Today on Throwback Thursday, we're doing things a little bit differently. Normally when I do these I talk about some album I'm either fond of or at least feel has some level of importance and some admirable qualities. Well that's not what we're doing here today. Today we're briefly ripping an album a new asshole. What album could have possibly spurned such ire from me, might you ask? One of the most infamous albums in all of heavy metal:
Metallica's St. Anger.
To give a bit of background on the album, it was recorded in 2003 during a rather turbulent time in the band's career. Their long time bassist Jason Newsted had left the band because among other reasons, singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield was telling him he wasn't allowed to do any side projects. They ended up hiring on current bassist Rob Trujillo, who has also played with the likes of Suicidal Tendencies, Black Label Society, and Ozzy Osbourne.
On top of that, Hetfield was also hitting the wall with his alcoholism and went to treatment to get himself clean. They then were filming a documentary of the whole process while also having a group counselor help them solve their band related issues. Needless to say, it was not a happy time in the band's history.
With that out of the way, this is a Metallica album that I actually not just not care for, but actively dislike (like many Metallica fans). Not only is the production bad, but the song writing in general is far less than stellar. The mix sounds incredibly muddy (ESPECIALLY the guitars due to being tuned so low), there are no guitar solos, and then of course there is the much ridiculed tin bucket snare sound. Honestly, I'm really not sure what they were thinking.
Now I could potentially put some of this stuff aside, but the music itself is just droning and boring. I REALLY tried to give this album a fair chance, but I couldn't even get through to the end of the first song before I had to tap out.
I get that Metallica was trying to do something different. I applaud them for always trying to do something new and boundary pushing. They wouldn't be Metallica if they didn't. That said, I think this is one instance where it severely backfired on them. Needless to say, they got a LOT of fan and critical backlash for the album and they soon tried to bury the album as far in the past as they possibly could.
That said, I am NOT going to give you a track listing or link to the album because you're better off not listening to it unless you really hate yourself.
St. Anger, by Metallica receives 1.5/5 stars.
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