Metallica's New Album Death Magnetic

Just wondering if anyone has heard their new album Death Magnetic yet, and what they thought of it. I like the direction they went, going back to their 80's thrash sound along with clean parts and harmonized lead guitars. My favorite song off the new album so far is Unforgiven III, as it's a well-written arrangement (with a piano intro.!) and has lyrics about the sea. Of course they couldn't do any worse than St. Anger in my opinion. Although I liked their 90's albums, of their newer stuff, I especially enjoyed S&M, as the symphony orchestra added a whole other dimension to their music.

Anyway, now you're probably thinking, what does this have to do with Setzer? Well, around the time that the Dirty Boogie was released, I read an interview with James Hetfield where he was asked which guitarists he most admired/would like to sound like. He rattled off some of the usual suspects (Clapton, Page, etc.) in passing, but then he mentioned Brian Setzer, saying that he really enjoyed his playing, and wished he could play like that, but probably never would be able to. He then, jokingly, responded that maybe Setzer wishes he could play like them with fully distorted amps and volumes at 10's, and then said "Probably not". He followed this up with an albeit "cheesy" nod to the Stray Cats on the inside cover of the Garage Inc. album, of which I have included a link for ye who haven't seen it.

Metallicats Photo

I got DM, and while I like some of the songs (they remind me of my youth) the mix/mastering job is atrocious. Ted Jensen, the guy that mastered it had his name left off of the credits, because it sounds so bad. He made a public statement about the clipping and distortion, stating that the mixes were brickwalled when he got them. It's really sad, because this could be a comeback for them, but the sound quality is horrible.

the loudness wars have claimed another victim

g

Bigbassape wrote:

the sound quality is horrible.

So is the music, at least the songs I've heard.

Bigbassape wrote:

I got DM, and while I like some of the songs (they remind me of my youth) the mix/mastering job is atrocious. Ted Jensen, the guy that mastered it had his name left off of the credits, because it sounds so bad. He made a public statement about the clipping and distortion, stating that the mixes were brickwalled when he got them. It's really sad, because this could be a comeback for them, but the sound quality is horrible.

the loudness wars have claimed another victim

g

But will today's mp3 generation, who've forsaken sound quality in favor of mass consumption, even notice? I predict the album will still be huge, as they are returning to the days of their (and our) youth with the whiplash-inducing songs. But with today's technology, they missed a great opportunity to deliver a fantastic-sounding album.

I love the lounge Metallicats photo, Cap'n.

5.1 Surround-a-billy

I will always be a metallica fan but it ends at the Black album (plus the video with the san franscisco
philharm. orch...awesome).

The Black album kids...how much more blacker can black get?
none...none more black