Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Metallica Dumps Bob Rock - Finally!

Metallica dumped producer Bob Rock and has finally created another GREAT ALBUM - Death Magnetic.

I don't know if this petition made a difference but I'm glad that they made the move.

Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/SaveMet/

As far as I'm concerned... With only a few exceptions...
Bob Rock = Substandard Music

Thank you Rick Rubin for bringing back Metallica!

1 comment:

Carrot66 said...

Rick Rubin has been the mastermind behind quite a few artists. He has a gift of cutting through the crap and producing some mind blowing records. His portfolio includes: Linkin Park, Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, LL Cool J, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, and Neil Diamond. His presence was taken to the mainstream by his work on Johnny Cash’s last three albums. While Cash was an icon in Country music, his work was going unnoticed by the changing times and changing culture. Enter R. Rubin. He stripped Cash of all the baggage from years of recording for “The Man”. He put John on a stool with a Mic and a Gibson guitar and told him to sing. Sing he did, blowing away all previous recordings by Cash. Taking him back to his roots was the answer. John Cash is a one of a kind. There will never be another of his caliber. Thank you Rick Rubin for providing him the conduit to express himself during his last days.

Rubin has handled Metallica in much the same way. They came to him struggling with the changing times. 20 years or so after the “Black Album”, which was a Masterpiece, Metallica found themselves struggling to be creative and struggling to even get along. Bass player ejected, drugs, Alcohol, rehab all played a part in their last, sub-par, albums. Load, Re-Load, St. Anger, all had their good tracks, but nothing even close to the old stuff.
Not surprising. How can any band follow something like “Black”? Much like “Appetite for Destruction”, also a Masterpiece, G&R found themselves not meeting the new standard that they help set, and they have fallen off the face of the Earth. We the listeners were so hungry for something new, bold, and fast, we jumped on Black and rode it for years. Judging all ‘Tallica releases to “Black”. We were not fair to the artists, but hey, life ain’t fair.
Enter R. Rubin. He got Metallica out of Rehab, out of the touchy, feely, self help groups. Got them mostly sobered up. Stripped them of the idea that they needed to create an album for money. Rubin believed that those four guys are artists, let them be creative. Let them be hungry as they once were.
The result is “Death Magnetic”. Not as good as “Black” (which will never be surpassed), but a close second. This album should dispel any rumors about being washed up. Metallica can still kick your ass. Kirk Hammett plays his ass off. Best guitar playing of his career. Listen to “Suicide and Redemption” and judge for yourself. Lars ditched the tin pan snare drum and lays down drum licks like the days of old Metallica. The new “Crab Walker” bass player is good. In my opinion not as good as J. Newstead, but good never the less. Then we get to James. His dark childhood comes out in many of Death Magnetic’s songs. Rubin has tapped an inner core of Hetfield that we have not seen in 20+ years.

Again, thank you Rick Rubin for bringing us this gem of an album. This is the Metallica that M. Foutch beat into my head so many years ago….and it feels good!