Metallica-Beyond Magnetic Digital EP

Universal Music
2011


One has to wonder about the timing of this 4-track digital EP. After the train wreck that was "Lulu" was this released as a last ditch effort on Metallica's part to salvage any cred they might have left? Obviously Metallica have bought into their own hype and are beyond caring what the average listener thinks. The saving grace for them is the blind fans who will lap up anything with the name stamped on no matter what it looks, smells, tastes or sounds like. Fanboys are like that. Heck I remember buying into that "well it is still Metallica so it must be good" argument when the "Black" album came out. Even though I knew inside that it was the sound of Metallica going corporate rock I chewed it up like a good metalhead. With "Load" and "Reload" I knew they had taken the "metal" part of their name and washed it over. By the time "St. Anger" came I was done. Even seeing the band live couldn't erase the knowledge that these Bay Are thrashers had gone nu-metal. "Death Magnetic" was supposed to be Metallica returning to those long forgotten roots. Reading an interview with them in which they still believed they were the best thrash metal band out there made me chuckle. For all it's hype "Death Magnetic" was a decent enough thrash metal album. Nothing more and nothing less. It was almost paint-by-numbers thrash. As if Metallica was saying "who says we can't put out a thrash album anymore?". These four left-over tracks seem to be Metallica making the claim that "Lulu" wasn't really them. And sure enough the faithful are eating these songs up. I'll be honest and say these four tracks are not the worst thing I've ever heard. No, "Lulu" takes that prize. These tracks sound like "Death Magnetic" material alright. Again, more paint-by-numbers thrash metal so who wouldn't like that right? Except it is the same sort of Metallica trying to be modern thrash material while acting like Bono metal. I'll pass. Let the fanboys attack me for daring to question the greatness of their hero's music. It won't bother me. It doesn't bother Metallica to put out crap with their name on it and call it music so why should getting called a few names bother me?