| Death Magnetic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Metallica | |||||
| Released | September 12, 2008 | ||||
| Recorded | April 2007–May 2008 at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California; Shangri La Studios in Malibu, California; and HQ in San Rafael, California | ||||
| Genre | Thrash metal, heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 74:46 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros., Vertigo, Mercury, Universal Music Japan | ||||
| Producer | Rick Rubin | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
|
|||||
| Metallica chronology | |||||
|
|||||
| Singles from Death Magnetic | |||||
|
|||||
Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008[1] by Warner Bros. Records. It is the band's first studio album to feature current bassist Robert Trujillo, as well as the first to be produced by Rick Rubin.[2] Death Magnetic is also the band's first studio album released through Warner Bros., although they still remain with Warner Music Group, which also owns Elektra Records, their previous label (internationally they remain on Vertigo Records). The album is the band's fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States, making Metallica the first band ever to achieve five consecutive number one debuts.[3]
Contents |
As early as January 1, 2004, Metallica frontman and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield revealed that the band had roughly 18 songs that were not released on their 2003 album St. Anger,[citation needed] and that they may be reworked in the future, if not potentially released as is.[citation needed] Hetfield also said that they had been playing new material during studio sessions, but that there was no mention of plans for a ninth studio album as of yet.[4] On March 12, drummer Lars Ulrich reported that the band had performed thirty-minute jam sessions prior to live performances, and that the jams are recorded for future reference.[citation needed] Select music from the jam sessions may be used on the album, as Ulrich stated, "I definitely look forward to sifting through some of that stuff when we get back to the studio in January."[5] On that note, by October 2004 the band had already compiled nearly 50 hours of pre-set jamming, with hundreds of riffs, chord progressions and bass lines.[6] On September 30, 2004, Launch Radio revealed from an interview with Hetfield that the band hoped to return to the studio in spring of 2005 to begin recording their ninth studio album for Warner Bros. Records.[7]
On March 10, 2006, it was reported that the band was planning to use the following six months to write material for the album, in addition to the previous two months they had already been spending writing music.[citation needed] [8] Lars Ulrich also stated that the band was getting along much better in the studio than they did during the recording of their 2003 album St. Anger.[9] On April 6, Lars Ulrich revealed that the band had composed "six to seven" songs, (except for vocals), from their findings of the riff tapes recording during pre-sets of the Madly in Anger with the World Tour.[10] He also said that by this point, the band's new material was reminiscent of "old school" Metallica works, and that it certainly does not feel like a St. Anger "part two".
On May 20, 2006, Kirk Hammett revealed that the band had 15 songs written and were writing on average two to three songs per week.[citation needed] James Hetfield also praised producer Rick Rubin for his production style in giving the band their own freedom and keeping the pressure at a minimum, despite the sessions becoming sometimes briefly unfocused.[11] On May 27, Metallica updated their website with a video featuring information regarding the album. Lars Ulrich, who spearheaded the video, said about the new album:[12]
| “ | If you're in the studio, everybody presumes you're recording or making a record. Last time there was no real separation between the writing process and the recording process. With St. Anger nobody brought in any pre-recorded stuff or ideas; it was just make it up on the spot, be in the moment. So this time we are doing exactly what we did on all the other albums;— first we're writing, then we're recording. The only difference is that we're writing where we record. So we're writing here at HQ because this is our home, we're writing in the studio. | ” |
Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett also played a role in the inspiration of the title, when he brought a photograph of deceased Alice in Chains member Layne Staley to the studio where Metallica was recording. "That picture was there for a long time," said Hammett, "I think it pervaded James' psyche."[13] Wondering why someone with such talent would choose this path, Hetfield started writing a song based on his questions (the unreleased song "Shine").[13]
On July 16, 2008, Hetfield commented on the album's title:[14]
| “ | Death Magnetic, at least the title, to me started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like Layne Staley and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. And then it kind of grew from there, thinking about death… some people are drawn towards it, and just like a magnet, and other people are afraid of it and push away. And the concept that we're all gonna die sometimes is over-talked about and then a lot of times never talked about — no one wants to bring it up; it's the big white elephant in the living room. But we all have to deal with it at some point. | ” |
According to Hammett, another title considered for the album was Songs of Suicide and Forgiveness.[13]
| This article or section needs to be updated. Please update the article to reflect recent events or newly available information, and remove this template when finished. |
On January 1, 2007, Lars Ulrich stated in an interview with Revolver that the band would be conceiving the album much like they did their albums prior to working with ex-producer Bob Rock; they would sit down, write a select amount of songs, then enter the studio to record them. He also quoted current producer Rick Rubin by saying Rubin doesn't want them to start the recording process until every song that they are going to record is as close to 100 percent as possible.[15]
On March 5, Ulrich revealed that the band had narrowed a potential 25 songs down to 14, and that they would begin recording those 14 songs on the following week.[citation needed] He also expanded on Rick Rubin's style of production, saying,[16]
| “ | Rick's big thing is to kind of have all these songs completely embedded in our bodies and basically next Monday, on D-Day, just go in and execute them. So you leave the creative element of the process out of the recording, so you go in and basically just record a bunch of songs that you know inside out and upside down, and you don't have to spend too much of your energy in the recording studio creating and thinking and analyzing and doing all that stuff. His whole analogy is, the recording process becomes more like a gig — just going in and playing and leaving all the thinking at the door. | ” |
On March 14, the band's official website issued a statement: "Metallica left the comfort of HQ this week to descend upon the greater Los Angeles area to begin recording their ninth original album.[citation needed] This is the first time they've recorded outside of the Bay Area since they spent time at One-on-One Studios recording The Black Album in '90 and '91."[17] This was confirmed on July 24, 2008 on Mission: Metallica, as a video surfaced showed the crew moving into Sound City Studios of Nirvana fame.[18]
On June 4, bassist Robert Trujillo revealed that only select portions of the two new songs debuted in Berlin and Tokyo respectively would be featured on the album.[19]
On July 1, Ulrich stated that all backing tracks were done in May.[citation needed] He said that all that the album was missing were vocals and overdubs, which were to be recorded in August.[citation needed] They hoped to have the album finished by October or November, when the album would be mixed.[20] He predicted the album would be out in February 2008. He also revealed that the songs they are working with are quite long. By December 2007, it was reported by Rolling Stone, that overdubs and Hetfield's vocals still had yet to be recorded. On January 21, 2008, through pictures on Metclub.com's "Top Secret" section, it was revealed that Hetfield had begun recording vocals for the album.[citation needed]
On February 2, 2008, according to Sterlingsound.com, it was discovered that Ted Jensen from Sterling Sound Studios would be mastering the new record.[citation needed] According to Blabbermouth.net and other sources, Greg Fidelman, who had served as a sound engineer, had also been tapped to mix the album.[21]
Ulrich confirmed on May 15, 2008 that Metallica recorded 11 songs for Death Magnetic, although only 10 would appear on the album due to the constraints of the physical medium.[22] The eleventh song, titled "Shine", was a song Hetfield "based around a Layne Staley type, a rock & roll martyr magnetized by death."[13]
In January 2008, a statement was made by Stereo Warning that the album would be delayed until September of 2008,[23] but was quickly denied by Metallica's management since an album without a defined release date can not be "delayed".[citation needed] The album, which was completed on August 10, 2008,[24] was released on September 12, 2008 and issued in a variety of different packages.
On September 2, a French record store began selling copies of Death Magnetic, nearly two weeks ahead of its scheduled worldwide release date,[25] which resulted in the album being made prematurely available on peer-to-peer clients.[citation needed] This prompted the band's United Kingdom distributor, Vertigo Records, to officially release the album two days ahead of schedule, on September 10.[1] It is currently unconfirmed whether Metallica or Warner Bros. will be taking any action against the retailer, though drummer Lars Ulrich who was questioned about the leak on a San Francisco radio station responded,[26]
| “ | We're ten days from release. I mean, from here, we're golden. If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. Happy days. Trust me. Ten days out and it hasn't quote-unquote fallen off the truck yet? Everybody's happy. It's 2008 and it's part of how it is these days, so it's fine. We're happy. | ” |
| “ | By 2008 standards, that's a victory. If you'd told me six months ago that our record wouldn't leak until 10 days out, I would have signed up for that. We made a great record, and people seem to be getting off on it way more than anyone expected. | ” |
On September 15, 2008, after a reviewer for Swedish daily Sydsvenskan admitted that he preferred an illegal download of Death Magnetic to the official release, a scheduled interview was duly cancelled by Universal Music Sweden. Its president, Per Sundin said:[28]
| “ | The reviewer is referring to a BitTorrent where someone has altered the original songs. The reviewer explains exactly where one should go in order to download the file that totally infringes on a copyright. It's not only an illegal file, but an altered file. The reviewer also writes that this is how the album should have sounded. File-sharing of music is illegal. Period. There's nothing to discuss. That fact – that Sydsvenskan has a writer that has downloaded this music illegally and then makes mention of an illegal site in his review – is totally unacceptable to us. | ” |
On the day of the release FMQB radio broadcast The World Premiere of Death Magnetic, which was heard on more than 175 stations across the United States and Canada.The live program from Metallica HQ featured all four members of Metallica talking with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins. Originally scheduled for a 90 minute broadcast, the show ended after two hours.[29]
During their Escape from the Studio '06 tour, the band debuted two songs.[33] "The New Song" debuted on the European leg in Berlin, Germany on June 6, 2006.[34] The song, as performed, is approximately eight minutes long.[35] The title was rumored to be "Death Is Not the End"[citation needed] as Hetfield repeatedly sings the line throughout the song.[33] This song would appear again in multiple Fly on the Wall videos on the Mission: Metallica website, showing the band partway through the song's recording, as noted by the slower tempo and lack of lyrics.[citation needed] "The Other New Song" debuted on June 12, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan, and is much shorter, taking just below four minutes to perform.[36] To the surprise of fans, Metallica played "The Other New Song" once again on June 29, 2007 in Bilbao, Spain.[37] Although neither of the "New Songs" appear on the album themselves, "The End of the Line" and "All Nightmare Long" both contain elements of "The New Song".
On August 9, 2008, Metallica debuted the first album track, "Cyanide", at Ozzfest, in Dallas, Texas and was performed again on August 20, 2008 in Dublin, Ireland.[38] On August 22, 2008 at the Leeds Festival, they debuted the first single, "The Day That Never Comes.[39]
On July 14, 2008, it was revealed at the Microsoft E3 demonstration, that the entire Death Magnetic album would be made playable for the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock at the time when the album is released, and later in October, in the new Guitar Hero game, Guitar Hero World Tour.[40]
All lyrics written by James Hetfield, all music composed by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo.
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That Was Just Your Life" | 7:08 |
| 2. | "The End of the Line" | 7:52 |
| 3. | "Broken, Beat & Scarred" | 6:25 |
| 4. | "The Day That Never Comes" | 7:56 |
| 5. | "All Nightmare Long" | 7:58 |
| 6. | "Cyanide" | 6:40 |
| 7. | "The Unforgiven III" | 7:47 |
| 8. | "The Judas Kiss" | 8:01 |
| 9. | "Suicide & Redemption" | 9:58 |
| 10. | "My Apocalypse" | 5:01 |
In a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone, Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum described his impressions of the unfinished songs:[41]
| “ | Lars is a good friend of mine. He played me the demos from San Francisco, and I turned and looked at him and I said, 'Master that shit and put it out.' It's ridiculous. The demos were sick. Eight-minute songs, all these tempo changes, crazy fast. It's like, 'Dude, don't get slower when you get older, but don't get faster!? How are you gonna play this live?' And then me and Lars were out partying all night, and he had to go in the studio the next day and do this stupid like nine- or ten-minute song, and I was laughing at him — because he played me the demo of it, and it was [sings really fast drum part], so fast. I called him, and said, 'Dude, how are you feeling?' He was like, 'Dude, I'm hurting.' They're cutting everything to tape, no fuckin' Pro Tools — live, no clicks. | ” |
The album's first single, "The Day That Never Comes", was described as the most downbeat track on the album,[citation needed] and is said to be reminiscent of their 1990 Grammy-winning epic breakthrough single "One;"[citation needed] Rock Sound has also compared it to the likes of Thin Lizzy.[42] The band has abandoned the solo-free approach that they followed on St. Anger, returning to complex, multi-layered arrangements such as those typically found on the band's fourth album ...And Justice for All.[43]
Thrash Hits was one of the first websites, along with The Quietus to comment on Death Magnetic,[44] suggesting "it is a vast improvement on 2003 album St Anger." Metal Hammer has noted on Death Magnetic's "sharp riffs" and "uncharacteristic bouncing grooves," and compares the band's sound throughout these six tracks to other bands including Slayer, Led Zeppelin and even Rage Against the Machine.[45] Death Magnetic has been praised by fans as well as critics as a comeback for Metallica after the widely panned St. Anger. Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has praised the album as well saying "Death Magnetic is hands down the best Metallica album in 20 years. This is the CD I've been waiting for them to make since …And Justice for All. And thumbs up to them for doing the first real Metallica instrumental in 20 years since 'To Live Is to Die'. Welcome back, boys."[46]
While Metallica was on the first leg of their 2008 tour in Europe, a third party at their management Q Prime demanded that media impressions and blogs be taken down for reasons undefined. However, when notified upon their return to the United States, the band was reportedly angered by their management's demands, and drummer Lars Ulrich rectified this issue by posting as many links as Metallica could find on their official website, along with an apology.[47]
Reviews for the album have been overwhelmingly positive. Allmusic gave it 4 stars and state that the album is like "hearing Metallica sound like Metallica again", while Rolling Stone, giving the same rating, say that the album "is the musical equivalent of Russia's invasion of Georgia — a sudden act of aggression from a sleeping giant." Other positive reviews come from publications like The Guardian, who say that the album is "the strongest material the band have written in 20 years", and Uncut, declaring that "like all the best heavy rock albums, it suspends your disbelief, demands your attention and connects directly with your inner adolescent".
The album has been criticized for having compromised sound quality and being compressed "past the point of distortion". [48] Sean Michaels of The Guardian explains that "the sound issues are a result of the "loudness war" - an ongoing industry effort to make recordings as loud as possible". [49] A Rolling Stone article states that Rick Rubin was "overseeing mixes in Los Angeles while the band is in Europe, headlining shows" and only communicated with him by conference calls.[50] Fans have noted that these sonic problems are not present in the Guitar Hero version of the album,[51] where the tracks are present separately because of the game mechanics.[52][53] MusicRadar and Rolling Stone attribute a quote to the album's mastering engineer Ted Jensen in which he claims that "mixes were already brick-walled before they arrived" for mastering[54][55] and cite a petition from fans to remix or remaster the album.[56]
Metallica and Rick Rubin initially declined to comment on the issue, while the band's co-manager Cliff Burnstein stated that complainers were in a minority and that response to the album had otherwise been "overwhelmingly positive".[57] Lars Ulrich later confirmed in an interview with Blender, that some creative control regarding the album's production had indeed been transferred to Rubin but also stressed his satisfaction with the final product.[58][59]
Death Magnetic debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 490,000 copies in just three days of availability.[60] It is the band's fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one, making Metallica the first and only band with the most consecutive studio releases to open at number one. The album also had the highest first week sales of any Metallica album since 1996's Load.[61][3]
According to Billboard Magazine, in the September 27, 2008 issue, Death Magnetic landed at number one on the following nine charts: Billboard Top 200, Billboard Comprehensive Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums, Top Digital Albums, Top Internet Albums, Tastemakers, and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks ("The Day That Never Comes").[62] The album stayed at number one for three consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200. Internationally, the album peaked at number one in 34 countries, including Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.[63]
According to The Rock (a New Zealand radio station) the album became platinum on the first day of its release in New Zealand.[citation needed] In addition, nearly 60,000 copies were sold digitally, making it the week's number one Digital Album.[64] The album debuted at number one in the official United Kingdom albums chart after just three days of availability, selling 75,164 copies. The album remained at number one for two weeks and has sold over 150,000 copies to date.[65] In Canada, Death Magnetic was the number one album for four consecutive weeks, bringing its total sales of 173,000 units sold and is certified 2x platinum.[66]
In Australia, Death Magnetic is currently the fastest selling album of 2008, selling 55,877 copies in its first full week of release.[67] Death Magnetic was Australia's highest-selling record in one week since Australian Idol winner Damien Leith's The Winner's Journey, in December 2006.[68] The same success was repeated in Germany, where Death Magnetic has become the fastest selling album of 2008 so far. Within the first three days of the album's release, Death Magnetic sold over 100,000 copies and has been certified platinum. [69] According to reports, Death Magnetic is outselling competitors in Russia and Turkey, two countries which don't have an official album chart.[70]
| Country | Provider(s) | Peak position |
Certification | Sales/ shipments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPIF | 1 | |||
| ARIA | 1 | 2x Platinum | 140,000+[73] | |
| Music Control Europe | 1 | |||
| Ultratop | 1 | Gold | 10,000 | |
| Ultratop | 2 | Gold | 50,000 | |
| ABPD | 1 | |||
| Nielsen SoundScan | 1 | 3x Platinum | 240,000 | |
| ASINCOL | 1 | Platinum | 35,000 | |
| HDU | 1 | |||
| All Records/IFPI | 1 | |||
| IFPI Danmark | 1 | Platinum | 30,000 | |
| PedroBeat | 1 | |||
| IFPI | 1 | |||
| GLF | 1 | 2x Platinum | 60,000 | |
| SNEP/IFOP | 1 | Gold | 73,000 | |
| IFPI | 1 | 2x Platinum | 250,000 | |
| IFPI | 1 | Platinum | 20,000+ | |
| HMV | 3 | |||
| Mahasz | 2 | |||
| IMI | 1 | |||
| IRMA | 1 | |||
| FIMI | 1 | |||
| Oricon | 3 | Gold | 83,000 | |
| Hanteo | 1 | |||
| VIP | 3 | |||
| Exotique | 1 | |||
| AMPROFON | 1 | |||
| GFK/Dutch Charts | 1 | Gold | 40,000 | |
| DOLFIJN/Dutch Charts | 11 | |||
| RIANZ | 1 | Platinum | 60,000 | |
| VG Nett | 1 | 2x Platinum | 60,000 | |
| IFPI | 8 | |||
| ZPAV | 1 | 2x Platinum | 40,000 | |
| AFP | 1 | Platinum | 20,000 | |
| SLO TOP 30 | 1 | |||
| Musiek | 13 | |||
| PROMUSICAE | 2 | Gold | 40,000+ | |
| Sverigetopplistan | 1 | Platinum | 40,000 | |
| Media Control Europe | 1 | Platinum | 30,000 | |
| IFPI | 6 | |||
| Media Control Europe | 1 | 10,000 | ||
| VIP | 1 | |||
| OCC | 1 | Gold | 175,000+ | |
| Billboard | 1 | Platinum [116] | 1,316,000 | |
| APFV | 2 | 55,000 | ||
| Worldwide | Media Traffic | 1 | Platinum | 3,042,000[118] |
Death Magnetic was certified platinum (1,000,000 units sold) by the RIAA on October 24, 2008.[119]
| Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "The Day That Never Comes" | U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1[62] |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 5[62] | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 31[62] | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs | 18[62] | |
| UK Singles Chart | 19 | |
| Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart | 18 | |
| "My Apocalypse" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 67[62] |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 38[62] | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs | 30[62] | |
| Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart | 38 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 51 | |
| "Cyanide" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 50[62] |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 35[62] | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs | 22[62] | |
| UK Singles Chart | 48 | |
| Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart | 48 | |
| "The Judas Kiss" | UK Singles Chart | 79 |
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom[1] | September 10, 2008 | Vertigo Records | Compact disc, digipak, deluxe carton box, 2LP (33 rpm), 5LP box (45 rpm 180-gram vinyl) | 1773726 |
| Mexico | Vertigo Records | Compact disc | ||
| Austria[120] | September 12, 2008 | Mercury Records | Compact disc | — |
| Finland[121] | Mercury Records | Compact disc, digipak, deluxe carton box | — | |
| Germany[120] | Mercury Records | Compact disc | — | |
| Japan[122] | Universal Music Japan[123] | Compact disc, deluxe carton box | UICR-1077 | |
| North America[120][124] | Warner Bros. Records | Compact disc, deluxe carton box, 2LP (33 rpm), 5LP box (45 rpm 180-gram vinyl) | — | |
| Poland[31] | Mercury Records | Compact disc, deluxe carton box | — | |
| Portugal[31] | Vertigo | Compact disc, deluxe carton box | 00602517737280 | |
| Switzerland[120] | Mercury Records | Compact disc, deluxe carton box | — | |
| Canada | Warner Bros. Records | Compact disc, digipak | 2-508732 | |
| Europe | Vertigo | Compact disc | 00602517737280 | |
| United States | Warner Bros. Records | Compact disc | 508732-2 | |
| India | Universal Music India Pvt. Ltd. | Compact disc , digipak , coffin box set | 602517737266 | |
| Australia[125] | September 13, 2008 | Vertigo Records/Universal | Compact disc, limited edition die-cut deluxe digipak | 00602517737280 |