The Heavy Metal Thread
Nothing Sacred - "Let Us Prey" (1988)
A few months ago, I decided that it was well past time that I revisited some of the earliest roots of the Australian extreme metal scene in the interest of confirming or denying some suspicions that I'd long harboured about the true origins of the genre in this country & that exercise led me to Melbourne's Nothing Sacred almost immediately. Nothing Sacred are often referred to as being band one in the grand scheme of Aussie thrash metal but, looking back now, I can't say that either of their 1985 releases (i.e. a live demo & the infamous "Deathwish" E.P.) should really qualify as thrash. To be honest, I've always thought of the demo as being traditional heavy metal with "Deathwish" falling somewhere between heavy metal & power metal & I didn't recall Nothing Sacred's "Let Us Prey" debut album being all that different in that regard. I revisited it only relatively recently actually but didn't afford it the dedicated time required for a full review so I thought I'd rectify that now & also see how it compares with Nothing Sacred's earlier releases.
The "Let Us Prey" album was recorded with producer Mark Woods a good three or four years after the sessions for "Deathwish" are reported to have been taken place. Woods is the cousin of Graham Owens who was responsible for producing some of the 1970's releases from Aussie hard rockers Taste & he'd also produce Melbourne hardcore punk/crossover thrash outfit Depression's 1987 "Ultra Hard Core Mega Heavy Punk Metal Thrash" live release & 1988 sophomore album "Thrash till Death - Studio Tapes" during this short period of activity with the local metal scene. Sadly though, the results of his labour on "Let Us Prey" weren't terribly successful as it's a very raw & primitive sounding metal record with a thick layer of white noise left sitting over the top. The guitars in particular sound tinny with a lot of high-end & the performances are a little patchy too which doesn't help. Still... this flaw is more of a hindrance than it is a deal breaker as Nothing Sacred clearly possessed enough class in their ability to write captivating metal songs with the oomph to overcome a few sound issues. That wasn't really in question though as they'd already proven that with the live demo which sported a very dodgy sound indeed but was somehow still reasonably enjoyable.
While "Deathwish" didn't offer much in the way of genuine thrash, "Let Us Prey" at least sees Nothing Sacred achieving a few songs that tick that box with the title track & the cover version of S.O.D.'s "Freddy Kruger" being clear examples of the mid-to-late 80's thrash sound. I'd suggest that opener "Warheads" & the excellent "This is War" should also qualify although both are more hybrids than they are pure thrash, the opener with speed metal & "This is War" with power metal. But given the fact that the album contains a healthy twelve tracks, that's not really enough to command a primary thrash tag in my opinion. The main genre at play here is heavy metal with early Iron Maiden being the most obvious influence, particularly in the vocal delivery of front man Mick Burnham whose performance is more than a bit patchy but manages to capture the listener through sheer charisma, despite his struggles from a purely theoretical point of view. He really does sound like Paul Dianno at times & has that rough & ready, punky hard rock vibe that the NWOBHM became known for but his pitchiness definitely holds Nothing Sacred back a little when the instrumentation is generally very well composed with each song containing a fair amount of class & ambition. The guitars of Mark Woolley (Hobbs Angel of Death) & Richard Snape exude a strong pedigree in metal music while the rock-solid rhythm section of bassist Karl Lean (Hobbs Angel of Death/Non Compos Mentis) & drummer Sham Littleman (Depression/Hobbs Angel of Death/Non Compos Mentis) provide the perfect driving platform for the band to work off.
Nothing Sacred cover a fair bit of creative ground across the thirty-six minute run time. 1980's speed metal gets an airing on the previously mentioned "Warheads" & the punky Motorhead style anthem "Dogs of War" while the more epic power metal sound that made up half of the "Deathwish" E.P. is represented on "No Tomorrow", "This is War" & "Guardian". There's even a more ambitious progressive metal number included in the very impressive "The Dark" which sits amongst my favourite tracks alongside "This is War". The rest of the album is best described as classic heavy metal & Nothing Sacred are very good at their craft too with the majority of the record being fairly entertaining. Things only start to tail off a bit across the back end of the tracklisting with the two thrashiest songs (i.e. the title track & "Freddy Kruger") both being fairly disappointing & closer "Damaged" seemingly having been phoned in. One gets the feeling that the band didn't quite have enough material to fill the album as a couple of the tracks included sound decidedly half-baked compared to the more fully realised material that preceded it. Still... there's more than enough decent heavy metal here to keep me interested & I've generally found this revisit to be a worthwhile exercise.
While I can't agree that "Let Us Prey" is in any way a classic Aussie metal release, it does offer a rewarding look into the roots of the local scene & proves that we would have had plenty to contribute to the global scene if we could have overcome the obvious geographical obstacles. Let's be very clear though that Nothing Sacred were NOT a thrash metal band with The Guardians being a much better fit for a record like this one. After revisiting both of Nothing Sacred's 1980's releases in quick succession, I feel that I slightly favour "Deathwish" over "Let Us Prey" these days as it's simply a little more consistent, even if Burnham's struggles behind the microphone were perhaps a little worse. Fans of the more metallic end of the NWOBHM could do a lot worse than to explore this old record as there's certainly something about Nothing Sacred that leaves you feeling like they may have been able to accomplish something special with a bit more financial backing & a decent international studio & producer.
For fans of Taramis, Iron Angel & Paul Dianno-era Iron Maiden.
3.5/5
I revisited the 1988 demo tape from Brisbane four-piece Iziah this morning. I used to have it back in the day but didn't like it much so it only got a couple of listens. I can see why too as the sound quality is very ordinary & it's definitely not the power/thrash metal release that it's reported to be. It's a fairly basic heavy metal one that doesn't offer me much in the way of appeal.
Aggressa - "Nuclear Death" E.P. (1988)
Underground Australian metal band Aggressa aren't the most well-known of local acts to come out of my home country. Hell... if you weren't deeply involved in the early movement over here then you'd almost certainly have missed them as they weren't the most prolific of artists in terms of recorded output, having only put to tape one crude demo & an almost as crude E.P. that sounds like it was recorded with a handheld cassette recorder. But that level of inaccessibility can often become a source of attraction for some of our more devoted metal aficionados so it's probably worth revisiting Aggressa in the modern day, if only to make sure that there isn't some sort of unheralded gem sitting undiscovered between the two pieces of cardboard that originally housed its charms. My own experiences with Aggressa came through the E.P. rather than the demo which has only recently been made available as a bonus inclusion on the re-release of "Nuclear Death" & I'm gonna guess that the presence of a certain drummer that I had a mild association with back in the Sydney metal scene of the early 90's was likely the catalyst for me becoming aware of it at the time. I can't say that "Nuclear Death" made all that big an impression on me back then though & I was hoping that I might be better prepared for it in the modern day, particularly given the context of my recent explorations into the earliest roots of the Australian extreme metal scene.
Aggressa recorded the self-financed "Nuclear Death" E.P. at Sydney's The Loft Studio in 1987 & would release it to the public in a vinyl format that didn't even come with a proper cover the following year. I'd be very surprised if there was a producer involved as the sound quality is so raw that it could easily be mistaken for a rehearsal tape or cheap demo recording. In fact, I'd suggest that there was almost certainly no mastering done at the time as the tracks often contain count-ins or brief snippets of pre/post-track discussion. The start of "Tunks" even hints that it was recorded at a live show but I don't believe that to be the case so it was a strange decision to announce the song in that way. The Spotify version of the release was clearly taken from a vinyl rip too as there are obvious vinyl crackles running all the way through it. In saying all of that, all of the instruments can easily be identified & are reasonably well balanced. The rhythm guitars do drop out while some of the guitar solos are taking place which is a little annoying but the recording captures Aggressa's live energy pretty well & I'd imagine that they must have been a force to be reckoned with on stage.
Aggressa's style sits somewhere between heavy metal & thrash metal most of the time with many of the seven songs included containing elements of both genres in classic US power metal fashion. Many critics would call that sort of hybrid speed metal but I don't think that's entirely warranted. It's more accurate to simply use a dual tag in this situation as there were clearly two sides to Aggressa's sonic arsenal with the overall aesthetic generally leaning a little more to the heavy metal side than the thrash one. The riffs aren't terribly inspired & neither is the song-writing but I do really enjoy the vocals of front man Darren Jones as he possessed a muscular rasp that would have worked really well with a band like Exodus. The guitar solos of Craig Martin & Carl are frantic & chaotic without being too polished which works well in this context while the drumming of Sadistik Exekution/Reverend Kriss Hades drummer Sloth (who had only recently replaced original drummer Adam Marsh who had left to form prominent Sydney thrash metallers Frozen Doberman) is quite accomplished with his occasional use of blast beats representing some of the better moments on the release.
The tracklisting isn't exactly star-studded but one gets the feeling that a decent production job could have improved things significantly. The previously mentioned "Tunks" is really the only one of the seven tracks that I find to be genuinely enjoyable with its short & violent crossover thrash format working pretty well to get me throwing myself around my lounge room. The more intense material is certainly were I find the most appeal though with speed metal opener "Torture & Pain" & the more expansive death/thrasher "Voo Doo Doll" not falling as far short of the mark as other inclusions with the sub-standard heavy metal of "Break Down the Walls", "Phantom Stage Diver" & the title track failing to capture me much at all. Closer "D.O.A." is probably the best of the more traditional heavy metal on offer but even then I wouldn't say that it manages to raise much of a sweat. There's nothing all that horrible here but there's also not much to write home about either.
It's not hard to see why Aggressa failed to break out of the underground because "Nuclear Death" is really a pretty inaccessible listen. The re-release of the record was clearly intended for a niche market of dedicated fans who crave a simpler time when the tape trading scene was at its peak & was the only way to discover lesser known or unsigned artists. Although I was very much a part of that demographic, I can't quite see past the fact that there was so much better stuff out there than this at the time, even in the fairly isolated Australian scene, & this has left Aggressa floundering in obscurity for the most part & not without justification either. Perhaps a stronger production job & some label backing might have helped a bit but I think it would be a mistake to place the blame in that area as "Nuclear Death" simply isn't a particularly sophisticated release & is best served as drunken background music if I'm being honest.
For fans of Nothing Sacred, Metal Church & "Acid Storm"-period Rampage.
3.5
Yngwie Malmseetn - "The Seventh Sign" (1994)
By the middle of the 1990’s, I would definitely class myself as a complete shred-head. I simply couldn’t get enough soaring guitar solos & searing technique in my life at that point & would go well out of my way to keep track of what the key players in that field were doing, despite my obvious affiliations with the extreme metal scene. That passion would see me continuing to purchase each successive Yngwie Malmsteen release as they hit the shelves, having first discovered him through 1988’s excellent “Odyssey” fourth full-length. Yngwie had been pretty consistent in his ability to keep me interested over the five or so years too with just the one blemish in 1990’s fairly flat “Eclipse” album. But I have to admit that my patience was weighing a little thin given that each record was generally pretty similar to the last one & offered little in the way of innovation or experimentation so I could definitely see my enthusiasm wavering a touch with each record. I think I was just starting that descent when 1994’s “The Seventh Sign” hit my CD player & I’d only stay with Yngwie for another year before admitting that I owned more than enough of the Swedish guitar god to keep me satisfied. I do remember “The Seventh Sign” being a little flat anyway though so perhaps that played a role in my defection? I thought I’d find out this week.
“The Seventh Sign” was recorded at New River Studios in Florida & was his first album for Japanese record label Pony Canyon after leaving his US label Elektra Records who had released 1992’s “Fire & Ice”. I’m not really surprised at the move given how massive Yngwie has always been in Japan. As with “Fire & Ice”, Malmsteen would once again elect to produce the record himself & the results are pretty decent with all of the different elements being very well balanced. There are a few moments when I’d suggest that the rhythm guitars are a little dirty & could have been cleaned up a bit but, in general, “The Seventh Sign” sounds bright & in your face with a big rhythm section & suitably anthemic vocal hooks. As was often the case with Yngwie records, the band lineup he’s gone with for his seventh album had changed significantly from the one we’d received on “Fire & Ice”. Hired gun vocalist Goran Edman (Madison/Time Requiem/Brazen Abbot/Glory/Johansson/John Norum/Karmakanic/Nikolo Kotzev’s Nostradamus/Talisman/Vinnie Vincent Invasion) had departed after contributing to the last two Malmsteen records with another vocal journeyman Michael Vescera (Loudness/Magic Kingdom/Obsession) jumping in for the next two. Yngwie elected to handle the bass guitar tracks himself this time with Svante Henryson moving on to Brazen Abbot while drummer Bo Werner had been replaced after just the one record with prolific skinsman-for-hire Mike Terrana (Artension/Avalanch/Axel Rudi Pell/Emir Hot/Hardline/Iron Mask/Masterplan/Metalium/Rage/Savage Circus/Tarja/Tony MacAlpine/Vision Divine/The Ferrymen). In fact, keyboardist Mats Olausson (Ark/Glory/Iron Mask/Silver Mountain) was the only remaining member from the group that recorded the “Fire & Ice” album & I’m gonna presume that he & Yngwie were fairly tight as Olausson would remain with the band for the entirety of the 1990’s.
If you have even a vague understanding of Yngwie’s previous work then you won’t be terribly surprised by the musical direction of “The Seventh Sign” although it admittedly traverses a number of different subgenres along the way. As with most of his recent releases, we get a mixture of power metal, hard rock, glam metal, heavy metal, neoclassical metal & classical guitar pieces with heavy metal being the thread that ties them altogether in my opinion. That being said, I see no reason to throw any additional primary tags at this record. As with the vast majority of Yngwie’s work, the tendency to want to go with a neoclassical metal tag is overstating the importance of the classically-inspired solos with most of the song structures being more traditionally metal or rock based. Those solos do make the album more cohesive than it might otherwise have been though given the genre-hopping that takes place but Yngwie is most certainly guilty of self-plagiarism as there’s very little that you haven’t heard dozens of times before in that regard. He’s no doubt the finest exponent of his craft that we’ve ever seen but the scope of his creative ideas is very limited & I think this contributed to me tiring of him over time.
Most of “The Seventh Sign” is pretty good to be honest & it certainly starts in solid fashion but, as with most Yngwie albums, there are a few genuine stinkers thrown into the mix & this time I’ve found a couple of them to be disastrous enough to taint my overall impression of the album as a whole. The utterly disgusting attempt at glam metal commercialism that is “Prisoner of Your Love” is by far the worst of them & sits amongst the worst travesties ever attempted in metal in my opinion. The cheesy neoclassical instrumental “Brothers” isn’t much better though & I think it’s fair to say that “The Seventh Sign” would have been a pretty decent Yngwie record without those two. Neoclassical heavy metal number “Forever One” is pretty flat too but it’s not in the same post code as that detrimental duo. The best material can be found in Yngwie’s heavier power metal efforts on this occasion with opener “Never Die”, the doomy “Pyramid of Cheops” & the exciting “Crash & Burn” being my personal highlights but I’m afraid that all that good work has been tarnished by the previously mentioned shockers which have simply left too bad a taste in my mouth.
Up until this point, 1990’s “Eclipse” album was the only Yngwie record that I’ve struggled with but I’m afraid to say the gratuitous repetition & my general tiredness of Malmsteen’s approach have collaborated with the ill-advised commercial indulgences enough to see me painting “The Seventh Sign” with the same brush. The experiences of this week have seen me finding it completely understandable that I would only give Malmsteen one more crack before moving onto new musical challenges. The better material here is easily up to the task but the album’s failings sit solely with the few duds which overpower the album’s strengths, seeing it simply commanding more cringes than I’m comfortable with in my metal.
For fans of Cacophony, Axel Rudi Pell & Alcatrazz.
3/5
Vicious Circle - "Into the Void" (1988)
After exploring all of Vicious Circle's 1980's output over the last few months, I've finally come across a release that I regard as being genuine metal but it's not the crossover thrash variety that most critics would have you believe it is. "Into the Void" is the Melbourne hardcore establishment's fourth full-length album & this time they've fully embraced the metallic influences that only briefly hinted at a new direction on previous releases. With "Into the Void" we find Vicious Circle taking an up-tempo, energetic heavy metal sound that I'd describe as a faster, punkier take on Iron Maiden's early works although you can expect some deviation into hardcore punk & crossover thrash territory on occasion too. The wishy-washy production & loose performances fall strictly into the hardcore camp though & the whole thing could have done with more bass guitar in the mix. Paul Lindsay's vocals have certainly changed a bit & he really struggles on the more stripped back material here with songs like "Ward 7 West" & "Chainsaw to Roses Part 1" being nothing short of disastrous & single-handedly ensuring that this would be Vicious Circle's weakest album to date, despite the majority of the material being more than acceptable. These guys made for a much better hardcore band than a heavy metal one in my opinion though so I'd recommend that you pass on "Into the Void" & head back to the band's early demo tapes instead.
For fans of GWAR, Warfare & Permanent Damage.
3/5
Fester Fanatics - "Greatest Cocktail Party Hits: Vol. 1" (1989)
The second & final studio album from this notorious Sydney heavy metal band & this time it's a fun collection of tongue-in-cheek cover versions that I actually enjoy more than Fester Fanatics' fairly flat 1987 debut album "What Choice Do We Have?". Sure, there are a couple of duds here (see the glam metal version of KISS' "I Want You" & the hard rocking take on The Doors' "Hello I Love You" for example) but the other eight songs are all pretty enjoyable, particularly the two that open the record in the pub rock version of The Swingers' "Counting the Beat" & a thrashed up rendition of The Vapors "Turning Japanese". The production job isn't amazing & front man Alfie Fester is hardly the most talented singer you'll ever encounter but the boys make up for it in laughs & singalongs. Guitarist Jed Starr's guitar solos are the clear highlight of the album as he was a seriously capable shredder that has never received the kudos he perhaps deserved. I can't see this release seeing many of you becoming diehard Fester fanatics but you could do a lot worse than to belt it out at your next house party as it's guaranteed to have your mates singing along.
For fans of Massive Appendage, KISS & Rose Tattoo.
3.5/5
Rapier - "Dreamland" demo (1989)
A fairly flat one-off demo tape from this South Australian heavy metal act that includes four songs across eighteen minutes. It's got a noticeably 1970's vibe to the production job. The vocals are fairly average & the performances are a little sloppy though so this doesn't compete all that well with the big names from that period.
For fans of 70's Black Sabbath, early Mercyful Fate & "Sad Wings of Destiny"-era Judas Priest.
3/5
Mercyful Fate - "The Bell Witch" E.P. (1994)
I had this six-song E.P. bolted onto another Mercyful Fate release I purchased back in the day. It includes two studio tracks taken from the "In the Shadows" comeback album from the previous year as well as four live cuts from an October 1993 show in Los Angeles. I've never liked the title track much but the rest of the material is pretty enjoyable, particularly the live version of "Egypt" was is excellent & is my clear release highlight. The live version of "Come to the Sabbath" is superior to the album version in my opinion while "Curse of the Pharaohs" is a little less effective than its album counterpart. I wouldn't say that this is an essential Fate release as it doesn't match their early works but I'd certainly take it over any of their other 90's releases so it's probably worth giving a couple of listens if you're a fan, even though it doesn't bring anything new to the table. It does have Hank Shermann & Michael Denner's stunning lead guitar work & Snowy Shaw's rock-solid drumming in full effect so that alone should be a drawcard for many heavy metal nuts.
For fans of King Diamond, In Solitude & Attic.
3.5/5
Metanoia - "Demo" demo (1990)
The debut release from a Christian heavy metal band that was based in the far north Queensland city of Townsville & would go on to mutate into a death metal act over the coming years. You'll find speed metal influences tossed into the mix quite regularly & there is some talent to be found in the instrumentation (particularly in the lead guitar work) but the demo-quality production doesn't do it any favours & frontman Steve Bennett struggles with his higher register. The preachy lyrics are also pretty naff so I'm afraid this old cassette doesn't do very much for me these days.
For fans of Bloodgood, Nothing Sacred & Lightforce.
2.5/5
Metallica - 72 Seasons (2023)
Metallica - Hardwired...to Self-Destruct (2016)
Two for the price of one!!
Over the last two or three days I have been filling in the gaps in my Metallica discography knowledge and relistening to the rest for a track-rating project. In an attempt to make the venture more palatable I decided to work backwards. That way, at least I would still have the good stuff to look forward to. Anyway, I had never sat down with the last two albums, in fact I hadn't listened to anything after the complete shitshow that was St. Anger, so I went into Hardwired and 72 Seasons completely blind. In truth, neither was as awful as I had feared and both were certainly an improvement over the band's previously mentioned career nadir. Don't get me wrong, neither do they come close to rivalling their 80s output, but then again what does? There are actually some pretty decent tracks here, both the title tracks, "Lux Aeterna" from the later album and "Dream No More" and "Confusion" from Hardwired are solid efforts.
No, the insurmountable problem for me with both these albums, which was also an issue with 2008's "supposed" return to form, Death Magnetic, is the self-indulgence exhibited by the band. They have always been a band that lean towards lengthier tracks, Master of Puppets itself has three eight-minute-plus tracks, but on these two albums the musical ideas presented in no way justify the interminible runtimes. In fact Metallica now come off as little more than a heavy metal jam band and a parody of their former greatness. The ideas here in no way justify well over two-and-a-half hours of your valuable listening time. Hardwired could easily lose three tracks from the back end, in fact lose the whole second disc except "Confusion" whilst 72 Seasons would be much better if it ended at "Crown of Barbed Wire". Then remove a chorus from each of the remaining tracks and the jobs a good' un as we say round here.
Oh and someone please tell Hetfield to stop singing - his voice is shot and is at times fairly painful to listen to. Add the compression and loudness wars fallout on top of these issues and we have a couple of (very long) albums of material that is subpar for the band that gave us Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets and, if truth be told, for many lesser lights too. Metallica peers such as Testament and even Exodus have released much better albums in the same time span. Listening to both of these is like one of those sad old men with a pony tail and convertible sports car trying to recapture his long-lost youth and just coming off like some kind of weird tosser. It makes me sad rather than angry.
A generous 3/5 for each for old-times sake.
Metallica - 72 Seasons (2023)
Metallica - Hardwired...to Self-Destruct (2016)
Two for the price of one!!
Over the last two or three days I have been filling in the gaps in my Metallica discography knowledge and relistening to the rest for a track-rating project. In an attempt to make the venture more palatable I decided to work backwards. That way, at least I would still have the good stuff to look forward to. Anyway, I had never sat down with the last two albums, in fact I hadn't listened to anything after the complete shitshow that was St. Anger, so I went into Hardwired and 72 Seasons completely blind. In truth, neither was as awful as I had feared and both were certainly an improvement over the band's previously mentioned career nadir. Don't get me wrong, neither do they come close to rivalling their 80s output, but then again what does? There are actually some pretty decent tracks here, both the title tracks, "Lux Aeterna" from the later album and "Dream No More" and "Confusion" from Hardwired are solid efforts.
No, the insurmountable problem for me with both these albums, which was also an issue with 2008's "supposed" return to form, Death Magnetic, is the self-indulgence exhibited by the band. They have always been a band that lean towards lengthier tracks, Master of Puppets itself has three eight-minute-plus tracks, but on these two albums the musical ideas presented in no way justify the interminible runtimes. In fact Metallica now come off as little more than a heavy metal jam band and a parody of their former greatness. The ideas here in no way justify well over two-and-a-half hours of your valuable listening time. Hardwired could easily lose three tracks from the back end, in fact lose the whole second disc except "Confusion" whilst 72 Seasons would be much better if it ended at "Crown of Barbed Wire". Then remove a chorus from each of the remaining tracks and the jobs a good' un as we say round here.
Oh and someone please tell Hetfield to stop singing - his voice is shot and is at times fairly painful to listen to. Add the compression and loudness wars fallout on top of these issues and we have a couple of (very long) albums of material that is subpar for the band that gave us Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets and, if truth be told, for many lesser lights too. Metallica peers such as Testament and even Exodus have released much better albums in the same time span. Listening to both of these is like one of those sad old men with a pony tail and convertible sports car trying to recapture his long-lost youth and just coming off like some kind of weird tosser. It makes me sad rather than angry.
A generous 3/5 for each for old-times sake.
I just reread my review of 72 Seasons and can see that we are on the same page here. Not heard (and probably won't be bothering to) Hardwired... as I think the final quote from my review sums it up for me:
'Metallica in 2023 are indecisive, isolated in their own version of reality and completely unrecognisable as the force of music they so quickly became some forty years ago. For once the hype is correct and I have seemingly missed nothing during the last thirty years.'
Despite being Metallica's best record since the Black Album, I found "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct" to be incredibly self-indulgent. The songs were extended far further than they had any right to be & so was the tracklisting. All of the thrashier parts were blatant examples of self-plagiarism too. They should just have concentrated on song-writing & forgotten about what their fans want. I still haven't bothered with "72 Seasons" to be honest as I expected more of the same.
It is baffling to me that despite the obvious dearth of decent material in the last 35 years Metallica are still the planet's biggest metal band. I am glad I got to see them live in the 80s when they were at their best and not this pale parody of a thrash metal act because, as the great Bill Shankly meant to say, "if Metallica were playing at the bottom of my garden I would shut the curtains, put on my headphones and listen to Master of Puppets".
It is baffling to me that despite the obvious dearth of decent material in the last 35 years Metallica are still the planet's biggest metal band. I am glad I got to see them live in the 80s when they were at their best and not this pale parody of a thrash metal act because, as the great Bill Shankly meant to say, "if Metallica were playing at the bottom of my garden I would shut the curtains, put on my headphones and listen to Master of Puppets".
This made me laugh out loud.