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I assume, being Amp Forum, you're all aware of that hullabaloo that took place about Metallica letting some UK d00ds listen to most of the new album and then refusing to let them publish it and take it off the web.
My question: why would you even bother to let them listend if they aren't gonna report what they heard? The review in question:
(Previously posted on "the Quietus" music blog, and now taken down with just explaination implying the album sounds like "AJFA")
"It was with some trepidation . . . that I attended the playback of Metallica's new album at the HQ of Universal, their UK record company. We were permitted to hear six of the 10 tracks which will ultimately appear on the album — which, a rep from the Q-Prime management company informed us, is referred to colloquially by Metallica as 'nine epics and one song'. The sense of occasion was reinforced by the presence of almost the entire editorial teams of the UK's two biggest metal magazines, glaring at each other over the tea urn.
"Right from the off, it's a relief to hear that the utterly awful production of 'St. Anger' is no more. [Lars] Ulrich has replaced the old dustbin lid from that album with an actual snare drum, and the sound is fresh, clean and resonant (even though the songs are still only rough mixes at this stage). The first song, like the rest of the 'epics,' is between six and eight minutes long and begins with a bass intro from low-ender extraordinaire Robert Trujillo. Moving rapidly from riff to riff, the song bursts with energy and ideas: singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield barks 'Luck runs out!' repeatedly and throws in some twisty, semi-progressive riffs which could have been lifted directly from, their last truly good album, 1988's '…And Justice For All'. Guitarist Kirk Hammett, who was banned from soloing on 'St. Anguish' for no adequately explored reason, is on fire, whipping out the melodic, rapid-fire shreds for which he is famous over an extended solo section — almost as if he's making up for lost time. This is Metallica's best song in ages, perhaps since the 1980s.
"The next song has a working title of 'Flamingo' and is going to be the first single. Now, Metallica's lead singles have been breathtakingly crap since 1995, so it was a relief to hear that 'Flamingo' (as it almost definitely will not be called) is a modernised take on their amazing 1988 song 'One', all balladry at its front end before a speeded-up metalstorm at the back. Hetfield delivers a clean-picked intro which reminded me of the Beach boys (I know… but I only got to hear it once, all right?) before the body of the song, which is basically like 'The Unforgiven' from 1991's 'Black Album'. If you're familiar with the chord progression behind the solo in 'Am I Evil?', the ancient Diamond Head song which Metallica made their own, you'll be able to picture the under-solo riffage in this song — all simple, effective major-interval jumps.
"However, let us not forget that this is modern Metallica — and the next two songs are much less fun. The first, which may be called 'We Die Hard' judging by the frequency with which Hetfield barks the phrase, starts boringly but accelerates halfway through and enters slightly proggy territory, all stop-start riff stabs and a clever time signature. The next song is very '…And Justice', a lengthy, unhurried workout which revolves around the line 'Bow down / Sell your soul to me / I will set you free,' itself a 1988 line if I ever heard one. Apart from dexterous soloing from Hammett, it's not great.
"So far, we've had two good songs and two dull ones — not a bad track record for new 'tallica, believe me. However, track five is tedious, a combination of the aimless riffery of 'St. Anger' and the pointless rock chorusing of 'Load', the album which almost finished Metallica in 1996. 'Crying, weeping, shedding strife!' sings Hetfield in that slick 'Enter Sandman' manner, over an unthreatening clean midsection which would (and no doubt will) suit VH1 down to the ground.
"At this point the Q-Prime geezer asks us if we want to hear more, and fortunately we say yes — because the final song (and indeed, it is 'The Song', the little guy among the nine epics) is great, a genuine slice of thrash metal that starts fast and stays that way. Like a slower, less precise 'Battery' (the opening track of 1986's flawless 'Master Of Puppets' album), the song nips in and out, not outstaying its welcome and proving that on some level, Metallica still have the necessary vitriol to impress their older fans. OK, it reminded me a bit of 'Dyer's Eve', the last song on 'Justice', which had a kind of 'I suppose we'd better do a fast one for the fans' feel about it — but in 2008, Hetfield and Ulrich delivering any form of thrash metal is not to be sneered at.
"We file out of the listening room, not saying much. This album could be good, or it could be mediocre — too much depends on the other four songs to make a call at this point. I try not to agonize about it, but this matters, damn it. It really does." The review seems honest. From what I gather, most of the blog reviews simply sucked the band's collective dicks, but this is the one they really hated for saying anything "negative" (even though it's more positive than negative).
I don't know if this makes you excited, unexcited or what, but I did raise an eye at the idea that "Dyer's Eve" was fake sounding and a fan pandering move. :o

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:snax:

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interesting.

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I assume, being Amp Forum, you're all aware of that hullabaloo that took place about Metallica letting some UK d00ds listen to most of the new album and then refusing to let them publish it and take it off the web.
My question: why would you even bother to let them listend if they aren't gonna report what they heard? The review in question:
(Previously posted on "the Quietus" music blog, and now taken down with just explaination implying the album sounds like "AJFA")
The review seems honest. From what I gather, most of the blog reviews simply sucked the band's collective dicks, but this is the one they really hated for saying anything "negative" (even though it's more positive than negative).
I don't know if this makes you excited, unexcited or what, but I did raise an eye at the idea that "Dyer's Eve" was fake sounding and a fan pandering move. :o I think you are taking that part about Dyer's Eve the wrong way but I don't feel like taking the time to put it into words :idk:

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This was posted on Blabbermouth like a week ago?

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Well, makes me intrigued to hear the album at least

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This was posted on Blabbermouth like a week ago? Might have been. GJ was having a hard time actually finding the review.

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For older Metallica fans this is probably the best review they could possibly hear, lol. I'm actually looking forward to hearing it.

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that was a pretty straight down the middle review.
hopefully the last few songs they didnt get to hear make up for the couple of shit songs that we keep hearing snippets of.

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For older Metallica fans this is probably the best review they could possibly hear, lol. I'm actually looking forward to hearing it. Me too. So far I get a somewhere between an ...And Justice For All and Black vibe. I also noticed they own an INSANE amount of high dollar gear. Maybe more than any other band out there...

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that was a pretty straight down the middle review.
hopefully the last few songs they didnt get to hear make up for the couple of shit songs that we keep hearing snippets of. I don't know that they're "shit," really, and I'm hardly a bastion of hope for the album. It's hard for me to judge anything by 10 seconds of riffs a song alone. The thing that concerns me more is the potential for repetitiveness, which was what made St. Anger sound like it did; the same "going nowhere" riffs for 7 minutes at a time.
Here's Blabbermouth's excerpts of the other reviews (which were much much more positive):
"UK's Rock Sound and Metal Hammer magazines have posted separate reports on the listening session for the new METALLICA album, which took place earlier today (Wednesday, June 4) in London.
Rock Sound writes: "On first impressions and just one listen, Rock Sound can confirm that the songs we've heard sound very much like classic METALLICA in vibe, harking back to the days of 'Master Of Puppets', '…And Justice For All' (but with bass) and the [self-titled 'black'] album — without sounding dated or tired.
"Of the six tracks Rock Sound heard this afternoon, only one had a working title — 'Flamingo'. With a slow intro, the song was reminiscent of 'Battery' in vibe, with two guitar solos and an undercurrent of melody and groove.
"The first single is an epic power rocker in the vein of 'The Unforgiven', 'Nothing Else Matters' and 'Sanitarium', with a mid-tempo, head-banging section and some THIN LIZZY-esque twin guitar riffage.
"Another song features the lyrics, 'Into abyss, you don't exist, you can't resist the Judas kiss'; another features an almost RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE-esque drum 'n' bass undercurrent and lyrics about 'suicide' and 'cyanide'; while the final song we heard, dubbed 'The Song', clocks in at under five minutes and is a galloping thrash attack with quirks, and a sniff of TESTAMENT about it!
"We suspect other song titles could include 'Die Hard', 'Show Your Scars', and 'My Apocalypse' — but we cannot be held responsible if none of these titles or lyrics are accurate!
"Thankfully — there are plenty of Kirk Hammett traditional guitar solos and a decent drum sound. Hetfield's voice sounds in fine form too. All of the songs have many different parts to them, giving the impression that the quartet is revisiting the epic vibe of the band's 'classic' period."
Metal Hammer reports: "What do the songs sound like? Track one, which is only known by the cryptic working title 'Flamingo', opens up on thunderous rolling drums as lead guitar meets them head on, a flaring up in stop-start motion before it pulls itself together in rushes forward in classic thrash style, all crunching 'Fight Fire With Fire' riffs and drilling beats. It takes at least two minutes for James Hetfield's vocals to come in, and while they sound furious, this isn't the grittiest he's ever sounded, more open in tone, but while there's still a memorable vocal line for the 'chorus,' and there is so much going on in the song, and so many ideas thrown in and discarded for the next one that it's hard on first listen to pick out one riff that you're going to remember it by. But with galloping riffs and the return of guitar breaks rising up from out of the grooves you can hear the true METALLICA spirit, even though its as if reflected in mirrored mosaic.
"Track two is at heart an anthemic ballad that recalls 'Fight Fire With Fire' and 'Nothing Else Matters', with a chiming guitar intro, airy vocals and some slightly convoluted, progressive-style bridges that mutate into urgent riffing, more galloping riffs and guitar solos. Again, the song has a number of different sections, but it still sounds massive.
"Track three kicks off on a stop-start riff flecked with Eastern touches, as other bustling guitar lines play off each other and Hetfield's vocals retain the power of old, like some monolithic prophet overlooking events as mid-paced, chugging riffs come in, sounding like an army on the march, methodically shooting anyone in their path.
"Track four is reminiscent of 'Master Of Puppets' with more than a touch of heads-down SLAYER pacing thrown in. After an artillery-lobbing drum-led intro, it quickly sets off on marching, thrash mode, Hetfield's spat vocals taking melodic digressions, as he roars 'Bow down, surrender unto me.' The song's groove carries you along as it opens up into guitar atomospherics that bring LED ZEP to mind. It isn't quite the kind of irresistible monster they've created before, but METALLICA still prove they can still sound lean and epic at the same time, and when the track drops out into the grove mid-way though, you can imagine the chants coming from the crowds live.
"Track five has another strong opening, with an uncharacteristic bouncing groove not a million miles away from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE making appearances throughout setting off sharp riffs that come up against an irregular barrage of percussion that sets it off briefly on a more melodic path and builds up once again into a thrilling riff-fest mayhem.
"Track six is the 'song', considerably shorter than the others, but full of clinically sharp riffing, more SLAYER-esque parts and galloping grooves, all hustle and bustle with a tinge of Eastern melody thrown in once more.
"Initial impressions is that this is an album that's going to get our blood chugging, but whether it's all we hoped for is going to take more plays to answer. Ultimately we're hugely relieved and pretty damn thrilled, and we can't fucking wait to hear the rest."

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Me too. So far I get a somewhere between an ...And Justice For All and Black vibe. I also noticed they own an INSANE amount of high dollar gear. Maybe more than any other band out there... I like how the review doesn't pull any punches and doesn't really say much negative at the same time (while not being unbelievably positive). You can take it negatively if you want, but you'd have to be presuming you'd dislike the same things about the songs the reviewer disliked, and that the rest of the album (which wasn't reviewed) was bad.

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I like how the review doesn't pull any punches and doesn't really say much negative at the same time (while not being unbelievably positive). You can take it negatively if you want, but you'd have to be presuming you'd dislike the same things about the songs the reviewer disliked, and that the rest of the album (which wasn't reviewed) was bad. I don't think the negative aspects of that review were enough to validate pulling every review off the internet, which is what Q-Prime did. I'd have to hear it though, they definetely don't sound "super negative" and I could potentially like the songs they didn't. I mean, I hardly think every track of "classic" Metallica is bulletproof either.
The band's management has the wrong idea about the internet for sure. They want to be there, but they want total control at the same time, which is Axl-Rosian, i.e. completely unfeasible. I liked Guitar Jam's idea: Just name the album "Get Off Our Lawn."

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I liked Guitar Jam's idea: Just name the album "Get Off Our Lawn." That's excellent. :lol:
To be honest, I don't expect much in the way of quality songwriting. I'm planning on checking it out for the tones and production 'cause I'm an Amps Forum nerd, and there's Rick Rubin and a massive gear collection involved. But the initial reviews have me curious.

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I don't think the negative aspects of that review were enough to validate pulling every review off the internet, which is what Q-Prime did. I'd have to hear it though, they definetely don't sound "super negative" and I could potentially like the songs they didn't. I mean, I hardly think every track of "classic" Metallica is bulletproof either.
The band's management has the wrong idea about the internet for sure. They want to be there, but they want total control at the same time, which is Axl-Rosian, i.e. completely unfeasible. I liked Guitar Jam's idea: Just name the album "Get Off Our Lawn." Haha, like Paul Gilbert. :)
I agree that pulling the review is an overreaction by Q-Prime. I wouldn't be surprised if Metallica themselves were behind the decision; they can be a bit flaky about "the new world". :) A good example of this is how they encouraged bootleg distribution but then led the march to fight "file sharing" (specifically Napster at the time), yet now they're considering releasing an album for free on the Internet:
I sense a disturbance in the FLAKE. :)

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From "The Quietus", pertaining to the link above:
And the plot thickens . . . It turns out that Metallica have no problem with early, reviews running at all according to a statement by the band themselves. Because of their magnanimous behaviour we’d like to apologize for suggesting that they were insane and for claiming that they hadn’t done a good album since the tragic death of Cliff Burton - arrant nonsense by anyone’s standards, let alone our own. In a statement that says the four Danishmen of the Rockopalypse only came back off tour on Tuesday, so have only just become aware of Flamingogate. They go onto state that they had to say to their management company Q Prime: “WHY?!!! Why take down mostly positive reviews of the new material and prevent people from getting psyched about the next record. . . that makes no sense to us!”” In this same spirit we’d cautiously like to say thanks to Metallica for seeing sense, we’d also hope that James doesn’t ‘accidentally’ mistake Q Prime for an ursine invasion and take his mighty bear-cannon to them. ...which is followed by the review Grimace posted, negative bits and all. :eek:

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That's right good of them.

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I don't know if this makes you excited, unexcited or what, but I did raise an eye at the idea that "Dyer's Eve" was fake sounding and a fan pandering move. :o I am, as I have always been, hopefully but guardedly optimistic. :eek:
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