"That Metal Show" podcast spinoff "That Rocks" review

 

Editor's note:  All of this was written a day before the latest That Rocks episode where the hosts addressed many of the issues and announced the show would be ending. They did express interest in wanting to continue the show in the future so this column is still to be considered an overall review of the web series and what could be done differently next time. 

Hello everyone and thank you once again for reading the CSM blog.  This past year Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jameson of the VH-1 show "That Metal Show" reunited to form a YouTube show/podcast called "That Rocks".    That Metal Show ran 14 seasons from 2008 until 2015.  The show was memorable for it's interviews, off-the-cuff banter between the 3 hosts, live music and their countdown lists where they would pick a topic and rank certain things such as songs, albums, etc...

TMS ended in 2015 and Eddie Trunk has been regularly asked over the years if the show will ever come back. He has expressed that he'd love to do the show again, but no network is interested.  Considering its been 8 years since the show ended, it's time that people moved on, but you don't need to move on. You can have the next best thing. That Metal Show in YouTube form.

Sounds great, right? The crew is back together... err uhh.. via Zoom.  Ready to talk to the hottest names in rock today like Lita Ford, Nuno Bettencourt, Brad Gillis and Carmine Appice. The future of rock is in good hands with those hot names. Yes, I'm being factitious.  I'll cut to the chase. As much as I was looking forward to this reunion of sorts and I have watched every episode to date and this reboot of sorts has been a complete flop. Here's why.

Technical Difficulties:  From the start, this show has had issues with microphones (Don, in particular), connection both with the host and guest. It started out as a minor nuisance that I hoped would be fixed quickly, but it hasn't been. In one of the later episodes, Don finally got a good mic.  However, because of the nature of Zoom calls, you're always at the mercy of the whims of one's internet connection or the very server of the software you're using. A problem that you don't need to worry about in the TV days of in-person interviews.

Which brings up another issue. The chemistry of the trio is still in there somewhere, but because they operate online their timing at times is awkward and a lot of jokes fall flat or go ignored by the others.  It's just not the same as being in person. Another issue is with who they call their producer. I forget his name, but he does talk at times during the show, but you never see him.  He's in charge of the graphics, but more times than not he messes that up.  For instance, when they do their countdowns, often the picks are out of order, attributed to the wrong host and sometimes the picture of the band they're talking about isn't even a picture of the right band. I don't and never have produced a podcast, but this seems like simple stuff and these gaffes are not rare occurrences. They're the norm and it was a little funny at first but now it just comes off as low rent when you consider there are small-time YouTubers out there with much-much-MUCH more professional looking shows than this one. I mean, these guys, especially Eddie were in the TV business and Trunk has been in radio for 40 years. You'd think he'd be able to get a professional looking web show going.


The guests are... well... old. Very old. 

Look, I love classic rock. If you look back at some of my album reviews you know I have a taste for the older stuff. In fact my favorite decade for rock music would be the 1970s and my second favorite would be the 90s stuff I grew up on, which is also old, but a guest from a 90's band would look like babies compared to the "gets" they got for this show.  So far their youngest guest has been guitarist John 5 whois 53 years old. That's right. This show about rock and metal, which everyone insists is alive and well, has not had a single guest under the age of 50.  Most of the guests are over 60.  Guests KK Downing ,Glenn Hughes, Ted Nugent, David Copperdale and Carmine Appice are all in their mid 70s!

No disrespect to these guys, but come on...  It's the same old guys from the same old era telling the same old stories that we have heard many times in the past. Many times on Trunk's own shows.  Some of these guys are legends but these guests come off as both that Trunk has no ties to the current generation and is only calling in favors to older guys that he knows and is comfortable with and that the guys, especially Eddie, don't really follow new music.

I follow Eddie Trunk on social media and he recently posted about how he is going to have the exclusive break on Mick Mars' solo debut album with about the same level of excitement one would have if it were 1970 and Paul McCartney said to you "I'm going to debut my first solo album on your show".  Dude... It's Mick Mars.  Yeah, he's the most talented guy of Motley Crue and its his first solo album, but come on. Get real.  He's been working on it on and off for almost a decade. He's 72 years old. You may be a huge fan of his work with Motley Crue, but him releasing a solo album is not huge news. Its not something that many people under 50 themselves are going to care about at all, yet Trunk is acting like he has some hot exclusive here.

Listening to this show, I heard a common old head trope that I'd hear regularly from Eddie.  In the late 2000s or perhaps early 2010s I remember Trunk referring to bands like Godsmack, Disturbed and Marlyn Manson as "newer bands".  Well, yeah I guess they are newer if all you talk about is what the guys from Kiss, Def Leppard and UFO are up to these days.  On this show Eddie had a similar eye-rolling remark when he said something about how KK Downing launching KK's Priest as possibly akin to Ozzy Osbourne going solo in 1980 and how big that was for his career.  I know age is a sensitive topic to some, but you can't ignore a key detail here that KK Downing is 71 years old and Ozzy was 31 when he was fired from Black Sabbath and went solo. Even if you love the KK's Priest albums, you have to realise what a ridiculous thing that is to say.

Scott Ian, 59 (will be 60 later this year) is one of this show's younger guests, but he feels like another favor call to Eddie since they are old friends going back to the 80s.  Scott didn't even have anything to talk about. Like most of these guys. They got nothing to talk about. Most have nothing to promote.  They might tell an old road story or two. That's it.  Its stuff like this why I stopped listening to Eddie Trunk's old podcast a long time ago. I think after the 5th or 6th time of Ace Frehley being on shooting the breeze it was clear to me that Eddie really had nothing.


Trunk could inject some "youth" into his show by having a more current guy like Tobias Forge of Ghost on his show, but Eddie has made it clear that he doesn't like that band. I know Ghost debuted 13 years ago and Forge is now 42 years old but we need baby steps when dealing with a guy who still though Marilyn Manson was new in 2010. 


The interviews are just unnecessary. 

As I said, most of the interviews are just them shooting the breeze because they don't have much to promote, if anything at all and many of them don't have too many interesting stories that they feel like sharing.  If it were my show, I would just get rid of the interviews.

For some reason, Trunk has it in his head that he needs a guest, but the best parts of the show are when Ed, Jim and Don are debating something and often they are talking about current news in rock.  Of course, they are never talking about current bands, but at least its something relevant. It kills the whole vibe when they have a great discussion going and they are sharing real opinions and then suddenly its "oh we have Jack Russel on the line" or some shit and they have to ask boring questions about stuff that doesn't matter to the audience at all.

Again, it bears repeating, I mean no disrespect to these guys. Old, young, big names, small names, names that used to be big, many of these people are legends in their field, but they don't have much to talk about. Little to promote outside of reissues, and relying on the same old names just comes off as out of touch.


If you're going to ignore newer bands, market it as a retro rock podcast.

Don't tell me rock is alive and well because the 3 people who listened to Europe's last album think it is the album of the year and don't tell me rock is alive and well because KK Downing and Judas Priest both plan on touring.  You can't tell me rock has a bright future and do nothing to show the audience what the future looks like. Instead we are stuck in the 70s and 80s. We barely even talk about the 90s on this show and many of those great 90s albums are celebrating 30th anniversaries now. 

The 2000s? Forget about it. The Blink 182 reunion is one of the biggest stories of the past year and it has NEVER been mentioned on this show. Evanescence is back out there, anything? Nope.  At least they briefly mentioned the Creed reunion and Eddie has expressed being a big fan of Alter Bridge. That's probably the newest band he actually likes. How about the 2010s? Mastodon was red hot for a bit and I'm not sure if he's ever interviewed anyone from that band. One new (by comparison) band that Trunk talks about a lot is Rival Sons. Let the audience get to know them in an interview. If not, just stick to the old guys and market it as a nostalgia show.

Everything beyond here was written after seeing the last That Rocks episode

With the announcement that the show is ending, the guys even admitted that their favorite part of the show was just the three of them talking and went on to say how frustrating it was to have to deal with guests who weren't prepared for live interviews over the internet.  Well, if that's the case why have guests? You don't need them. I don't get why they insist on having guests on the show. All it did every week was kill the vibe.  Ed, Don, and Jim have great chemistry together. The show should just be them and then on rare occasions if you want to have a guest, bring in someone who has a relevant topic to discuss. Not just "oh hey we got James Young on while he's taking a shit, what's happening?" 

I hope the show returns, but just with the three of these guys. The show should just be they pick a topic, discuss some news, get in some heated discussions, have a few laughs and that's it. Simple.   We don't need to know what the bass player of Toto had to eat at a Holiday Inn back in 1979 or what some scab member of Foreigner is up to these days.  The show is there. You guys talking. That's the show.  The hosts said it is their favorite part. Based on the comments of the videos that is their favorite part. So just do that.  By this point well into the golden age of podcasting, I've seen enough shows to know that once they end, they never come back and when they do it doesn't last long. Don tried to paint it positively as "think of it like we did two seasons of shows".  Podcasts don't work that way. People are creatures of habit and there are so many podcasts out there. You need to be consistent and on a regular schedule to keep that audience. That means weekly content.  If you take a break for a few months that audience is going to be long gone when you come back. 

Album Review: "Little Songs" by Colter Wall (2023)

 

Artist: Colter Wall

Album: Little Songs

Year: 2023

Genre: Country/Western

Hello everyone and thanks again for reading the CSM blog. Last week I reviewed the massive "Whitsitt Chapel" album by Jelly Roll. An album that in many ways represents the present day and perhaps the future of country music if he indeed decides to stay down that path.  Today's album in many ways is a celebration of country music's past.  The great thing about country music is that there is always room for both traditionalists and the more progressive type artists to succeed.

I don't know much about Colter Wall.  I liked his Facebook page around the time his 2018 album "Songs of the Plains" was released. I remember liking it but I never bought the album so I likely haven't listened to it since. (Again, another reason why I like to buy physical music...)  Thanks to Facebook I was informed by Colter Wall's page on July 14th that he had a new album out so I went on Amazon, bought it and then went on YouTube Music to actually hear it.  Usually, I do that the other way around, but judging an album by it's cover I had a feeling it would be up my alley.

Look at that cover, though.  What you see it what you get. It look like an album cover you'd see of a country artist from the mid 1960's and the music within matches that motif. If I played this record for you and told you it was some forgotten singer-songwriter who got lost in the glitz and glamor of the late 70s, you'd probably believe me up until the fourth song, "The Coyote and the Cowboy" and hear the line "The whiskey bottle costs thirty-two bucks The big prairie moon is free So who is a dumber son of a bitch The little coyote or me?"   Yeah, that's $32 in 2023.  

While listening to this album, I was loving every moment. Colter has a very story-teller way of singing. Something pretty rare these days. The songs are as easy-listening as a cool breeze and as traditional as church on Sunday morning. To be honest, I can't recommend this album for everyone. If you are more of a modern pop-style country fan, you may find this album a little slow and rough for your liking.  Unless my ears deceive me, it almost sounds like Wall didn't even put new strings on his guitar when the first song hits and I'm not complaining one bit about that.  It adds to a nice warm, vintage sound that carries this album throughout. Little Songs sounds like something of a bygone era, but instead of harping on nostalgia for a half hour, what we really find is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. You have to keep in mind, Wall himself is only 28 years old. You are just getting these old stories of a simple, quiet life told through the new youthful lense of someone of this generation and it works wonderfully on this album.

What you get here is a 10 song/32 minute ride of classic country. Not classic in the sense of George Strait or Randy Travis. You have to go back to Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash with some notes of Bob Dylan in there as well. An album I'd absolutely recommend for a more folk-flavored country fan. After listening to it, I was glad it was already being processed by the fine people at Amazon to arrive at my doorstep in 3-5 business days.

My 3 Stars of the Album

1. Prairie Evening/Sagebrush Waltz

2. Eveangelina

3. Corralling The Blues

Album Review: Whitsitt Chapel - Jelly Roll (2023)

 

Album: Whitsitt Chapel

Artist: Jelly Roll

Year: 2023

Hello, and thanks for reading the Coffee Stain Music blog.  Today's album I'm reviewing is "Whitsitt Chapel" by Jelly Roll.  Jelly Roll is a 38 year old singer/songwriter that I never heard of until this past year. I know it is uncool to admit you didn't hear of someone who has been a charting artist for a decade now, but its true. Mostly because Jelly Roll was and is primarily a rapper and my rap/hip-hop collection is a short stack of old CD's and I don't follow modern rap at all or check out how the hot new rappers are. I have not checked out his previous albums and from what I understand he mixed in some rock elements and either way I know its very different than the album I'm reviewing today.

Whitsitt Chapel is Jelly Roll's country debut. It's very much a modern country album with enough beats and bars to remind (or inform to new fans) the listener that he is a hip hop artist as well and not abandoning those roots.  The intro song "Halfway To Hell" kicks off with a hard rocking country tune that teeters on southern rock. It sets the tone for this album very well and has a catchy chorus that is easy to sing along to in the car... Something you'll find will apply to almost every song on this record. Halfway... is probably the hardest rocking track on the album. One of my favorites, "The Lost" comes close as a straight-up rocker as well.  Regardless, expect a good diverse mix on this album.  There is one theme that carries throughout the entire record and that's raw honesty.

While listening on repeat the past couple of weeks the word that I thought best described these songs is "honest".  It hit me at just the right time.  I'm a classic rock guy first who loved checking out new rock and metal bands but it seems so many of them are playing rockstar. Trying too hard to be what the template was in the 80s. Singing about Dungeons and Dragons fantasy bullshit and doing the same old tired phony Satanic crap that 98% of metal bands have been doing for DECADES now.  When I popped in Whittsitt Chapel it was like a breath of fresh air. Every song sounded real. Every song was relatable to a degree and every verse felt like it really meant something.  I wasn't just listening to saying singing about what they felt they had to sing about in order to get air play or fit in with some scene. I felt like I was hearing real stories about topics that really matter to people and the artist himself.

It was back in April that I was listening to my local country station. The DJ said something about playing this new song that was going to blow up. That song would be "Need A Favor". I heard it and loved it and thought "I'm going to have to look this artist up" and I never did. I was busy that day. It was my daughter's baptism and as the story goes you lose track of things you meant to do. Then I started seeing Jelly Roll pop up everywhere since this album dropped and I was reminded to check out that song and I still loved it.  Later that week I went to the mall and bought the CD (really the best way to support the artist short of seeing a live show, by the way) and popped it in the car and I thought every song was great. I really felt like I was listening to one of those albums that will truly be associated with its time and it's great to see the success Jelly Roll has earned from this incredible release.

"Need A Favor" has been a breakout crossover hit. It reached #1 on the rock charts and when I got the CD it was #4 on the country charts in the US. As of this writing, it has climbed up to #3.  Rarely when speaking of one's own faith do you hear someone point out their own hypocrisy. "I only talk to God when I need a favor... So who the hell am I to expect a savior if I only talk to God when I need a favor, but God I need a favor."  The line itself is so real and impactful and an honest admission that many of faith experience when they only turn to God when things are bad or out of their control, but we don't look around and appreciate the good He has done. We go to church around Christmas and Easter but are sleeping in in the middle of July and watching NFL pregames in September, but when shit hits the fan who do you turn to first?  The song has many layers to it that can speak to so many people, even if, or perhaps especially if, you aren't much of a church-goer and religion isn't a major part of your daily life.

Whittsitt Chapel closes with the aptly titled "Hungover in a Church Pew" thus putting a fitting end to the concept that runs throughout this album from start to finish. The album has a good mix of everything. Every song has a southern flare over a miss of rock, hip-hop, and some nice ballads as well.  The album, though tackles some heavy personal issues and isn't shy about talking about the dark side of life is also very Christian as well.  It's the type of Christian music that really clicks with me.  I like hearing a flawed human being talking about their problems and how they remain faithful through it all instead of it always being bright, happy and singing praise. Listen to Jelly Roll on Joe Rogan's podcast. He gets into a lot of that rough side of his early life. He has a lot of darkness to shine some light on through his music.

I'll wrap this up with my 3 stars of the album:

1. Need A Favor

2. The Lost

3. Hungover in a Church Pew


My final rating for this album is 10/10  While I don't believe any work of art can truly be perfect, a 10/10 rating doesn't mean it is a flawless record that I'm positive everyone will love.  It is however perfect for what it is and the album never loses the plot. Every song is good. It doesn't stick around too long with mindless filler.  It starts and finishes strong and it's an honest effort. I can't ask for much more.  Giving it something like a 9.5 would feel like I'm nitpicking. If I don't have any obvious issues with a great record, its a 10. Keep it simple. No need to overthink a great release when it is starring right at you.

Metallica - "72 Seasons" Album Review

 

Artist: Metallica

Album: 72 Seasons

Year: 2023

Thanks again for checking in on the Coffee Stain Music blog. This month Metallica released their latest studio album titled "72 Seasons".   Their previous album "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" (2016) was a massive favorite of mine. It was everything I wanted in a modern Metallica album.  I'm not asking for them to turn back the clock to 1986. I'm just looking for good rockin' tunes that sound good and connect with me on a deeper level than just being excited that a legendary act has released new music only to be merely checked out as a curiosity piece. 2016's Hardwired checked all those boxes. It had it all.  The album had thrashers, heavy rockers, an epic ballad and closed with one of their best and heaviest songs in decades all in a well-produced package.  What more could I ask for? In my opinion that album delivered on every front.  No, it wouldn't be my favorite Metallica album, but I really had nothing to complain about.

Last November 72 Seasons was announced. I woke up to the song "Lux Æterna" being dropped as the lead single and I had that same feeling I had when I heard the song Hardwired for the first time. It's definitely a throwback rocker. Like something you'd hear off of the band's debut album Kill 'em All, and it makes its point and is over in just under 3 and a half minutes.  I really enjoyed the song, but to be honest, I was a bit concerned if this new album would live up to Hardwired. Even Lars himself once said they could not have possibly made a better album than what they did with Hardwired in 2016.  Regardless, because I'm such a fan of this band, I preordered the album on day one and almost a week after it had already been released, it came in the mail.

Of course, like many of you I listened to the album on release day. I personally listened to it three times that day and have listened to it multiple times since.  As I'm sure having a review up the day of the release after one single listen would have been better for my view count, I believe in a more educated approach that is more honest to my true opinions and one that is less reliant on web algorithms and clickbait.  Luckily, this blog is just for fun so I have no monetary pressures to release an album review the morning it first drops on Spotify. Enough about all of that, here are my thoughts.

Nickelback - Get Rollin' (Album Review)

 

Artist: Nickelback

Album: Get Rollin'

Release Date: November 18, 2022

If you look back five years ago, your life was probably very different.  The world itself was different in many ways as well. If you're older, maybe you got married and had kids. If you're younger maybe you're in college now and away from home.  Five years is also the last time Nickelback released a studio album and is the longest gap between releases in the band's history.  It's hard to believe it, but these guys aren't young anymore. Chief songwriter Chad Kroeger turned 48 just three days before this album hit the shelves. How has it changed this band? Not very much... and I think that's a good thing in NB's case.

In an ever-changing world, its good to have some constants to keep us sane. The sun rises. The coffee is hot. Tom Brady is playing on Sunday and Nickelback is releasing catchy hard rockers alongside some heartfelt sappy ballads. All is right.

My first plays of "Get Rollin'" were in the car. Nickelback, for me, has been reliable car music over the years. When All The Right Reasons came out in 2005, my dad enjoyed it so much as well that it was regularly played in our truck. A couple of years later this CD was a common choice when me and a close friend would make trips up to Boston. When Dark Horse came out, I remember being with another friend and that album was again a car album.

Of course, Nickelback can't be mentioned without the backlash of Nickelback. Needless to say, despite being a fan since I first heard "How You Remind Me" back when I was 13 years old in 2001, they weren't always a popular choice to listen to in car rides or request at parties, so while those old friends from high school went off and did their own things, Nickelback almost became sort of a guilty pleasure band for me.  Not that I was ashamed to be a fan, but I wouldn't tell my underground metalhead friends "hey, Lullaby is a pretty sweet ballad, huh?" more so just to avoid an argument about the band.

This was until I met my future wife, who I wouldn't know was a big Nickelback fan until years after we met for the same reasons I wouldn't bring up this band in mixed musical company -- out of fear of having to argue about them.  We both bonded over Creed, who experienced a very similar backlash that Nickelback did, and naturally, Nickelback would come up as well. From thereon, Nickelback would find its way back in the car. The Dark Horse album we picked up at a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri has been played from the midwest to New England many times since.  When we grew tired of that, we reminisced over All The Right Reasons. Going through an old box of CD's I found my friend's old copy of Silver Side Up -- scratched to hell and missing the jewel case, but it worked!

So, it seemed only fitting that with a day trip planned that had us going from the border of Rhode Island up north to Middlesex county, Massachusetts to play this new release in the car.  I have the deluxe version that features four acoustic versions of some of the songs at the end of the disc.

"Portals" - Kirk Hammett (Metallica) Solo Debut EP Review

 

Kirk Hammett

Portals

2022

The solo debut of Metallica's lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett, entitled "Portals" is here. Despite Kirk showing interest a doing a solo album, as far back as 2006 as far as I can remember from interviews with Guitar World, this came as a surprise to many.  I believe your most ardent Metallica fans have a basic idea as to what to expect and your internet meme'ers who have reduced Hammett's great playing to just "guy who uses a lot of wah-wah" probably expected something entirely different.  Either way, whatever your preconceived notions of what this album would be, chances are you were surprised upon first listen and reviews from fans have been very positive.

Portals reunited Kirk with long-time producer Bob Rock who worked closely with Metallica from 1991's "Black Album" through 2003's St. Anger LP as a co-mixer alongside Hammett. Despite Metallica moving on from Bob, they never really had a falling out so it was nice to see this reunion of sorts after it being almost 20 years since they have worked together. 

Yes. St. Anger came out almost 20 years ago. Put into perspective... Metallica's first album was 20 years old the same time St. Anger was released. Jesus...

Like most of you, I expected the album to be metal-ish but not exactly like Metallica's style.  Most know Kirk is a bit of an eclectic, free thinkin', go-with-the-flow, old school Southern California type guy.  Never one wants to be boxed into one singular category.  This EP delivers a symphonic prog-rock blend grown from the soil of Kirk's metal roots. 4 instrumental tracks with almost a film score type feel to them. Maybe not the type of album you'd play in your car, but certainly something nice to have on while chilling at home or while working from home.  Upon first listen, my wife was in the room. She asked "this is pretty good, who is this?" so, it passed the wife test, too. 

If you know Kirk, then I'm sure you were already sold on this album if anything out of mere curiosity alone, but if you only know him from the wah-wah memes, then I suggest you give this album your full attention. You get an unfiltered version of Kirk. His playing. His vision. All laid out there with no questions left unanswered. It's melodic and its heavy. Its progressive and then it's straightforward. There are hints of all of his influences. Sometimes Spanish overtones on an acoustic guitar. Then stomping his Ghoul Screamer for a Load-esque era double-stop blues passage.  It is truly a solo album in the sense that it is everything about the artist's personality and influences in song from start to finish.

As for the wah thing... I have to go off a bit on that. Kirk has taken these wah-wah jokes in stride, which, great, I admire him for that, but often times fans who may not be very familiar with Kirk's work tend to take the joke too far and simply reduce him to a wah pedal or "guy that uses too much wah". The funny thing is there are players, legendary guitarists, who have used wah as much or more than Kirk, yet it is never joked about. Jerry Cantrell. Zakk Wylde. Slash. Jimi Hendrix!!! Why is it suddenly such a problem when Kirk uses it?  It's not like he does all the time and when he does use it, it works.  Like, have you ever played the Wherever I May Roam solo without wah? It doesn't sound as good. At the same time, some of Kirk's best and most critically acclaimed solos don't even feature wah usage. "One", "The Unforgiven", "Fade To Black", "Fuel", "The God That Failed". Some of Kirk's finest solos and no wah at all. Whatever. I know I'm ranting about something stupid that started out as a cute joke, but it seems like the joke has been around so long that people just accept it was a fact that all Kirk is is some standard guitar player that hides behind a wah pedal to get through a solo.  If that is how you feel, this album should put those concerns to rest.


In short, I'll give this EP an 8.5/10 which seems fair to me. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it for you to check out as well.  I'm not sure what the future hold for Kirk as a solo artist since his full-time gig is still with Metallica, but if this was a one-off release then it was worth it and he did it right. Often times guys from bands put out solo albums and they are mere vanity projects and also don't stray too far from their main band's style.  Also... they usually aren't that good and are typically just standard songs. There's one thing I can objectively say about the tracks on this album, they are not standard tracks and you will be surprised and want to hear what is next as you continue to listen through Portals 

Also, I recommend you go to Metallica's website and read the track-by-track breakdown from Kirk Hammett himself.  Click this link below. If you missed out on the Record Store Day exclusive release of this album, you can still pre-order it through Metallica's website.

https://www.metallica.com/store/kirk-hammett-portals-ep-digital-download/KHPORTALSDD.html

Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album) Remastered Review

 

Album: Metallica

Artist: Metallica

Year: 1991 (original) 2021 (remastered)

This year marks the 30th anniversary of one of the biggest albums of all time. One of the biggest rock albums ever and perhaps the biggest pure metal album in terms of mainstream success. That is Metallica's self-titled 5th album known more commonly as "The Black Album".  It's hard to believe this album is 30 years old since my entire life Metallica fans and broader metal fans have always considered this album to be both the end of "classic Metallica" and the beginning of "New Metallica".

Personally, I consider this album part of their "classic" period. It ain't thrash. They aren't the young, pimply faced metal heads they once were (neither were they on 1988's .,,And Justice For All, but many still consider that their classic period) but this is the band reaching what seemed to be a collective prime.  James Hetfield, becoming a more mature singer and songwriter. Lars Ulrich, a more solid drummer recognizing his own style and making the most of it to compliment James' riffs. Kirk Hammett, focusing less on flashy, technical guitar solos and more on writing solos, while sprinkling in his bag of tricks. Also, Jason Newsted, who on Justice was basically just there to make Lars' coffee and use his bass as a paperweight, was now presented as a key part in Metallica's rhythm section.

While Metallica matured as people and musicians who have now seen and heard the world, enter seasoned producer Bob Rock into the mix.  A lot can be said about Metallica's relationship about Bob Rock. How they started off hazing him to see if he could handle it. Then when he didn't back down he earned their respect. The process of The Black Album was so harsh and argumentative at times that when it was over Lars swore they'd never talk to Rock again... but they did and continued working together for another 13 years and he became very close with the band.  So close he was almost a part of the band, acting as a session bass player famously on their 2003 album St. Anger and to a lesser-known extent, he played bass on the "I Disappear" single for Mission: Impossible 2.

Bob was the tough coach Metallica needed.  James and Lars always handled everything prior. Suggestions were heard, but not always listened to. They, themselves would admit this is why Justice sounds the way it does.

"All you can hear on the album is guitar and drums so it's pretty obvious who produced it... Me and Lars." - James Hetfield

 In 2003 during the MTV Icon broadcast where Metallica's then 20 year career was being honored James stated the stars aligned for them during this period. Whether it was a throw-away line or not, he's 100% accurate.  They all matured musically at the right time, and having already put out 4 albums and going gold on what was mostly a grass-roots following they also got the attention of a legit producer in Bob Rock. The Black Album is a culmination of all these pieces falling perfectly into place. Keep in mind, if you think The Black Album is mainstream, a year before this release "Cherry Pie" by Warrant was a big radio hit.  A month after The Black Album, Nirvana's 'Nevermind' was released and turned everything on it's head. Through all that The Black Album stood on its own and survived a rapidly changing decade to launch Metallica from being a fairly big band in metal music, to being household names and one of the biggest bands in the world.

So, when people say Metallica "went mainstream" with this album, I think that's incorrect. The mainstream just changed and accepted Metallica.  Compare this album to anything else that was a hit between 1990 and 1992. There was nothing like this getting heavy radio play. For that, this album is without a doubt one of the most important in metal's history, but for that reason metal fans, who inheritly claim to despise anything 'mainstream' tend to brush off this release and not give it its due. 

Just a bit of a side-note. I personally find that sort of metalhead purist attitude baffling. I know those circles. I know how those fans are. They want the world to understand and recognize that their music is real music... Well, guess what. They did en masse with The Black Album and then suddenly those same fans were hating this album for having too much mainstream appeal. You can't have it both ways. Either you keep your little bands in your back pocket and not care what people think about your taste in music or stop crying for the world to accept your music only to cry more when they finally do.

Now, that the lengthy introduction is out of the way, let's discuss the songs... 

Enter Sandman

I know. What can be said that hasn't already been said about this song? It's Metallica's biggest hit. Their bridge that connects metal to the mainstream. One of the most recognizable riffs and songs ever. It's their Smoke on the Water, Iron Man, Walk This Way. It's that song. That song you hear on the radio every day. That song you hear at sporting events today. That song every beginner headbanger on guitar tries to learn because Master of Puppets is too fucking hard. 

That song.

One of the most iconic songs ever. Call it played out, but it's played out for a reason. The same reason Stairway to Heaven, Free Bird and More Than a Feeling are played out. They're incredible songs that still resonate with people today.  I'm not saying I personally think Sandman is the band's best song, but at one time you, too were a young rock fan or metalhead who heard this song for the first time and played it over and over on repeat before you discovered the other great songs by this band.  All the all-time greats have that song.  That Hotel California that allows you to discover Victim of Love or Outlaw Man. This is that song for Metallica.  Jason Newsted has been calling Nothing Else Matters the "barrier breaker" (which I'll get to) Enter Sandman is the bridge that connects us all around the world with this band.

Kirk Hammett is credited with writing the main riff in which the entire song is based around. That's a hell of a thing to have to your credit. Ed King will always have Sweet Home Alabama. Joe Walsh has Live in the Fast Lane. Kirk will always have Enter Sandman.

Sad but True

Sad but True is a nice change of pace for Metallica.  In the past, they mostly relied on speed to be heavy, here they tune down and bring down the tempo as well. Kind of like a more radio accessible Thing That Should Not Be, which is the only prior song you could really compare this to in Metallica's catalogue. Sad but True is tuned a whole step down to D. The song is seemingly about James' battle with alcohol addiction before he really recognized or even cared that he had a problem. SBT was the 5th and also the final single off The Black Album and one of the band's biggest hits.

The break in the intro where you wait for the snare to come in is probably one of the more recognizable characteristics from this album. Fan of the band or not, I didn't know anyone in high school that didn't try and time that snare hit every time. 

Lars Ulrich has said this is one of his favorite songs to play live.  While I like this song, I wouldn't call it an all-time favorite of mine. However, as a musician, I love playing this song. I don't know why. It could just be because its a simple, catchy tune while also being pretty heavy.

Holier Than Thou

Holier was producer Bob Rock's suggestion for the lead single of the album but Lars Ulrich fought hard for Enter Sandman to be the lead single... Good thing they listened to him.  I like this song, but it was a grower for me. Look at it. It's Sandwiched between Sandman and SBT on one side and on the other, two other massive tracks with The Unforgiven and Wherever I May Roam. Holier Than Thou, while a fine song on any album seems like it is cornered between some massive hits.

Holier clocks in at 3:48. This is very short by Metallica's standards. Before this song, the only Metallica song to clock in at less than 4 minutes was Motorbreath from their first album, Kill 'em All, which clocks in at 3:09. Even after this album you're not going to find too many Metallica songs in the 3-minute range, so Holier still stands out as one of their few quick punch songs.

Back in the day, I used to hear some fans say that this was Metallica's last thrash song (before Death Magnetic and Hardwired to Self-Destruct) I don't think it's really a thrash song, but I just thought I would mention that since it was once a fairly popular opinion.... also I'm looking for more things to say about this song. There's that. It's fine.

The Unforgiven

Another Metallica classic, here.  This is also a personal favorite of mine as it's one of the songs that really inspired me to start playing guitar.  I wouldn't change a thing about this song. I love the melody. The guitar solo. James' vocal delivery. Everything about this ballad is powerful. 

If I did a list of my top 25 favorite guitar solos, this song's would be somewhere on that list. Bob Rock pushed Kirk Hammett hard and got the perfect solo out of him for this song after previous takes were not well received by the rest of the band.

The Unforgiven was the 2nd single off the Black Album and remains one of the band's more popular songs. Despite this, the song was only played on the Black Album's tour and not played again for another 10 years until they toured supporting St. Anger.  When I saw Metallica in 2004, I remember them playing this, not being very surprised, but then being surprised when James said "hard to believe it's been 10 years since we've played that song".  It's been played on every tour since. 

Wherever I May Roam

Another live set staple and another signature Metallica tune. The first half of this album is heavy on the Metallica trademarks. I really like this song, but I'm somewhat surprised it became a hit. The intro is pretty long for your average radio listener.  The song itself is almost 7 minutes long, has two guitar solos and a bridge.   

It's always interesting to me to try and hear what song I think has the closest connection to the album prior to it. I feel Wherever I May Roam is that song that sounds closest to something that could have been on Justice. It's long. It's built around a phrygian dominant structure like much of Justice. Has a harmony guitar break, like every song on Justice. The only thing really missing is the wild complexity in time signature, but that's what makes it fit well on The Black Album.  If it was some random prog thrasher in the middle of this album it would really seem out of place.

Roam features, again, one of my favorite guitar solos by Kirk Hammett. Some of Kirk's best work is all over this album. I heard on a recent interview that Kirk approached his solos differently here than he does today where he goes mostly on feel.  To each their own and the musician should do what they want and what seems right in the moment, but you can't really deny this album has some of Kirk's best work as a composing soloist even if the solos lack room for the improv he truly enjoys doing. Wherever I May Roam's closing solo was largely improv, though and it turned out great so even in improv you can often stumble on majic that you could never create by sitting down and writing for hours, days or weeks on end. There's room for both approaches, though.

Don't Tread On Me

Don't Tread on Me and Escape (from Ride The Lightning) were often said to be the band's least favorite Metallica songs. The rumor is that Escape was too much of their young attempt at a radio friendly hit and sounds too light to be on a thrashy album like RTL. As for Tread, I'm not sure what they don't like about it.

When I first got this album, my friends and I loved jamming this song. The riff is great, the solo is cool. It's a nice quick rockin' tune. I don't get it. This song isn't really disliked by the fans, either. I wouldn't call it some deep-cut fan favorite, but it's not really a hated song. Ya know, like Purify or Slither. (Actually, I like Slither, but it's an unpopular track).

It was finally played live 10 years ago when Metallica played TBA in its entirety. When it came time to play Ride The Lightning in its entirety James even joked around saying "do I have to???" before playing Escape. 

Obviously, it's a patriotic song. The title from the gadsden flag used during the American Revolution.  While much of Justice was politically angry in tone and anti-establishment. This song was written in a more positive tone. The message being that despite our issues, America is still a great place to call home.

Hetfield would say, 

"This is the other side of that [what was said on ...And Justice For All]. America is a fucking good place. I definitely think that. And that feeling came about from touring a lot. You find out what you like about certain places and you find out why you live in America, even with all the bad fucked-up shit. It's still the most happening place to hang out."

 The song is not pro (or anti) war. James would describe it as a "don't fuck with us" song. I think that's better than I could ever word it.

Through The Never

The song, not the feature film.  Come to think of it, I find it weird that Metallica named their film after this song. This is what I would call a popular deep-cut, but it's not a very well known song. Why name your film after a deep cut from 1991?

Even though Never is somewhat a deep cut, it hasn't been forgotten about by the band. It's been played live on multiple tours. Again, it's a catchy, quick rocker. A trademark with this album. I've spoken a lot about the guitar solos on this album. There's not one that I don't think is incredible.  Through The Never may be my 2nd-favorite guitar solo on this album. My favorite? Well, I didn't mention what my favorite was earlier, so you know it's coming after this song.  Oh, the suspense.   This solo is great, though. 

Nothing Else Matters

Elton John recently said on The Howard Stern Show, that Nothing Else Matters is one of the greatest songs ever written. It sounds like hyperbole, but I ain't going to disagree with him. Along with The Unforgiven, this was the song that made me personally want to pick up a guitar and there are probably hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of other people who could say the same goes for them.

Earlier I called Enter Sandman the bridge, Jason Newsted called this song a barrier breaker. This soft love ballad was and is huge for metal. This song that everyone around the world wanted to hear, got to hear it... along with Creeping Death, Blackened, Battery, One, Whiplash and Sanitarium. Jason had a great point that can't go unnoticed. This one song opened doors to new countries and had this band play for new ears who got to hear this song for 6 minutes and then proceeded to hear songs like the aforementioned hard hitters for another hour and a half.

Many of you have heard the story. James Hetfield was sitting in a hotel, missing his then girlfriend, fiddling on his guitar while on the phone, heard the potential of this song, hung up the phone, and began writing. The song was a love song to his girlfriend that he hid from the band and never intended on it being on a Metallica record. To James, this wasn't a "Metallica song" it was just something he wrote. Once Lars heard the song, he was convinced to include it for the album.

The song is credited to Lars Ulrich as well, but I think it's a bit of a "Lennon/McCartney" type deal when it comes to this song. James wrote the whole thing, plays all the guitars and even the guitar solo on this song. It is very much a solo Hetfield effort with Lars maybe adding some direction. If it weren't for Lars, there's a strong chance this song wouldn't have been released so I suppose he deserves some credit for the track.

One of the best songs ever? That's hard to say. Rolling Stone recently updated their list of the 500 best songs ever written. I don't know if this song is on there because I don't give a shit about what those elitist, out of touch, old snobs have to say about music or anything else for that matter, but if I were to make such a list it would be there. Where? Who knows. Considering all the songs written in the history of this planet, being anywhere in the top 500 is pretty good.  Also, considering Elton himself has written some songs that would be on that list as well, I'll take his word for it. Why not. Nothing Else Matters, one of the best songs ever written. 

Of Wolf and Man

Any wolves out there? For this song, I could almost copy and paste what I said about Through The Never.  It's a popular deep cut that has seen a lot of action on the road as well. Wolf  has been played on multiple tours since The Black Album tour. On the 1999 album, S&M in which Metallica played a live performance along with the San Fransisco Symphony Orcestera, this song was included on the set list along side what was largely a "greatest hits" set.

The God That Failed 

This is Metallica's first song in which they tuned the guitars down to Eb, which makes it one of two songs on the album that are not in standard tuning. The Black Album is the last Metallica album, until Death Magnetic, to be predominatly in standard tuning.  Eb would actually be their main tuning from Load until St. Anger and remains to this day their tuning live for all standard tuned songs.

Musical theory babble out of the way, this song is one of my personal favorite Metallica songs of any era on any album. Remember I said my favorite guitar solo on this album was to come? Here it is. This song is just great. Love the intro with the bass highlighted. The riff is great. Its heavy. Its powerful. Everything down to the ending where they repeat that lick played before the verse and end with a clean E minor chord.

When I saw Metallica in Boston in 2004, they played this song live which was a total shock to me. I can't praise the song enough. My favorite on the album. One of my personal favorites to play on the guitar as well and one I even used to play with my first band. Myself and the other guitarist would do a dual-solo type deal where he played the first half and I played the 2nd half. It was pretty cool.

My Friend of Misery

To me this song has Joan Crawford syndrome from Blue Oyster Cult's "Fire of Unknown Origin". If I could change one thing about this album, it would be the placement of this track. It should have been the closer. It would have been a perfect closer for Black. It's so perfect as a closer that ever since I first heard this album, my brain always thinks the next track is some sort of bonus track.

Misery features a bass intro written by Jason Newsted and this song acts as his 2nd writing credit with Metallica. The song was originally intended... actually, "intended" in too strong a word... Jason Newsted wanted this song to be an instrumental track and the song would kind of act as his "Orion" type moment.  The band was not interested in doing an instrumental song on this album. Honestly, I don't mind. I love this song. It's always been one of my favorites by the band.  So, no complaints here with how it came out. My one complaint is that it should have closed the album, but hey, it's the digital age. I can always just track it last on my computer with a simple click. 

The Struggle Within

The actual closer on The Black Abum. The Struggle Within isn't bad. It has a cool intro with a harmony guitar riff and a rolling snare. The solo is kind of wild. Its a fun track, its just miscast as a closer in my opinion. Unless the band was going for a sort of encore type feel, where they do a big epic song second-to-last and then close with an upbeat, quick punch. 

That theory makes a little sense when you consider Bob Rock's approach to this album was to recreate the power that the band had live. 

Struggle caps of The Black Album well enough, though. Again, its not a bad tune at all on its own, but placement does matter to me as someone who likes to take in albums the old school way and listen to them from start to finish as the journey the artist intended. Kirk Hammett sure finishes this album the way he started. Ripping another great solo to bless this track.