Metallica - Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (New Album)

Soldato
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4,363
No old man. All mine. I was just trying to have a conversation via forum - you know - the media where written word is the only communication tool. :smartypantsemoji: :o I'm sorry if I misjudged the audience. :doublerolleyeswithawinky: That's how we talk in Kent (wait for it) in full sentences #yeahIsaidit #ohsnapUdi'nt :D

It roughly translates to "it's like... aaaam... cool, but James sounds like a pimply kid, the songs go on forever without any changes, Lars is rumbling on like a drum machine on timer and the whole **** sounds nuthing like Master Of Puppets, those were the days, innit?".

ok, if anyone's got a spare minute could you have a quick look around and see if you can spot v0n's dummy?
thanks in advance.
 
Man of Honour
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ok, if anyone's got a spare minute could you have a quick look around and see if you can spot v0n's dummy?
thanks in advance.

If he writes like a music critic he must think he's a music critic so it's mandatory to type like that. He probably loves it, I mean how can you not like this, I've been waiting for this since the 80s.
I'd love them to go back in the studio and re-record Kill Em All so it sounds like this new album, that's probably why the 3cd version has got all old live tracks on it.
 
Associate
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York
If he writes like a music critic he must think he's a music critic so it's mandatory to type like that. He probably loves it, I mean how can you not like this, I've been waiting for this since the 80s.
I'd love them to go back in the studio and re-record Kill Em All so it sounds like this new album, that's probably why the 3cd version has got all old live tracks on it.

Well said love now that we're dead
 

v0n

v0n

Soldato
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The Great Lines Of Defence
He probably loves it, I mean how can you not like this, I've been waiting for this since the 80s.

I do love it. It's the best thing they've done since nineties.

Good stuff:

Recording. Adele's producer engineered and produced this thing. True story. And it's easily the tightest sounding 'tallica recording since Master Of Puppets. For the most part the old guitar harmonies are back, mid tones are back, you can almost hear the twang of the reversed intro to "Blackened" in every single song. I don't know why they hate their basists so much as to loose them in the mix all the time, but even that works this time around.

Riffage. Very good riffs! Maybe we notice them more because the way they are recorded - or maybe because... this is the first record since nineties where Hammett was just a passenger. No writing credit at all, no writing riffs, just wah-wah solos input. Hate to say it, but if it works...

Homages. Anyone else expected some sort of victorian graveyard story in Bruce Dickinson's voice after the intro to ManUNkind? We see the return of the Cthulu, then a superb come back to nightmares of Sandman marked by drum pattern borrowed from the original, this record is full of small hidden gems like this. Wait. Are they tying loose ends? Are we listening to some sort of epitaph record? Nooooo... :eek:

Bad stuff:

I'll say it again - break the forking song into something interesting every now and then grandads. It's what made metallica Metallica. 'tallica took what NWOBHM bands used to do with breaking a piece from gallopping riffage into melodic overture with clean strumming and solos in the middle and then took it to another level ("One", "MoP") - they would change melody and rhytm several times over, sometimes returning to original theme, sometimes dumping it completely. Not any more. Do it. It was righteous. Do it do it do it.

Filler. Yup. I already said majority of these tracks would benefit either from tempo change in the middle or from shortening running time to under 3m30s and it's true. "Halo on Fire" could easily be 3m shorter and benefit from it, half of "Dream No More" could easily be dumped and the song would be stronger for it.

You can hear "the writers block" at some point too - quarter through the second CD and it sounds like B-side of EP - darn, not everything that sounds cool as a sound byte needs to be fully developed into 8 minutes of non descriptive, repetitive, chugga-chugga broad plowing (and someone screaming "I am a stool, I am a chair, I am a table" at the top of their vocal chords in the background). ;) At least quarter of the riffs and tunes on this record only deserved to be just short rhytm breakers, syncopes and cool bits in other songs - to the benefit of the rest.
You can scream at me now but guys - you will entertain things like Maidenish intro to "Am I Savage?" over and over this weekend but two weeks from now, you will drop 40% of this record and leave only good bits. "Murder One" ain't gonna make it, "Dream No More" will probably be retired etc. And you will remember these words and you will hate me even more.
 
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Associate
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1 Mar 2008
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2,382
Location
York
I do love it. It's the best thing they've done since nineties.

Good stuff:

Recording. Adele's producer engineered and produced this thing. True story. And it's easily the tightest sounding 'tallica recording since Master Of Puppets. For the most part the old guitar harmonies are back, mid tones are back, you can almost hear the twang of the reversed intro to "Blackened" in every single song. I don't know why they hate their basists so much as to loose them in the mix all the time, but even that works this time around.

Riffage. Very good riffs! Maybe we notice them more because the way they are recorded - or maybe because... this is the first record since nineties where Hammett was just a passenger. No writing credit at all, no writing riffs, just wah-wah solos input. Hate to say it, but if it works...

Homages. Anyone else expected some sort of victorian graveyard story in Bruce Dickinson's voice after the intro to ManUNkind? We see the return of the Cthulu, then a superb come back to nightmares of Sandman marked by drum pattern borrowed from the original, this record is full of small hidden gems like this. Wait. Are they tying loose ends? Are we listening to some sort of epitaph record? Nooooo... :eek:

Bad stuff:

I'll say it again - break the forking song into something interesting every now and then grandads. It's what made metallica Metallica. 'tallica took what NWOBHM bands used to do with breaking a piece from gallopping riffage into melodic overture with clean strumming and solos in the middle and then took it to another level ("One", "MoP") - they would change melody and rhytm several times over, sometimes returning to original theme, sometimes dumping it completely. Not any more. Do it. It was righteous. Do it do it do it.

Filler. Yup. I already said majority of these tracks would benefit either from tempo change in the middle or from shortening running time to under 3m30s and it's true. "Halo on Fire" could easily be 3m shorter and benefit from it, half of "Dream No More" could easily be dumped and the song would be stronger for it.

You can hear "the writers block" at some point too - quarter through the second CD and it sounds like B-side of EP - darn, not everything that sounds cool as a sound byte needs to be fully developed into 8 minutes of non descriptive, repetitive, chugga-chugga broad plowing (and someone screaming "I am a stool, I am a chair, I am a table" at the top of their vocal chords in the background). ;) At least quarter of the riffs and tunes on this record only deserved to be just short rhytm breakers, syncopes and cool bits in other songs - to the benefit of the rest.
You can scream at me now but guys - you will entertain things like Maidenish intro to "Am I Savage?" over and over this weekend but two weeks from now, you will drop 40% of this record and leave only good bits. "Murder One" ain't gonna make it, "Dream No More" will probably be retired etc. And you will remember these words and you will hate me even more.

Tbh why is it when they release an album every man and his dog has to criticise their work. :rolleyes: think your find more people like it then don't.
 
Caporegime
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Lancs/London
From what i've heard it's definitely one of their best albums of the 'modern era' shall we say, and hard to gauge as I haven't heard the whole thing but it won't be touching Master of Puppets, Justice, Ride the Lightning or The Black Album imo.

What's with the track listing (iTunes) being 1-6, 1-6? Guessing retail is multi disc?
 
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Man of Honour
Joined
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Posts
56,791
Location
Stoke on Trent
I do love it. It's the best thing they've done since nineties.

Good stuff:

Recording. Adele's producer engineered and produced this thing. True story. And it's easily the tightest sounding 'tallica recording since Master Of Puppets. For the most part the old guitar harmonies are back, mid tones are back, you can almost hear the twang of the reversed intro to "Blackened" in every single song. I don't know why they hate their basists so much as to loose them in the mix all the time, but even that works this time around.

Riffage. Very good riffs! Maybe we notice them more because the way they are recorded - or maybe because... this is the first record since nineties where Hammett was just a passenger. No writing credit at all, no writing riffs, just wah-wah solos input. Hate to say it, but if it works...

Homages. Anyone else expected some sort of victorian graveyard story in Bruce Dickinson's voice after the intro to ManUNkind? We see the return of the Cthulu, then a superb come back to nightmares of Sandman marked by drum pattern borrowed from the original, this record is full of small hidden gems like this. Wait. Are they tying loose ends? Are we listening to some sort of epitaph record? Nooooo... :eek:

Bad stuff:

I'll say it again - break the forking song into something interesting every now and then grandads. It's what made metallica Metallica. 'tallica took what NWOBHM bands used to do with breaking a piece from gallopping riffage into melodic overture with clean strumming and solos in the middle and then took it to another level ("One", "MoP") - they would change melody and rhytm several times over, sometimes returning to original theme, sometimes dumping it completely. Not any more. Do it. It was righteous. Do it do it do it.

Filler. Yup. I already said majority of these tracks would benefit either from tempo change in the middle or from shortening running time to under 3m30s and it's true. "Halo on Fire" could easily be 3m shorter and benefit from it, half of "Dream No More" could easily be dumped and the song would be stronger for it.

You can hear "the writers block" at some point too - quarter through the second CD and it sounds like B-side of EP - darn, not everything that sounds cool as a sound byte needs to be fully developed into 8 minutes of non descriptive, repetitive, chugga-chugga broad plowing (and someone screaming "I am a stool, I am a chair, I am a table" at the top of their vocal chords in the background). ;) At least quarter of the riffs and tunes on this record only deserved to be just short rhytm breakers, syncopes and cool bits in other songs - to the benefit of the rest.
You can scream at me now but guys - you will entertain things like Maidenish intro to "Am I Savage?" over and over this weekend but two weeks from now, you will drop 40% of this record and leave only good bits. "Murder One" ain't gonna make it, "Dream No More" will probably be retired etc. And you will remember these words and you will hate me even more.

Now that is better written and I do agree with a lot you're saying.
Some of the songs do go on & on and I found myself skipping to the next track quite a few times.
I've also noticed little bits of older songs such as the intro to Here Comes The Revenge nods to the intro to Leper Messiah.
 
Soldato
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Norn Iron
Enjoying it so far, will deffo need some longer listening to see tho.

For me they are never going to recreate the fantasic albums like Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, Justice for all. As much as i like the sound of this new album something just never feels right with a new metallica album. Ill listen to it sure, but when i go to a concert ill be looking forward to the old material sams as always.

Stand out track for the album is instantly Spit out the bone, Hardwired and that are great opening and closing tracks. Some in the middle im sure we will forget, also i found the limited edition bonus tracks awful aside from the version of Remember Tomorrow
 
Soldato
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It's nice on vinyl. Not that terrible production like death magnetic.

Of the standard edition (no bonus tracks) I'm not sure about "dream no more" and "am I savage?"
 
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