Review Summary: Ahh good ol' Metallica. A band that needs no introduction. Possibly their biggest hit album, called a classic by many. Is it really a classic? Your about to find out.
I'm sure you've all heard at least one song from this album. This album in a way changed the metal genre.
The opener song Battery starts off with a beautiful acoustic intro. Then the guitar and drums kick in, immediatly you can tell this song is going to be epic. The riffs are crushing then the vocals kick in. James spits out a fast verse, it is interupted by a quick little solo and he picks up where he left off. The songs lets off for a moment and the guitars and drums slow down. The guitar and drums mix perfect on this track. The vocal peformance is excellent, its Jame's typical vocal style which is used throughout the album. Another amazing solo breaks in around the 3:30 mark. The lyrics to this song are good, its a fairly catchy song as well, most of the songs on the album are though. Overall this song is very enjoyable, and the intro is flawless. 4.5/5
The next song is the title track and the most well known song from the album. It starts of with the famous duh-duh-duh-duhhh, and picks up with another great riff. This is probably one of the catchiest guitar songs of all time for me. The first verse starts at the 1:00 mark, the lyrics to this song are awesome. The bass is pretty left out on this song, and isn't heard much, but to be honest with the amazing riffs and shredding solos bass being drowned out really isn't a problem for me. While James is chanting "Master" his voice goes deep and falls into the backround, and a solo arises to the foreground. This solo is extremely epic and raises the hairs on the back of my neck. Another verse is thrown in quickly and another solo is added to the mix, this one to me is not as impressive as the first one but it still holds its own. When the solo fades out, the song picks up where it left off again. Overall the riffs are crushing the solos are superb and the lyrics are great. 5/5
Another nice intro starts the next song The Thing That Should Not Be, seeing a pattern? The main riff comes in kind of slow paced, then it begins to slow down more. At first the heavy riffs stop when James is doing his thing but then they begin to accompiany him later on in the verse. The guitar and drums once again mesh excellent. The lyrics to this song are alright. The solo isn't one of my favorites on the album, but it is still a good one. This song begins to bore me towards the end. 4/5
I love the intro for the next song Welcome Home (Sanitarium) It a softer opener, and they make the guitar almost sound like chimes. This overall is one of the softest songs on the album, and overall it is one of the best. The first solo is slow but it is done with precison. The lyrics for this song are some of my favorites on the album. The riffs in this song aren't as memorible than the rest but they are still great. The second solo is fast and I didn't think it fit well with the song, it kind of broke the mood, its a good solo though just not placed correctly. Overall this is a 4.5/5 for me.
Disposable Heroes is my personal favorite song off this album and its also my second favorite Metallica song next to Blackened. The opening riff is amazing, then the second guitar kicks in with a fairly epic riff. I absolutely love the lyrics to this song, I even put them on my wall. Its about war, one of the better Metallica songs in my opinion. When the chant "BACK TO THE FRONT" is belted at you, its truely believable. The solos are blazingly fast. This is the song that drew me to buy this album. Overall I give this song a 5/5 because of its amazing instrumental values, its great lyrics, and its outstanding vocal performance.
Leper Messiah is the next song on the cd. This is another popular one (around my area it is at least...) I don't care for it much to be honest I don't know why its just seems to drag alot, good solo though. 3.5/5
Orion is by far one of my favorite instrumentals ever made, it has alot of depth and style changes. Its got a real epic feel to it. The guitar and drums are in sync perfectly with one another. Hopefully we can get a new instrumental similar on "Death Magnetic" 5/5
Damage Inc. is an amazing song with a great opening, it has a guitar fading in and out with one of the best guitar tones I've ever heard. After the opening this turns into one of the thrashiest songs on the album. The song feels like it ends way to quickly though, and its a long song! This is the only song on the album I thought could've been longer. This is one of my personal favorite Metallica tunes. 5/5
Overall I give this a 4.5/5
