Metallica's St. Anger - Retro Review

I decided to give it a go. 11 years after they released the album, I decided to give St Anger by Metallica another go. They deserve all the divisive reviews they got when they released this album, and Im here trying to break it down just what they got wrong and right.

Firstly the sound. I know they went for a stripped down sound with no dubbing or mixing but at the very least they could have made it sound less like jamming in a garage and closer to a stage / soundcheck quality.

Lars Ulrich has always tried to innovate his drum sound, but on this album his drums grate in your face constantly. It sounds like his drum kit consists of a cow bell and a trash can. It takes a immense effort to overcome this.

Guitarwise (and bass wise too) it sounds fresh, energetic and raw. It sounds like a band working out the demos just before they enter the studio proper and the final practise sessions before they move in and begin recording. I think the rejection of wanting to have guitar solos for any of the songs is a brave move, but closer to what a band would sound like in the raw. It wouldnt have hurt for Kirk Hammet or James Hetfield to have improvised a guitar solo jam over the top now and then. Surprisingly for a album with no solos, some of the songs can go on for a considerable amount of time, over 8 minutes in places.

The time between Reload and St Anger was a long time, time enough to have worked out 2 albums worth of material including solos and mixing, so to my ears and many other Metallica fans this sounds unfinished incomplete and unsatisfying. But look beneath the rough exterior and you will find some solid guitar work and more.

The more in this instance is an incredible improvement with James Hetfield's vocal ability. He sings now with far more emotion that he has done, and is closer to the style from the Load and Reload albums, especially on the title track.

Metallica (i.e. Lars and James) have done some dickhead things in their career, drugs, tattoos, alcohol, pro-gun lobby, Napster but to quote James "I'm madly in Anger with you.". But we, the fans are mad because deep down we really do love them, care about them and want them not to make arseholes of themselves.

Lets see how my opinion of Death Magnetic changes and then I may feel brave enough to try Lulu.

Jason "Newboy" Newstead

I think everyone who likes rock and heavy metal considers themselves an "outsider" in the real world, so when you are an outsider and not considered one of the gang in terms of a metal band, you really do have to wonder whats going on.

Jason Newstead had joined Metallica in the wake of Cliff Burton's death, and after they had just come off the back of a trio of albums that culminated in the release of "Master of Puppets", an album that is considered to not only be Metallica's best album, but also the best album released in the genre of metal and thrash. The biggest challenge for Jason Newstead would be

1. whether the fans would accept him,
2. the band accept him, and
3. would he fill such a huge void left in the wake of Cliff Burton.

My initial experience of Metallica was on the eve on the release of their "...And Justice For All" double album, which was Jason's first appearance on a record. I read all the music press, Kerrang and Metal Hammer and he was referred to often as Jason "Newboy" Newstead by both the press and his fellow band mates. I can take a little humour, but when even a decade later he was still being considered the outsider, the newboy, it leaves a psychological scar that never heals.

The politics within the band are well known. Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield are Metallica, and everyone else are there for the ride. Its common knowledge that when each new album is released, that Lars and James have already created the songs in near complete/demo form, and the rest of the band just play their part. I always got the impression Kirk Hammett was happy being in a band/playing with Metallica and hence was happy with his involvement and reward, but I didnt get that from Jason. When their hugely and deservedly successful album "Black" album was released with it came two videos (videos then, DVDs now) entitled "A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica, Part One and Part Two". They were a companion set with the first video documenting the recording process of the album and the second video documenting the subsequent tour. Whilst I could review both videos here, I wont, suffice to say they are essential viewing by any Metallica fan and a window into the whole world of recording an album from start to finish.

The section I want to focus on is the part two, the tour around the world. We are often shown the various backstage antics common amongst a band on tour slowly going crazy from months of touring. There is a scene in which Jason is seen with a paper plate collecting food from a buffet after a show, and the rest of the band are making fun of him. (We later/earlier see Kirk Hammett acting like a child playing his guitar in his hotel room at 2am, rather childish). Jason just laughs off the insults and jibes with a comment. "I've got plans for these millions and it aint for fucking sandwiches." He's a smart guy, his feet on the ground without letting fame and fortune go to his head. Whilst Lars and James most likely earnt more money than the other two by dint of writing credits, but also tour earnings, Kirk acted more like a child who was happy with whatever James and Lars did, and Jason was just too smart for the band. He knew the bubble would burst, that fame and fortune is fleeting, and that once you have easy money its spent easily. Not wasting his money on room service when there was a perfectly good (and already paid for) buffet to eat from is a smart move.

Much is made of the bass mix with ...And Justice For All, which has been corrected somewhat in subsequent remixes, but by Jason's own admission you cant hear the bass because its integral with the drums and guitars. Either by design (he was told what to play) or the nature of the sound that JH and LU were looking for meant there was no room in the mix for a bass player.

I often wonder what Metallica would sound like today if Cliff hadnt died (and no I wouldnt prefer Kirk to have died instead, Id have preferred if no one died), and Im certain their fourth album would have been heavier and harder.

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