This Weeks Band is, oh and brace yourself this is a LOOOOOOOONG one................................
METALLICA!!!!!!!!!!!!
In My opinion there's old Metallica and there's new Metallica, and new Metallica sucks.
Metallica first formed in Los Angeles, in early 1981 when drummer Lars Ulrich put an ad in a local magazine. Guitarist James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner answered the ad. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked Metal Blade Records if he could record a song for the label's upcoming compilation "Metal Massacre" Slagel accepted, and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar.Ulrich used Metallica for the name of his band. A second advertisement was placed in a magazine for a lead guitarist. Dave Mustaine answered, and, after seeing his expensive guitar equipment, Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him. In early 1982, Metallica recorded its first original song "Hit the Lights" for the
"Metal Massacre" compilation. Hetfield played bass on the song and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo. Giving them a new hit single, which got so much attention they had the opportunity to play live shows.
In 1983 Metallica brought forth their first album "Kill 'Em All" which the band had initially called it "Metal up your Ass" but their record company urged them to change it, they agreed. Anyway Kill "em all received high praise from all corners of the music industry, selling many albums and gaining great amounts of good reviews. The album was acclaimed for its high speed guitar solos and James Hetfields growling vocals, and making it the first influential thrash metal album.
Throughout the tour of Kill 'em all Hetfield and Mustaine had personal conflicts mainly according to Mustaine's drinking problem, the conflicts eventually had risen to a fist fight between the two. This fight had sent Mustaine out of the band, they replaced him with guitarist Kirk Hammett.
1 year after the release of Kill 'em all the band had released their second album "Ride The Lightning" two words I can say about this album "Hell Yeah". Anyway though this is the album that most people call the "bridge" from Kill 'em all and Master of Puppets. This album not only retained the thrash metal style from Kill 'em all with songs like "Trapped under Ice", but was innovative with the more long and symphonic songs like "Fade to Black" this is definitely my favorite Metallica album.There isn't a single song on this album that is bad.
2 years later Metallica released their highest praised album "Master of Puppets", right of the bat we here the intro to "Battery". A slow acoustic guitar solo that takes about one minute it slowly quiets down and then it BLOWS! your balls off with a heavy guitar crashing over everything in its path. Then the drums fill in with the guitar picking up speed, all of a sudden James Hetfields razor sharp vocals beating down on you then after Battery, The main title's song plays and it just melts your mind with expert crafted guitar, vocals, drums, and bass. "The Thing That Should Not Be" starts off with the bass playing a real mellow dark kind of sound, like as if something is lurking under water. It kicks in with this badass riff that's just awesome and the lyrics to this song are equally as awesome. Next we start to here the opening to the song "Welcome Home "Sanitarium"" A guitar plays a chord that gives the sound of emptiness, the drums and bass come in just as dark and slow. We here Hetfield's dark voice enter, this song sings about someone who is mentally trapped and alone. And what do we get after that morbid and depressing but still good song? Why "Disposable Heroes" a hard grinding song that destroys every song in existence trying to be loud, and I don't mean noise loud like death metal a more harmony loud where I can actually understand what they are trying to say. The songs meaning is my favorite out of all of them, it talks about a young man forced to join the military. He is sent to battle as basically another useless soldier ready to die in a war he never wanted to be in, the term "Hero" means a certain individual who has done a great deed. This song states all soldiers are just a bunch of disposable heroes just to be used and tossed aside. Next we have a rather peculiar song entitled "Leper Messiah" I assume this song is about worship and sacrificial tributes, but really its about certain people in the past who talked with people who had leprosy who were usually sent to live alone, but instead of helping them they made them feel guilty to donate money. The next song is an instrumental called "Orion" there's not much to say except that it is really good for an instrumental, and that bassist Cliff Burton a member of Metallica who died from a terrible bus accident, they played this song at his funeral. The final song on Master of Puppets is "Damage Inc" the song is simply about all the mindless destruction that is in this world.
Another 2 years later Metallica tried very hard to follow up with another album with the it we got "...And Justice for All", this is a very good album but not really one of my favorites. All the songs are great as usual but my two favorite are "Blackened and Dyers Eve", as i said before Cliff Burton died from a terrible bus accident before this album was started so the band had started try-outs for a new bassist. Out of all the try-outs only one made the cut and the irony was that it was the guy everyone in the band had hated, the guy Jason Newsted. Dealing with him the started the album, this album is defenitly there most angry mainly due to the fact of Burton's death. Not only did they take their anger and make music with it, they blew off steam by getting angry at Jason. He dealt with it cause he wanted to remain in the band.
Now 3 years later Metallica brings us "The Black Album" this album had pleased and angered fans and when I say angered I mean they bought and burned copies of the album in their anger. But to those who are new to Metallica you are probably wondering how in the hell did they make it that bad, the answer is they didn't. The reason why some fans got upset is that the accused them of selling out with more mainstream sounding songs which isn't true the only songs that sounded mainstream were Enter Sandman and well that's pretty much it and Enter Sandman sucks. Boo F###ing Hoo one Metallica song sucks get over it, and coincidentally and I find this funny the song "Sad But True" plays. The song starts like any other good Metallica song guitar roaring in like a truck stampeding toward you , and man I love the lyrics behind it. It talks about how their is this "Being" within you and it pretty much is your lifeline it controls you and defines makes you what you are without it you are NOTHING. Then is the song "Holier Than Thou" and man does this song put people in their place, the base of the songs meaning is about my favorite kind people HYPOCRITES. But seriously I hate hypocrites. Next is "The Unforgiven" Written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, this song was a new style for Metallica. They wanted to try a song with a heavy verse and a soft chorus, something not scene in rock or metal music much. Its very dark and powerful, the meaning is about a child forced to do the demands of older and evil men and ends up growing into one of those men. The next song is called "Wherever I May Roam" its a more lively song talking about living life on the road choosing your own laws and freedoms and screw everybody else. Then "Don't Tread on Me" demands respect, this song can be looked at by many different point of views one being American's wars for Independence, another just plain and simple Don't mess with me or I will mess with you.
"Through The Never" is the next track off the album, talking about mans eternal quest for knowledge in an infinite space. Now if perfection were real it would be this song "Nothing Else Matters", this song can mean a variety of things that's the beauty of its so musically well done with the lyrics speaking words of shear wisdom. It might be a softer song but I couldn't imagine it any other way its just amazing. The next song "Of Wolf And Man" is a song going back to the more hard rocking type, its a fun little song talking about how when we change some things change more than others the song uses a werewolf for example. Then there's "The God That Failed" the song starts off with a bass and drum playing a real rough beat then the guitar comes in on one side of the speaker than the other, simultaneously switching until eventually bring the two together.The lyrics demonstrates people who worship "God" and expect to get something in return but never do, its a really great song. With only two songs left on this Great album the next is "My friend of Misery" which starts off with the best bass solo I have ever heard leading into the rest of the band joining in. The song talks about those who intentionally make themselves miserable to gain attention but never do and only get more miserable. The final song is "The Struggle Within" I don't know i don't really care much for this song, it isn't as bad as Enter Sandman but its not really great. Anyway the black album is Metallica's strongest selling album and a really great one.
Over 5 years later Metallica begins what I call "The Decline" because every album after The Black Album just got worse and worse it started with "Load" Metallica's sixth album. Uuuuhh is all i can really say it has two just two really good songs "King Nothing" and "Until It Sleeps" the one I want to talk about is King Nothing. The song is so good it almost makes up for the crappy album it was released on. It talks about how people go through life wishing for money, fame, and good fortune but hidden behind these wishes is greed. And sometimes when you wish for something you get it and the consequences that come with it.Now Load was bad but "Reload" was a slight improvement it came out 1 year later it wasn't as bad as load but instead of one golden, A+ song we get a bunch of little C- songs that are eh.
Now those whiners about The Black Album being to mainstream should look at "St Anger" than say The black Album is mainstream St Anger released 6 years after Reload. Now an important thing happened in those 6 years for one bassist Jason Newsted left the band for personal reasons so right off the bat we lost an important part of Metallica, they replace him with some guy named Robert Trujillo from "Black Label Society" or whatever I don't really care. So the album comes out and what I hear is a distorted mess on some tracks and very mainstream songs on other tracks, the sound is very different from Metallica is normally doing. But I don't know maybe they were experimenting it pleased some people just not me.
Now 5 years later Metallica releases their most current album "Death Magnetic" and my god did it have a lot of advertisements I couldn't go anywhere without hearing the god forsaken single "The Day that Never Comes" it got to the point where I just wanted it to come out so I didn't have to hear about it anymore. It came out wasn't great but a great improvement on St Anger but I won't listen to the album on my free time.
Anyway Metallica is kind of similar to the rise and fall of Rome starting off small and growing to be one of the strongest bands or armies around then tragically failing and dieing out, but in this case making money off of stupid things such as "Guitar Hero Metallica".
Top 10 Best Metallica Songs
10. King Nothing "From Load"
9. Escape "From Ride The Lightning"
8. Battery "From Master of Puppets"
7. Motorbreath "From Kill 'Em All"
6. Dyers Eve "From ...And Justice For All"
5. Ride the Lightning "From Ride The Lightning"
4. The God That Failed "From The Black Album"
3. The Four Horsemen "From Kill 'Em All"
2. Disposable Heroes "From Master of Puppets"
1. Nothing Else Matters "From The Black Album"
