like they ended up with a “garage rock” sound. Last I checked band wasn’t named The Metallica. The guitars are very muddy, often taking away from the intensity of the riffing. Hetfield’s voice comes across much weaker then I remember, even on their last recorded effort. The drums are plain annoying. After about three songs, I had about enough of that ringing snare drum, it sounds like he’s hitting a 55-gallon drum. The high end is also lacking, it seems the cymbals are on the same frequency as the snare. Reportedly Bob Rock played the bass on St. Anger, unfortunately for him it sounds like it wasn't plugged in. Ok, on to the music.
Overall, the album is very consistent, featuring solid writing and riffing throughout. When the band stated they were putting out a new, more aggressive record, many would seek to compare it to their earlier releases. The fact is, those days are gone, and the band is better off approaching an aggressive album naturally, not trying to rehash a decade old formula. My only criticism overall would have been to chop down the track lengths, as some of the tracks do start to get repetitive. Eight-minute songs were great on And Justice For All due to the complex time changes, but St. Anger doesn’t throw any musical curves to totally change up the feel of the songs.
Frantic kicks the album off making a strong statement that this record will be aggressive. I like the track, but do feel the clean guitar breaks disrupt what is ultimately a strong, grooving riff. The title track St. Anger hits hard, feature moshing riffs and even some nice brisk double bass work from Ulrich, nice to see that on MTV! My World kicks off like a classic neck snapping Metallica song. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last, but it still offers an upbeat jaunt into Hetfield’s head and is topped off with a punishing bridge section. Purify has an approach that would be most like current heavy bands, with a tuned down, chunkier riffing effort, and simple, driving drums. The middle section of the track changes up a bit, increasing the intensity. This will certainly be a staple of their live set. All Within My Hands brings the album to a close, more-less picking up where Purify left off. While these tracks deserve special mention, all the others are strong, and I wouldn’t consider any of them a filler track, nicely done!
THE DVD
St. Anger is packaged with a free dvd of the band performing the entire album at rehearsal. This is the real home run of the package. It’s well shot, and sounds great! If only the same sonic sense was used for the record! The dvd definitely offers an intensity that the record can’t match, Robert Trujillo’s present may be a factor here. The band members appear to be enjoying themselves, which says something about their passion for this music.
TRACK LISTING
Frantic
St. Anger
Some Kind Of Monster
Dirty Window
Invisible Kid
My World
Shoot Me Again
Sweet Amber
The Unnamed Feeling
Purify
All Within My Hands
BOTTOM LINE
Despite the awful sonic production, St. Anger is a strong, hard-hitting album that should pacify those who long for a more aggressive Metallica. The question begs, will the band be willing to pacify those few at the expense of their mainstream fanbase?
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