One thing that I have always said a good album has is the "human feel". By that I mean no auto-tune, pro-tools or anything to clean up the recording so it sounds clean, glossy, perfect and safe for consumption. It's good to have a well produced record, but there's a difference between a well produced record, and a record that sounds like a computer made it. A huge difference between a record that has feel, and attitude versus a record that was churned out for its Top 40 hits.
There is something to be said about the $5.98 E.P, a recording from 1987, when Metallica was at their most potent. The overall feel of this record is just amazing, the perfect song to describe this is the Killing Joke cover entitled "The Wait". There's a sense of honesty in that song, and for that matter the rest of the songs. There's no bull***, nothing to clean up the sound, no "makeup", just pure energy and feel.
My favorite though is the last two Misfits covers. The band does an impressive job covering these tracks. The whole EP has the edge of a metal band but the energy and attitude of a punk band--which is what made Metallica a brilliant act to begin with--or what many say was their infamous "*** you" attitude. Not only do they cover the song, they add their own touch to it, something many bands fail to do.
In between songs you can hear the band talk and make quips at each other or counting down the song's start--a quality that many may overlook, but to me adds a warmth/live feel to the recording. It makes the whole E.P sound more spontaneous and on the spot than something that was planned.
Unlike other covers E.P's or albums by bands, there is an aura of confidence that exudes from this particular one. It may just be that the band adds their own touch to each of the songs instead of trying to make a carbon copy of the songs like many artists aim for or it may just be the choice of songs.
In the end it deserves a solid 4.75/5. (Since I can't do that rating on Sputnik, 4.5 it is).
