Metallica - St. Anger - 6 / 10

No need for introductions to this band.  Love 'em or hate 'em, everyone 
knows Metallica and has an opinion on them.  In my teens (Black album 
days), they were my favourite band and were the "be all, end all" of 
metal.  Of course I've come to realize that there is far better metal 
available, especially these days, but I'm still a Metallica fan at heart.

Like many fans, I was let down by how un-metal the Load albums were, 
because given Metallica's back catalogue I had hoped for a progressive 
thrashfest, a return to their roots.  With all the hype for St. Anger, the 
hope was rekindled for many of us, while some remained adamant that the 
hope was lost ages ago, some say with the Loads, some say with "I 
Disappear", others say with the infamous Ja Rule collaboration, and many 
more because of the Napster debacle.  While I won't comment on those last 
two atrocities, I can say that I do enjoy the Loads for what they are, and 
I liked "I Disappear".

I think a lot of people hate this album because they have the same 
expectations or hope that Metallica will make another Master of Puppets.  
I wonder if this wasn't a Metallica album, would they like it?  

The album kicks off with a riffy intro and some cool drum work, a frantic 
sound for a "Frantic" song.  The sound is muddy at times, but Frantic is a 
catchy song with an fun chorus.  

The title track, also the first single, is another catchy song with a good 
chorus, making for a great singalong.  Many would find the drum sound 
annoying, but I find it adds character to the song.  It does drag on a bit 
though - could have been 2 minutes shorter.

Track 3 is "Some Kind of Monster" all right.  It has a fuzzy, stoner-ish 
sound that is reminiscent of Kyuss.  Definitely the heaviest sounding song 
on this CD, with the pace changing swiftly throughout.  I hope Metallica 
replaces "The Thing That Should Not Be" with "Some Kind Of Monster" as 
their new "heavy motherfuckin' song" in their live set.

"Dirty Window" is the next song, average sounding at best.  Next.

While not on par with "Blackened" or "Disposable Heroes", "Invisible Kid" 
is a great pseudo-thrash song, my favourite on this album.  The drums 
sound great, the riffs are great, and while the lyrics are shitty, they 
are sung well.

"My World" is a terrible song.  The singing is bad, the lyrics are bad, 
the music is bad.  I'll pass on this annoyance.
"Shoot Me Again" has a distinct nu sound to it; you can hear a Korn and 
System of a Down influence.  A below average Metallica offering, annoying 
at times especially at 7 minutes long.

"Sweet Amber" is a song about beer (and if it's not, it should be because 
beer rules).  I love the guitar intro on this song, especially as it leads 
into the main thrashy riff.  More great drum work from Lars, Kirk plays 
well, the lyrics are good, sung well, although a tad repetitive.  Hetfield 
should have written more verses instead of singing them back-to-back, but 
I digress.  

Following along the Fixxxer/Outlaw Torn/Bleeding Me vein, 
"The Unnamed Feeling" is a beautiful Metallica song.  It starts off great 
(you can even hear a bit of bass!) and doesn't let down. Even at 7 
minutes, it doesn't drag on like some of the other songs.

The first time I heard "Purify", I thought to myself "What the fuck?".  I 
still thought that on subsequent listens.  Purify is a shitty fucking 
song; even though it is the shortest track on the album it drags on for 
too long.  The lyrics are terrible and they are sung horribly.  The only 
reason I continue to listen to the song is because of a a cool thrashy 
riff midway through, which almost salvages the song until the chorus kicks 
back in.

Album closer, "All Within My Hands" is a good song, with some more good 
drum work and some great riffs.  The vocals are both great and terrible in 
this song though.

St. Anger is 75 minutes of a new kind of nu-metal sound.  The lack of 
guitar solos is disappointing, but most of the songs are catchy, 
riff-laden and feature some of Lars' best drum work.  His drum sound, 
annoying to some, is refreshing.  I even love the production of this album 
- it is raw, garage-y, and a gutsy move by Metallica.  The bass guitar is 
buried though, which sucks but has been typical of the band's last 4 
albums.  My other complaint is Hetfield's vocals, at times he sounds like 
he's trying too hard to sound angry. 

The CD comes well-packaged, with a bonus DVD of the whole album played 
live, and a code that grants internet users access to old Metallica 
bootlegs.  The cover/sleeve artwork by Pushead is cool, and the CD 
booklet, while cut smaller than a traditional booklet, contains all the 
info you need, including the lyrics this time.

Is St. Anger commercial suicide?  Maybe.  Underground suicide?  
Definitely!  The metal purists detest this album, but I say let them.  If 
you don't like it, don't listen to it.


- D. Grimby

                                   return to hangar