It’s quite obvious that the new album cover isn’t anything really epic and it’s cool that they are using the old Metallica logo. As every other site and commenter has said that it looks like a vagina. Is this intentional? I think so. Now let’s look at a few other things I’ve thought about today. I’m going to try to run through this quick because there is other news I need to get to.

Let’s start back at The Black Album. The Black Album has a snake on it…this can be perceived as a phallic symbol…or a penis for those without a dictionary.

Load- We all know that the cover of Load is supposedly semen and blood. Again…sexually related. Reload..the same, but this time is piss and blood.

Remember the S&M album…do I need to elaborate (Yes we know it stands for Symphony & Metallica, but it also stands for the obvious)

Then you have St. Anger. The cover with a hands bound…bondage anyone?

And now a Death Magnetic with a vagina shaped like a coffin…or is it a coffin shaped like a vagina? I know some people are going to take all of this seriously and get all up in a frenzy…but it’s ok. It all just seems like a funny coincidence to me, true or not. The cover art for Death Magnetic is simple yet kind of cool and I hope the music is a 1000 times better.

Image Source: Metallica.com

Post from: Metal Martyr

What I did today at work was totally outside of my listening habits. I talk a lot of trash about Metallica but I still have every song from every album with the exception of St. Anger on my iPod. So I felt like listening to The Black Album and it sounded really cool. Then when that was played through I played Load and it was completely tolerable and I thought to myself…”Wow, this is a really good ROCK album”. I think that’s more or less why the metal fans don’t care for Load and Reload. Because they are pretty much rock albums and the newer Metallica fans that love those two think they are metal fans because they love them. I honestly don’t know, but I can really say that Load and Reload are good rock albums. Not metal, but rock. I would still consider them crap in the frame of mind that it’s Metallica and we expected nothing but balls to the wall metal from them and only got a couple of rock albums and something that resembled recording with Fisher Price instruments on an analog 4 track tape recorder. Either way I actually am looking forward to the upcoming Death Magnetic. I expect Rick Ruben may have got them back on track and without question, as Izzy said, they still kick ass live.

Post from: Metal Martyr

Master Of Puppets, although started off a bit slow won the poll with 30% of the votes (42/138)

…And Justice For All Started out strong but in the past week started to fall slightly short. AJFA took second place with 26% of the votes (36/138)

Ride The Lightning came in third with 16% and 22 votes.

Sadly the Black Album just barely beat out Kill ‘Em All with a 17 to 15. I’m assuming this travesty only happened because of all the people that voted for Master Of Puppets or AJFA took the votes from Kill ‘Em All.

Reload and St Anger both got two votes, but one of the votes for St. Anger doesn’t count because it was just me being an ass.

Garage Inc. and S&M both took 1 vote and Load, poor Load got nothing.

So there you have it. Out of 138 people/votes Master Of Puppets has been voted as Metallica’s Best Release.

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Image Source: Amazon.com

Post from: Metal Martyr

Prime example number 1. Metallica. Metallica was once known as the greatest metal band in America and just when it seemed they were at their peek they changed styles slightly with the release of The Black Album, losing a lot of die hard fans and gaining new ones in the form of a more pop culture oriented base. The fans that were disappointed with the black album still own it and occasionally listen to it but not as often as the older stuff. If you walked up to most anyone on the street these days and did a word type association test with them and said “Metallica” they would either respond with “Enter Sandman” or “Sell-outs“. You can’t blame them for wanting to sell more albums but the direction they took was so far out in left field that it just didn’t seem like the Metallica we once knew that was out to make a name for themselves as opposed to be the same as everyone else. Personally I think it was a bad producer choice that started it all and a lot of people share that view as well. Will the new Metallica CD be different from everything else from 1990 on or will it go in another strange direction as St Anger did? Only time will tell.

Example 2: Danzig. Another producer change that changed the face of a great band. After Danzig 4, Glenn Danzig decided it was time for a change and enlisted the best person he knew for producing future records instead of past producer Rick Ruben. Who did he recruit to take on the task? Himself. This is where it all took a rather strange turn. The bluesy/metal Danzig that we once knew, turned into a rough, industrial sounding band with a new line up and a vocally weak sounding Glenn. After Blackacidevil every album seemed to improve slightly but still couldn’t drift back to the sound that the older Danzig fans liked so much. The lyrical content was the same as before, singing of evil, Satan, devils, angels and sometimes sex.To me it just didn’t have that same sound that I grew to love when my best friend got me listening to Danzig. He still likes some of the newer albums but I just can’t bring myself to listen to them like I used to Listen to Danzig 1, 2, or 3. That flame has burnt out.

Trivium have been hated by the metal community for awhile now, not just because of the release of The Crusade but because they are a young band and people just seem to hate young bands and while the music on the Ascendancy CD was amazing, there was just a lot of people that didn’t like Matt Heafy’s style of screaming. When The Crusade was released people immediately started labeling them “Metallica Clones”. While The Crusade had a lot of Metallica sounding songs and Matt changed his singing to a style, sounding more like a young James Hetfield, I still don’t still don’t see them as Metallica Clones but a more developed band that is trying to find more of a style they are comfortable with and when one of your biggest influences is Metallica then chances are you may find yourself sounding closely to them. Before when you heard a band you would be like: “Wow. I can tell that (so and so band) was a big influence on them and they got a lot of their style from (so and so band).” These days if your sound is even a little tiny bit like another band then your labeled as a clone or a copycat, tribute band.

Slipknot has been dubbed Nu-metal since they stormed the scene with their self titled debut. Additional percussion, turntables and samples were not something that the metal community was ready for and was immediately shunned by many, but loved by many others because it was something different from the same old day to day metal that bands of that time were putting out. With every record, and I’ve said this before, they drift a little away from the sound of the first mainstream record and sound heavier and more traditionally metal…but with down tuned guitars. Fortunately down tuned guitars are becoming more accepted these days. So many people still don’t accept Slipknot and do so without hearing any of their newer CDs. Instead they continue to hate with a closed mind and a deaf ear. They even go so far as to dislike Stone Sour because of any association with Slipknot.

A young band on the rise is Black Tide. With their first album released almost two weeks ago, forums and message boards are littered with trash talkers and haters from all around…but mainly from Miami Florida. A band who’s members are between the ages of 15 and 19, Black Tide got picked up by Interscope records, a rather large label for a band this young. In an effort to capitalize on the bands talent, Interscope launched a publicity campaign that most bands can only dream of. From an Ozfest seat for their first major tour and then various tours throughout the states to promote and support Light From Above, Black Tide have worked hard on their tours trying to juggle school work (Both Highschool and College) and touring in hopes to keep the tide rolling (No pun intended). However, people don’t see things that way. They see them as young punks that were manufactured by the record industry in hopes to get a chunk of the popularity that metal has been snowballing in the last few years. Stop looking at them as The Backstreet Boys of metal and give them a chance.

Part 2 coming soon…

Post from: Metal Martyr

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Post from: Metal Martyr

Holy crap, 2008 is here already. Where does the time go. Another year another year older my decrepit ass is. 2007 was a fun filled roller-coaster of madness, but here we are. It’s time for a whole new shitty year. A new president will be elected, “W” will finally be out and we can look forward to a whole new screwed up situation come ‘09. Speaking of…I’m about tired of hearing the word Caucus. Anyway, time to unload the garbage…

Gene Simmons is on The Apprentice Celebrity edition and he helped his team win last night. Since it’s all for charity I guess I’ll leave Gene alone…for now.

Marilyn Manson is officially divorced so now he is free to grope any concert security staff member he likes.

Just a friendly reminder that Australia’s Airbourne is the worst AC/DC cover band I’ve ever heard.

Vince Niel opens the Dr. Feelgood Bar and still bears the sign Poker in the Front Liquor in the Rear…or do I have that backwards? Oh well, either way work out well.

Former Nirvana bassist joins old punkers Flipper…what was his name again?

Traci Gunns says it’s time to record a new record. Really Tracy?…c’mon now, I thought you would have learned by now that it’s just not working. maybe in Japan…but those guys like everything.
Former Dio Guitarist Craig Goldy wants to share his vast knowledge of the record industry…that is probably old and out dated. Here’s some knowledge I have of the record industry, It’s a dying institution unless they adapt to the internet.

Metallica’s Black Album is one of the top ten selling elbums of the “Sound Scan” era, a bunch of people on Blabbermouth.net argue about it, blah-blah-blah…who really cares.

Sebastian Bach still thinks his record is the greatest thing since Chinese Democracy and Phil Anselmo lists Downs new record in his own top 5 of 2007. This goes to show that neither artists are truly sober just yet.

In Non-Metal related news…Amy Winehouse continues to make Courtney Love look like a model citizen and Britney Spears has been giving her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears some parental advice!

‘Till next time…Keep it hard, keep it heavy or keep it in your pants!

Post from: Metal Martyr

Metal Hammer: You’ve already recorded the drum, guitar and bass tracks for the new album, with the rest to be added some time in August.

Lars: “The backing tracks are done, yeah. But Rick [Rubin, producer] likes to keep things organic and work in a way that can be described as ‘of the moment.’ If we continue in August we should be done by October.”

Metal Hammer: Rubin isn’t known for being to giving with his time. What role has he played in the sessions?

Lars: “He’s been there every single day so far. He’s all about the big picture. He doesn’t analyze things like drum tempos or tell James [Hetfield] to play something in F sharp. He’s more about the feel: is everyone playing together? Rick’s a vibe guy.”

Metal Hammer: And is it okay for Rick to tell you something you’ve done sucks?

Lars: “Absolutely. And, believe me, he does. There’s not a lot of gray with him. He really speaks his mind. Either something’s great or something sucks.”

Metal Hammer: How easy was it to can Bob Rock?

Lars: [Frowing]: “That’s not a term I’d like to use. We’d been making records together for almost 20 years. That’s as creative a relationship as you can come up with in music, film…just about anything. But it had got to a point where we would both finish each other’s sentences. We needed to look somewhere else for our own sanity, survival and fulfillment.”

Metal Hammer: How did you let him know that it was over?

Lars: “We talk on the phone a lot. That’s the thing. I’ve said it many times: Bob has always been primarily a friend, and secondarily a producer. And that friendship hasn’t suffered whatsoever.”

Metal Hammer: In hiring Rubin, what were you hoping to achieve?

Lars: “To a certain extent, it was to do with wiping the slate clean when it came to the process of making records. I’ve known Rick for many years but we’ve never worked together. He brings a whole new energy and dynamic.”

Metal Hammer: In keeping with the fact that you’ve been playing the title track of the “…And Justice for All” album again, Internet gossip suggests that some of these songs will be long ones.

Lars: “I wouldn’t say that they’re longer than the ones before. We’ve always written long songs. Most of the new ones clock between six and eight minutes. There’s one that’s five minutes. We’re recording 14 and plan on finishing them all because we love them all. But only nine or ten will appear on the new record”.

Metal Hammer: Kirk [Hammett] has said that although this is METALLICA’s 11th studio album. It feels like the band’s sixth. Does a part of you consider “St. Anger” was a mistake?

Lars: “Not at all. The mistake was the white leather jacket [worn in the drummer's infamous rock star phase, circa a stadium tour with GUNS N' ROSES in 1992]. The Napster dispute wasn’t a mistake, but it caught us off guard. The music has always been pure. It was the right thing to have done in 2003. That said, I listened to it a couple of months ago and it’s a difficult record. I can hear that. But when I finished it, it made me do the same kind of backflips as all the other records.”

Metal Hammer: You must’ve known that after the whole “Some Kind of Monster” thing, some people — including Kerry King [of SLAYER] who called you “fragile old men” — would never take the band seriously again.

Lars: “Oh listen, the reason we did that movie was to piss Kerry King off. Being the source of his amusement, that’s great!”

Metal Hammer: As fascinating as it looked on screen, wouldn’t it have been better to keep those things behind closed doors?

Lars: “There’s certainly an argument for that. But right from day one, METALLICA has always been about the relationship with the fans. Unlike bands like LED ZEPPELIN who tried to keep things mystical, we’ve gone out of our way to be as accesible as possible. Our roots are a lot more punk than that. ‘Some Kind of Monster‘ was the logical conclusion of that mindset”.

Metal Hammer: Then presumably you disagree with Kerry’s ageist comments?

Lars: “Of course I do. If he hated ‘Some Kind of Monster’ that’s the only stamp of approval that I need”.

Metal Hammer: Nevertheless, “Some Kind of Monster” raised a lot of questions about your cohesiveness as a band. How are you all faring now?

Lars: “Of course, it asked some important questions. But you’ve got to remember that it was a moment in time from five years ago. Phil [Towle, therapist] is no longer around and we all get along. And mentioning Phil’s name reminds me, he always used to tell us back then that the music we’re making wouldn’t shine through until the record after ‘St. Anger’. I think he was right about that”.

Metal Hammer: Not everyone approved of the new songs that you debuted earlier on the tour.

Lars: “Listen, what are we gonna do? Take a poll of the people that exit the venue? Stop playing them? I’ve just been on the METALLICA message board where a lot of moaning about all sorts of subjects goes on. But people are saying last night [Wembley stadium gig on July 8, 2007] was our best-ever appearance in the U.K.”

Metal Hammer: Did the rumbling of fan discontent have anything to do with you dropping the new material out of the Wembley set?

Lars: “No, no…Not at all. We always try to play a different set every night. We played a new song in Donnington last year; we wanted to make the set as different as possible.”

Metal Hammer: Do you consider this new album to be a thrash metal record?

Lars: “Oh [hang on] let me get my dictionary out…check my terminology.”

Metal Hammer: Isn’t that the record that the fans what you to make?

Lars: “I know that some of them do. But it’s easier to tell you what it’s not. It’s not ‘St. Anger’ part two. This album has dynamics. It has slow bits; it has some very, very fast bits. It has melodic and very heavy bits. Rick is really focusing on James’ vocals, but musically, it fucking rocks. So you might say that it falls into the category you just mentioned. But by the same token, anyone that follows this band will know, we always try to look forward and not back.”

Metal Hammer: Does it feel like you owe anything to people who loved METALLICA in the early days but haven’t liked too much of the band’s music since the “Black Album?”

Lars: “Um, no. Not at all. I’ve a responsibility to my kids and to my lady to be a good partner. Also to myself, to create music that’s honest, real and gets all three inches of my dick hard. Of course it’s great to have as many people along for the ride as possibe. But when we put acoustic guitar into ‘Fade To Black’ 200 years ago, that’s when the moaning started. We realized those people would always be around whatever we did. So, basically, we stopped trying to please them a long time ago.”

Metal Hammer: When do you hope to release the album, and being touring properly?

Lars: “It’ll be mixed by November and out in the new year. Maybe some time around February. In terms of playing live, we won’t be quite as nutty as before. There won’t be 39 dates in North Dakota. [laughs] I can’t tell you that there will be an indoor arena tour in England. But things are going to be done in smaller increments. Instead of doing 14 arena gigs oveer 18 days, we’ll do them in two legs of two weeks and then go home.”

Metal Hammer: What you might call “doing less to do more?”

Lars: “Or taking longer to do the same. And that also applies to recording. People ask why it takes two years for METALLICA to make a record. We don’t work 16-hour days in the studio for six days a week anymore. We work six-hour days in between dropping off our kids at school and picking them up again. The record still gets made, it just takes a bit longer.”

Post from: Metal Martyr