Metallica just announced new album in November...

[nevusofota]

I like it. Once again I'm not thrilled with the post production and mix. Vocals are too pristine and up/front for my liking. Give it an "80's" mix and you have another cut off of KEA.

 

[NewWorldMan]

I blame the producer/engineer for the tone. Looks like he's using the old IIC++ (Crunchberries), Wizard, and Diezel...which are great amps. When you pop on some headphones and watch the "Making of Hardwired" video, the tone actually sounds pretty good on there in the room for a video clip. Then you listen to the album track...and it's pretty blah.

 

[timeroo]

I blame the producer/engineer for the tone. Looks like he's using the old IIC++ (Crunchberries), Wizard, and Diezel...which are great amps. When you pop on some headphones and watch the "Making of Hardwired" video, the tone actually sounds pretty good on there in the room for a video clip. Then you listen to the album track...and it's pretty blah.

I agree with you, the tone in the making of video sounds crushing.

 

[romanianreaper]

I like it. Once again I'm not thrilled with the post production and mix. Vocals are too pristine and up/front for my liking. Give it an "80's" mix and you have another cut off of KEA.

I agree with the production. I don't understand why dry vocals that are in front of the whole mix suddenly became the "sound". Black Sabbath "13" was the same thing. I personally like a tad of delay, etc. added to vocals.

In my opinion, a song should have all types of ambient effects and should take you on a journey. I don't want vocals to sound like someone is sitting in the room next to me.

 

[Oblivion DC]

I loved the song. The past while whenever they played fast it sounded restricted and seemed like it was just trying too hard. This song sounded loose, relaxed and controlled. The sound is great (which it should be given that they have unlimited resources), the playing is together but not overly tight, the vocals have a rasp to them and it grabs me. Is it kill em all or master of puppets? Naw but it's better than everything they have done since load.

I love that people take shots at Lars and his playing, the dude is 52 years old and he's playing pretty damn quick, not to mention playing 2.5 live shows. He's not 25 anymore and the world of metal drumming has comes worlds in the past 10-15 years but he's hanging in there. At 52, I would say he's doing just fine.

Haters can hate all they want, weekend warriors and couch cruisers can talk shit all they like and that's fine but I think people need to just relax a bit.

His age is not what limits him. Lars is just not an aggressive or creative drummer. Scott Travis is going to be 55 next month and on his worst day still shits all over anything Lars has ever done.

 

[sytharnia1560]

I like it.
Think it is overall pretty solid.

With that said, I wish someone would go find James' Mark IIC+ and have him us it as his main amp again.

Totally this - with all the kit and cash why can they not get a good rhythm tone. I mean it should be pretty simple, throw on MOP / AJFA / Black and go yeah, now where are my notes from that album

because no one wants to scoop the mids anymore sadly...its what the song really needs

 

[webrthomson]

I like it.
Think it is overall pretty solid.

With that said, I wish someone would go find James' Mark IIC+ and have him us it as his main amp again.

Totally this - with all the kit and cash why can they not get a good rhythm tone. I mean it should be pretty simple, throw on MOP / AJFA / Black and go yeah, now where are my notes from that album

because no one wants to scoop the mids anymore sadly...its what the song really needs

You are probably right - and yes some scooping on that would sound better. That said LOG leave the mids in and still sound crushing!

 

[ElectricVoodoo]

Metallica, EVH, Yngwie, Cameron are the most highest read/replied threads on here it seems. I'm sure they are elsewhere too.

All good, but again, this song simply doesn't capture that "magic," that the opposite of white album did.

Oh, forgot Blades on that list.

 

[BrentSSL]

I like the tone but think it would be better if he ditched the Het Set pickups. The low end has a bloated sound and sound weird on fast alternate picking and staccato stuff IMO. That's where the 81 shines. You can hear it plain as day on the new track.

I totally thought I was the only one who didn't like the het set pickups lol. I'm pretty sure they revoiced the 81 to sound more like the emgx or the Het set. Because I didn't hear any difference between a hetfield signature i played the other day and a brand new jackson with an 81 in the bridge. I was playing through a Mesa roadkking combo though so I'm going to do more research.

 

[stanbog]

Just heard the live version. TBH, i like it better.

Definitely ok, just nothing to write home about imo. I would prefer to hear more complex, musically challenging stuff. This song is 3 minutes repetitive rhyhtm. Ok, the break is not that bad... but should be developped to more. Hell, even This Was Just Your Life has a more interesting middle part. I guess they are more into radiofriendly easy listening festival sound.
Again, I hope for the rest of the album.

Oh, and I'm massively disturbed by Kirk's fingernails...

 

[Blitzie]

You people are never happy.

It's a fast thrashy song. The whole point is that it's aggressive and not overthought.

The rest of the record will be more musically challenging. This song is a punch to the gut, not a piece of timeless art.

 

[Speeddemon]

This song doesn't remind me of Slayer, but everyone's entitled to their opinion...

Not opinion, but FACT.

But fer realz, listen to the chords in one of Slayer's most recent songs (the part starting at 0m14s

And then listen to Metallica's chords under the 'We're so f*'d" part in Hard Wired (starting at 0m59).

I dunno if ProTools supports Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, but it sure as hell sounds like it does!

That being said, it definitely has an older, yet evolved Metallica feel, which I like. I agree with the guitar tone's too dry and I don't like the sluggish tone of the kick drum (I don't like that super-short, tight, triggered sound either, but somewhere in between... think the more recent releases of Testament, Kreator, Destruction, Exodus).

What's more notable, is one of Metallica's more rare uses of a pure mosh-drum rhythm. For a band that stood at the very cradle of Thrash metal as a genre, they hardly use, what Slayer and Anthrax have used to be career-defining. I find that interesting.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Same vibe
Different chords
Different intervals

 

[Speeddemon]

Same vibe
Different chords
Different intervals

False. First interval between chords 1 and 2 is exactly the same for both songs. Minor second. Different key.
Heck, if Metallica still plays in E standard tuning, it's even the SAME positions on the fretboard, given that Slayer usually plays E-flat tuned. (Metallica = A-Bb, Slayer = G#-A).
But overall feel, vibe, cadence...the friggin' same.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

So....Slayer owns the minor 2nd interval?

Metallica FlameFail

 

[Speeddemon]

So....Slayer owns the minor 2nd interval?

Metallica FlameFail

I wasn't even flaming Metallica (given that I stated I kinda like the song and the effore), but you're missing the point.

Someone said that Hardwired doesn't remind them of Slayer. I posted a comparison, that shows (IMO) the opposite. It's not just that minor 2nd how the riff begins. It's the total feel of that whole part. The "slow-chords"+mosh part of 'Repentless' sounds eerily similar to Metallica's Hardwired' chorus. Fact.

And if someone states 'different intervals', when both riffs start exactly the same (and given the probable respective band's typical guitar tunings even on the same position), I beg to differ. Flies away.

 

[jlb32]

Definitely ok, just nothing to write home about imo. I would prefer to hear more complex, musically challenging stuff. This song is 3 minutes repetitive rhyhtm. Ok, the break is not that bad... but should be developped to more. Hell, even This Was Just Your Life has a more interesting middle part. I guess they are more into radiofriendly easy listening festival sound.
Again, I hope for the rest of the album.

Oh, and I'm massively disturbed by Kirk's fingernails...

The album has 12 songs and is slightly over 80 minutes long so there will definitely be some much longer songs. I kind of like it that they made this one short and simple. Something they have not done in a long while. You figure St. Anger and Death Magnetic both were filled with longer songs. Many of them much much longer than they needed to be and were just long for the sake of being long.

Many seem to be unhappy with the sound but IMO this sounds 10 times better than St. Anger and Death Magnetic did. It might not be the perfect mix but it's definitely more in the right direction considering the mixes they have picked on the last 2 albums were horrible.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I posted a comparison, that shows (IMO) the opposite. Fact.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Just heard the live version. TBH, i like it better.

This is much better

 

[chris lykins]

Agreed , live version sounds pretty good! Solo on the live version was definitely lacking tho!