The moment the Red-fist enclosed CD enters your drive, you’re greeted with the explosion of Kirk Hammett’s Guitar and the burst of Lars Ulrich’s machine-gun drumming that makes up the opener of the first track ’Frantic’. 11 songs and 75 minutes later...your head reels with the sound, your mind beats to the tempo, your head swings with the riffs - and that’s good.
Metallica’s first real piece of work after Reload nearly 6 years ago, St. Anger marks a return to Metallica’s early roots with fast and furious numbers that stretch to over 8 minutes each. Trust me, they named the album right - St. Anger flickers on like a dim bulb in a dark cavern and explodes right in your face.
But fans of Metallica may not enjoy the album on first hearing. The dubious absence of Kirk Hammett’s superbly crafted guitar solos and lack of refinement may put off people. This is not an album for the squeamish.
From the all out percussive assault of St. Anger’ to the punishing pace of ’Frantic’ to the dark and disturbing ’All within my hands’ (’..I will only let you breathe the air that I breathe...’), St. Anger demonstrates a return to form that would bring tears to even the most hardened Metal-head.
Take a bow. The demi-gods of rock are back.....and they’re sending Nu-Metal bands back to school.