Well that was a fairly lengthy sabbatical. Now its time to get back to what I’ve missed. This year we got two releases from the world’s biggest metal band: Metallica. The first was the muddled, confusing, and completely unnecessary collaboration with Lou Reed entitled Lulu. The second however were four unreleased tracks from the bands 2008 return to form Death Magnetic, entitled Beyond Magnetic. Hearing this EP after the release of Lulu was like a drink of fresh water after a drought.
By and large this EP sounds a lot like Death Magnetic (but that’s to be expected) but there’s a little more of an unpolished and raw feeling here. There’s a rough edge that makes the songs sound even stronger than their counterparts that made it onto the album. It makes me wonder what the whole album would have sounded like if they had received the same raw feel as these songs. Another thing that sets these songs apart from the ones that made it on Death Magnetic is the closer attention paid to the mixing. As we all know, the biggest draw back to the album was the compression of all of the songs that made it sound like it was being played on a radio with a poor signal. These songs have none of that. Everything comes out crystal clear.
Considering that there are only four tracks on here, let’s just run down every one of them. The EP starts out with a bang with “Hate Train”. I must say that I like everything about this song besides the title (it kind of invokes a Dethklok image for me, à la “Hatredcopter”). Once again Hammett delivers crushing riffs and screeching solos. Hetfield spits out lyrics about the demons that lie within and the hate and pain that they bring with them.
The next track is probably the most well known. It was originally known as “Shine” during the recording process, and can be heard a little bit in the Mission Metallica videos for Death Magnetic. On this EP it is entitled “Just a Bullet Away”. In truth I really didn’t like this song as much as I thought that I would. There are times where I want it to be faster and instead it gets slower. There’s this sort of awkward pause in the middle that then breaks into a very melodic piece. But overall I like the riff and when it gets heavy it gets real heavy. The lyrics were supposedly written as a tribute to Alice in Chains late singer, Layne Staley. Hetfield really wrote some great lyrics here though and when you look at it through the perspective of someone who is battling an addiction the Layne Staley thing really makes sense.
The third track here, “Hell and Back” is probably my favorite. After taking a second to get out of the gate the song explodes into a galloping ferocity. The chorus here is probably one of the most memorable, not only on this EP, but also from Death Magnetic. I can already envision myself at a concert pumping my fists to the words “RUN STRAIGHT TO HELL AND BACK!” Hetfield delivers the words with such ferocity and passion that I’m curious as to why this song was made into a B-side. Everything on this song feels tight: the lyrics, the singing, the guitars, the bass, the drums. Everything is seamless. While some of the other songs might still have a few kinks that need to be worked out this feels like a fully formed song that is ready to join the pantheon of Metallica classics.
The last song, “Rebel of Babylon”, was also sort of a let down. Again I really wanted to like this song more than I do. Sometimes the instruments don’t quite deliver the punch that Hetfield’s voice does. And at times the riff feels a little sludgy. It does eventually get to the fast thrash that we all love but it sure takes its sweet time. During the chorus the band almost seems to be channeling The Misfits and it doesn’t really work with the rest of the song. Definitely a strong attempt but also a song that I think the band could take back into the studio.
Maybe part of the reason that this EP succeeds so much is because it shines so much brighter than Lulu but I think that even without Lulu this EP works on its own. The songs are powerful and definitely down to earth Metallica. I have read reports that the band is currently working on its next album, unfortunately due out some time in 2013. Kirk Hammett was also reported as saying that the next album will be a heavier Black Album. Now the band made the right decision in moving backward for their last album, but that doesn’t mean we want them to start moving forward again. Instead of moving forward and making something that sounds like the Black Album why not move even further backward and make and album that sounds more like Master of Puppets or …And Justice for All. Just food for thought. This EP is coming out on CD at the end of January. I know I’ll be in line.
Hate Train
Just a Bullet Away
Hell and Back
Rebel of Babylon
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