New Metallica.. My thoughts..

[ejecta]

I have to agree here, the weakest link on the album are the leads. Damn.

We have Testament with a new album also, did you hear the leads on it

What happened to Kirk damn it, he was never the most technical but did he have drive back then, melody and a story to tell with his lead work.

Ah well.

Totally agree. Skolnick's leads are smoking and I'm not talking about technical prowess... his note and melodic choices are much better. Kirk has his thing but I greatly prefer Skolnick and the whole Testament album to the new Metallica for that matter.

 

[metalfan32]

One thing to consider is that non-guitar players (i.e. 99.99999% of Metallica's potential audience) pay about 1/75th the attention to guitar solos that lead guitar players/people posting on rig-talk do. All most people care is that it fits the overall vibe of the song and keeps the momentum going. Beyond that, having a virtuoso performance on a mainstream rock/metal album is like getting the highest grade on a pass/fail test.

Exactly. I love the leads on this. The only people that find the fault are one ones mentioned above.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Kirk Hammett doesn't have to prove anything to you.

The guy is a legend. His work on KEA, RTL, MOP and AJFA is metal genius.

The new stuff? Well, ok. His place in metal history is cemented.

I feel Kirks playing declined after MOP. On Kill Em All almost every solo is interchangeable, but he had some fire in his approach, RTL and MOP were great even with some of his shortcomings.

 

[thiswaythatway]

One thing to consider is that non-guitar players (i.e. 99.99999% of Metallica's potential audience) pay about 1/75th the attention to guitar solos that lead guitar players/people posting on rig-talk do. All most people care is that it fits the overall vibe of the song and keeps the momentum going. Beyond that, having a virtuoso performance on a mainstream rock/metal album is like getting the highest grade on a pass/fail test.

It's annoying though when you overhear people who obviously don't play guitar and they talk about how legendary his playing is.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Kirk wrote the Sandman riff. It's an iconic riff & the song is their most well known by far......therefore Kirk is metallica's riff & solo master!

Did he..........?

I think that's a little bit of a stretch. Kirk did however admit that the lead break in the song is pretty much straight from Heart Magic Man, or he was greatly inspired by it and wanted to do a lick reminiscent of it.

 

[stdio]

I agree for the most part about his solos, but they fit the songs and that style of music just fine. 99% of the band's fans (brahs) don't really care about solos like guitar players do. They just don't get it. But i heard Spit out the Bones this morning for the first time on the radio and there were a few cool arpeggio ideas he did in the solo that kind of hit my ear as i was just anticipating the usual weedly-weedly-weedly stuff (maybe Lars was in the bathroom during that part? ). There is no doubt he can play. I can't imagine all the criticism he gets and all the videos that critique his playing and every mistake he ever made right there for him to watch. I would say that at most concerts there are mistakes made and 99% don't ever notice. I would also love to hear him on a solo record where he is not limited by the mighty Metallica machine.

 

[Inearthed]

His leads are weak, and he always has a weak exit on them. He sucks.

I have to agree here, the weakest link on the album are the leads. Damn.

We have Testament with a new album also, did you hear the leads on it

What happened to Kirk damn it, he was never the most technical but did he have drive back then, melody and a story to tell with his lead work.

Ah well.

Maybe all his awesome solos were lost when his iPhone with his 250 music ideas was stolen.

 

[jlb32]

To me creating music isn't all about how technical you are. Some of the greatest songs ever are very simple and in a band it's more how you mesh together than how perfect you are IMO. Lars is another example. He's by far not the greatest drummer but without him they would not sound like Metallica IMO.

Look at Dream Theater. Those guys are highly educated musically but IMO the music they create, for the most part, is very uninspiring.

 

[jdel77]

Let's all post links to our own solos.

 

[ghosty999]

Let's all post links to our own solos.

sure fromaggeeeee

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

I think it's okay. A lot of mid tempo stuff on the first album. New Kreator is killer though

 

[Deleted member 22177]

Kirk wrote the Sandman riff. It's an iconic riff & the song is their most well known by far......therefore Kirk is metallica's riff & solo master!

Haha! I was going to post something similar to this. That's all Kirk needs to say. " I wrote the Sandman riff "

 

[jlb32]

Here Comes Revenge is still my favorite track off the album after several listens. Love that song!!

 

[romanianreaper]

I like Kirk but I think he has more in him, especially since James and Lars work on a lot of the arrangement, ideas, etc. long before he even arrives in the studio. Sometimes he has brilliance here and there but sometimes he plays similar things at exactly the same fret that he played on past albums. I wish he would mix it up a bit more.

I know he has it in him because he had a great solo on "Unforgiven" and "Stuggle Within". Some songs need scales and runs and others need random stuff.

 

[gbsmusic]

i don't care. I never looked at Kirk for technical mastery, only ripping and cool parts. I think he still is doing that , and for what its worth, He is still a better lead player than Kerry King....

 

[romanianreaper]

Just drove to a few guitar stores in my area and had time to listen to the album all the way thru, one after another.

This album f-ing rocks!!! The first side is the strongest as far as feeling like one solid theme. I haven't bonded with "Halo of Fire" yet, but love all of the rest of the songs.

The album reminds me of the Black Album with different parts of Load, ....and Justice, Reload, etc. sprinkled in there. A lot of the songs are almost twins pace-wise and tones with Black Album songs. I'm trying to remember them in my head but I think it is "Dream No More" that has a "Sad But True" feel to it. "Here Comes Revenge" is like "Wolf and Man".

"Spit Out the Bone", as others have mentioned, is just awesome. I love "Hardwired" as well. My favorite on the whole album has to be "Moth Into Flame". I love everything about that song.

They did an awesome job with this album. When I bought the CD yesterday, the guy at the store gave me the last one they had in stock and said "I have never seen a CD sell like this since I have been working here".

 

[hammered]

I`m just about done with disc 1 , not much to add other than I`m really enjoying it more than I thought I would

 

[jlb32]

I love disc 1. Love disc 2 even more. Overall I think it's a killer album.

 

[romanianreaper]

I love disc 1. Love disc 2 even more. Overall I think it's a killer album.

Man, isn't that crazy how people like different things? Disc 1 is one of my favorite starts to an album (with the exception of Halo but it is a good song).

That first one on the 2nd disc reminds me of Wolf and Man with that gallop riff

 

[mdc1mdc11]

Like the new release quite a bit over many of the other ones post black album. As far as Hammett
is concerned the Mustaine comments are a good description. One thing I do notice with many guitarists is
they are plagued with the same issues many guitar players are in that they cannot seem to evolve and not play
the same thing over again and again recycling mail-in licks and solos. He does it, EVH does it and many others.
That is why so many guitarists also listen to guys that break glass and evolve in my view. The talent level beyond
the rock genres discussed here are a whole different level of musicianship anyway in my view. Go to Berklee or
any other equivalent school and you will find this out quickly and come to understand it in terms of technique.
With that said technique does imply success and connection to fans.

I read a recent article in which Hammett indicated that he is playing and practicing more these days and less
drinking maybe that is something in the future for him. I would like to see him move away from the mail it
in stuff mentioned earlier; however, maybe it is an iconic thing that is required for the music although it
makes guitar enthusiasts cringe.

BTW, James Hetfield should start doing more solos. He is pretty good.