A return to form? This was what Metallica needed at the time. After so many continuous failures musically, with the notable trough of abysmal music that was the horrid 2003 album release, St. Anger, Metallica quickly decided to lick their wounds as a band and press on with getting their internal affairs sorted, which was put into the light on the Some Kind Of Monster film release in 2004, which was even better received than St. Anger was. In any case, the personnel change from bassist Jason Newsted to Robert Trujillo may have helped and refocused the group’s energies. The band now consisted of: James Hetfield (vocals, guitar), Kirk Hammett (guitars), Robert Trujillo (bass guitar) and Lars Ulrich (drums). Instead of having their long-time producer and collaborator Bob Rock on board, Metallica opted to go with producer Rick Rubin for this album, co-producing the album as well. It was a very wise choice, especially considering what the band had been through. In any case, this album was recorded from March 2007 to May 2008 at various studios in California and was released via Warner Bros on September 12, 2008 to generally positive reviews. Let’s take a listen to this album and hear what it sounds like.

That Was Just Your Life begins with a Pink Floydian heartbeat, followed quickly by some stark guitar riffs. This sounds immediately fantastic to listen to. Metallica was back and would not be going away any time soon. This launches into some awesomely crunchy guitar riffs and drums. The sounds present are absolutely fantastic, and this tune kicks the proverbial. This sounds really fantastic to listen to and progresses nicely into some shred palm-muted guitar riffing. The drums kick in and this song gets going very, very well. It sounds really awesome to listen to. James Hetfield’s voice sounds a little aged, but nonetheless, this tune sounds extremely amazing to listen to. A really great and powerful listening experience, this song sounds really cool and interesting throughout. This is a brilliant album opener, and James Hetfield and the band play and perform very well throughout. Even if Lars Ulrich’s drumming is considered poor, that is far from the case on this track. The whole group sound fantastic. The lyrics are dark and interesting throughout. Nonetheless, it is a powerful, fast and furious tune that sounds absolutely wonderful. In the second half are some menacing guitar changes that just sound super cool. This music demands sunglasses to be worn upon hearing it. Kirk Hammett plays a magnificent guitar solo that is shredtastic and awesome. A really cool and decent tune to listen to, this music is absolutely awesome to listen to. Worth every moment, Metallica got their act together by this point. A sweet and fantastic tune to hear, this is mind-blowingly good. A really great listen, through and through. A totally cool tune, and it never gets boring through the seven-minute long running time. Great.

The End Of The Line begins with some pounding drums and heavy guitars, which sound different. This is a good continuation of the opening track, and it sounds very heavy indeed. Soon enough, some sustained guitars launch into a fantastic and heavy riff-driven frenzy throughout. The riffs that follow are really awesome, and this continues into a great song with some good lyrics and playing throughout. Metallica, as always, knows how to make heavy and fantastic music that is an assault on the senses. A really cool and powerful listening experience that sounds electrifying and energetic. Even if you have never heard Thrash Metal or Metallica before, this is likely to work a treat with you. A really great and wonderful listen, through and through. An energetic and awesome listening experience that works incredibly well upon listening, this is sensationally good. James Hetfield sounds magnificent in his vocals here. It goes into a slower midsection with some frenetic lead guitars by Kirk Hammett that sound extremely good. This leads into the second half of the song with some chaotic guitars and a wah-wah guitar solo that is interesting, even if Kirk Hammett has done better elsewhere. In any case, this is a monumental listen that deserves more praise and sounds extremely powerful. A really cool section of changes in the second half of the song emerges, followed by some clean electric guitar chords present. This sounds completely different, and James Hetfield sings beautifully about a slave becoming the master of his life. A really great listen, and this tune wraps up with some fantastic singing and powerful instrumentation. Superb, and worth hearing. A joy to hear from start to finish.

Broken, Beat & Scarred begins with some thunderous drums and guitars, and sounds very cool and interesting throughout. Soon enough, pounding drums emerge with some interesting layered guitars over the top. Really sweet to hear. This sounds really cool and interesting as a tune. Metallica was back and wasn’t going away any time soon. The guitar riffs throughout this particular song sound absolutely amazing. James Hetfield sings about getting back on one’s feet after being knocked down. A really great listen, this sounds interesting and sensationally good throughout. Very, very awesome to listen to, this music is super cool to hear. A menacing, gritty and powerful tune to listen to, Metallica pull all punches throughout which sounds really great. An awesome listen, metalheads will rejoice at these tunes. James Hetfield sounds really brutal with his singing here. A sectionalised riff change emerges in the second half of the song which sounds really cool, followed by some shredding by Kirk Hammett in his guitar solos. This sounds really sweet to hear and is absolutely amazing to enjoy. If you are headbanging along to this tune, then welcome to the world of Metal. A sensationally good listen that sounds really cool and amazing, this is an epic and awesome piece designed to get your adrenaline pumping. Top tune from this album, and it wraps up with some great riffing and the repeated phrase, “We die hard!”. Sweet.

The Day That Never Comes begins with a moody arpeggio part that is clean and melodic. It quickly launches into an The Unforgiven-styled piece of music. A good listen, although very, very heavy throughout. This sounds like a continuation of some of the 1980s music ballads on their earlier albums. James Hetfield sings sweetly on this song, and the band sound deep and melodic on this tune. A sad and moody slower tune that is less Thrash and more Metal throughout, Metallica succeeds at making a more moody tune here. There are some excellent guitars and drums throughout, and this tune stands tall as a listening experience. A really excellent listening experience with references to God and prayer throughout, this is a powerful and moving musical statement. Nonetheless, this song is quite underrated in its own way. A cool and interesting song with some particularly good guitar riffs, this is a very amazing listening experience throughout. “Love is a four-lettered word!” indeed. This has many different and interesting musical sections throughout that are very interesting and different. Some excellent Thrash Metal styled palm muted guitar riffs and drumming in the second half emerge, which sound really quite great, followed by some awesome sections of guitar playing. This sounds sensationally awesome and different throughout, which is really quite cool to hear. A great listen, through and through. This music sounds super cool, although some may say that this is a bit lengthy. A good piece of music. It ends with some superb shredding to finish up, which sounds really cool. An enjoyable listen from start to finish. Awesome stuff. The conclusion is manic.

All Nightmare Long begins with some pounding drums and clean guitar riffs, with some loud distorted guitar swells and guitars entering soon afterwards. Again, this sounds monumentally fantastic. It quickly launches into thrashy Metal which sounds absolutely terrific throughout. Pounding drums enter to support this song, and it gets underway fairly quickly. A great, great listen. This sounds absolutely wonderful and super cool throughout. James Hetfield sings about the ideation of being stuck in an eternal nightmare, and he sounds really emotional and thorough throughout. A really energetic and cool listen, with some truly awesome guitar riffs throughout. Really very wonderfully energetic and moving throughout, this sounds amazing to hear. A powerful and interesting tune to listen to, this is very amazing and interesting to listen to throughout. The chorus is nicely melodic and powerful throughout. A really powerfully awesome and fantastic listen, the multitude of guitar solos sound really great here. Kirk Hammett shreds away very nicely on this tune, and he sounds superb and amazing throughout. Nonetheless, this is very amazing and powerful music to listen to. Very cool to hear, and very musically powerful. Kirk Hammett launches into a descriptively thrashy wah-wah sounding guitar solo with some neat playing tricks throughout. Towards the end, this music sounds absolutely fantastic and is a great listen throughout. Really top-notch music, and it has a false ending before the chorus returns for some time. A sensationally great listen throughout. Excellent to hear and to listen to. Not bad for an eight-minute-long song. It ends with some awesome and pounding drums to conclude. Nice.

Cyanide begins with some thunderous drums and guitars, with a touch of wah-wah guitar by Kirk Hammett. This quickly launches into a magnificent and groove-heavy piece of music that sounds absolutely awesome. This is a surprisingly good listen, and James Hetfield sings well on this tune. A really cool and powerful tune about death itself, this is decent music by Metallica in the postmodern music world. Nonetheless, this is fun, catchy and exceptionally well riff-driven throughout. Absolutely awesome, Metallica do justice in their music when needed. A cool and powerfully loud and wonderful listening experience throughout, this album is not only much better than expected but chock full of wonderful tunes such as this one. In the midsection are some synchronised guitars and drums, as this piece progresses onwards. This launches into a more subtle section of music with some sweet singing by James Hetfield, and this music is very powerful indeed. Metallica has created a wonderfully and awesomely powerful song on this album, and even for a lesser track, this is very impressive. Some amazing shredding guitar solos by Kirk Hammett are present here, and he plays so wonderfully throughout. This launches into more frenzied guitar shredding and powerful drums, as we head towards the end of this amazing song. Supremely cool and full of ear candy, Metallica does make some impressive music on this album. A better listen than you’d expect. Very, very good to listen to, time and time again. Great song.

The Unforgiven III is the continuation of a series of songs, each on different Metallica albums. It begins with some piano, which is very sad and moody, followed by a string section to match. This sounds gloomy, but it is supposed to be. This continues on, with horns thrown into the mix as well. A very sad listen. Soon enough, guitars enter and this piece gets going with hi-hats and a great deal of suspense. The band kicks in, and we go on through our journey of misery and despair, set to great music, of course. This tune sounds powerful, punchy and heavy. A wonderful and enjoyable tune to listen to, Metallica have made an epic song about being unforgiven. There are some quite poetic lyrics throughout which James Hetfield sings brilliantly of here. This song is really awesome and amazing to listen to, it is a worthy addition to Metallica’s back catalogue. It isn’t the best song from the album, but nonetheless, it does sound really good for its musicianship and sounds. A really cool listen, the chorus is a sort of anti-climax that sums up the situation sung about nicely. In the second half, this launches into the intro riff, hi-hats, guitar violining and James Hetfield pleading to be forgiven (by God?) for forgiveness from himself. This launches into a sweet guitar solo by Kirk Hammett that sounds superb and fantastic. A really awesome and cool listening experience that sounds superb. This is a winner, and it sounds great. The song begins to conclude with some melodic singing of the chorus by James Hetfield, along with strings, guitars and other melodies that sound rich indeed. A great conclusion to the series of songs. It ends with some guitar swells.

The Judas Kiss begins with some thunderous drums and guitars, sounding heavy and decent throughout. Some excellent synchronised sounds are present here, particularly with the guitars and drums. It sounds very, very good to listen to. A cool tune throughout, Metallica will never be anything but very cool indeed to listen to. This music is loud, punchy and wonderfully awesome to listen to. This may not be the best of Metallica, but this is extremely unique and exciting throughout. The guitar riffing throughout is absolutely sweet, and this drives the song along with its down-stroked palm muting by James Hetfield. A reasonably good tune to listen to, this is a decent mixture of sounds, performances, production and playing throughout. This sounds absolutely electrifying and powerful throughout. A really awesome and powerful song with Biblical references throughout, this is extremely cool to listen to. The guitars and riffing throughout are also extremely cool, even if the song is a bit lengthy to get through. In the second half are some interesting Kirk Hammett wah-wah guitar soloing over powerful and heavy guitar riffing, which sounds really awesome to listen to. This has some absolutely insane shredding by Kirk, this works incredibly well. An awesome listen which sounds supremely cool, although this is probably a bit longer than listening to than necessary. The wah-wah guitar solos throughout are very frenetic and different. Towards the end is a cool tom-tom drumming section with palm muted guitar riffs, and gentle singing by James Hetfield. A really nice conclusion to a powerful tune, this continues on very nicely, right to the end. An awesome song from start to finish, although it runs for eight minutes in length.

Suicide & Redemption is the instrumental on this album. It begins with a fade-in of guitars, drums and rumbling bass guitar. Soon enough, distorted guitars enter and this piece gets going nicely. It is essentially a 10-minute-long instrumental, so strap yourselves in and this tune gets going. A fantastic guitar riff emerges from all this, and the music is insanely good to hear. A wonderful, punchy and musically interesting Metal tune, with many great riffs done by Metallica here. Both James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett prove themselves to be awesome musicians, and they have proved time and time again that is the case. Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo are just as good on the rhythm section, and this tune sounds absolutely magnificent and fantastic for Thrash Metal-oriented music. A little repetitive, but that is perfectly fine at this point. A great, energetic and thunderous tune to listen to, the guitar riffs and music sound absolutely awesome throughout. Towards the middle is a melodic change with some clean and heroic-sounding guitars that sound sweet. A really awesome listen, this is a good and upbeat listening, surprisingly more than you’d expect. The heavy riffing throughout is absolutely wonderful and monumentally good. A very decent-sounding piece of music, the performances and playing are way better than anything on the Load or ReLoad albums back in the late 1990s by Metallica. In the second half are some rumbling bass guitars and drumbeats, followed by some extraordinary electric guitars being played. It sounds like slide guitar here, although it is likely not. The guitar riffs continue on nicely before Kirk Hammett launches into some solo accompaniment. Time was not wasted on this album, quite clearly. The guitar soloing continues into wah-wah overkill territory. Honestly, some of these guitar solos do not need a load of wah-wah on them every single time. In any case, this music is tremendously good for what it is. Lars Ulrich plays some awesome double-kick drums leading into the next section, which sounds absolutely awesome to hear. The song gradually begins to conclude with some interesting changes and some drumming reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s Rat Salad. A key change occurs right towards the end, and this whole thing sounds really amazing. It gradually begins to wrap up with bombastic drum rolls and heavy guitar riffs galore. A very nice listen, even if it is lengthy at nearly 10 minutes long. It fades out nicely.

My Apocalypse is the final track and is only five minutes long. It begins with fast, chugging guitar riffs and drumming to match it. It sounds extremely cool and wonderful to listen to. It quickly launches into a Dyer’s Eve-styled song with some good singing by James Hetfield throughout. A really awesome tune to hear, this sounds fast, frenetic and daring in a musical sense. The album’s title is in the lyrics here, along with some rather prophetic lyrics for humanity’s existence. Soon enough, this launches into a powerful and fast section of music that sounds absolutely awesome. A really cool and interesting listen, this sounds absolutely amazing for what it is. A great tune to hear to this day, the music and its fast pace will blow your mind. A very good ending to a very good album. James Hetfield sings like he has a very good point to prove on this album, which he does. A loud and terrific tune to listen to, this sounds absolutely awesome to listen to. A headbanger’s delight, this is wonderfully powerful and enjoyable to listen to. It ends with some of the fastest guitar riffs that Metallica have ever played, and finishes nicely with a cascade of guitars. Good job.

This isn’t the best Metallica album. However, having said that the music and performances are very, very good and it seems that the band itself has managed to recreate some of the successes of their 1980s heyday on this album. True, this is a lengthy and at times, a little bit of a bland listening experience. However, again, this is as good as Metallica has done in postmodern times. Should you listen to this album? If you love Thrash Metal, go for it. Many non-Rock and Metal fans may find this off-putting, however.

A very good comeback album that Metallica desperately needed to make.

8/10