Metallica’s James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett tearing it up at Ozzfest 08 Photo: Travis Tutwiler

September is upon us and one of metal’s biggest bands will be dropping their long awaited release – Death Magnetic. It comes just a little over five years after what some consider the band’s worst effort, St. Anger. There’s plenty of buzz these days, and Metallica is set to take the world by storm (again).

Just how excited are fans to the reemergence of Metallica? Judging by the 30,000+ fans at this year’s Ozzfest, it’s pretty evident. The band’s 17-song set consisted of 15 classics such as “Ride The Lightning,” “Seek And Destroy,” “One” and “Sad But True,” with nearly everyone singing along as Metallica delivered the songs perfectly. King Diamond joined the band for a Mercyful Fate medley, that a got a huge rise from the crowd. They did manage to sneak new song “Cyanide” into the set, and it went over well.

After witnessing the show and seeing just how much joy Metallica generated on stage, one gets a sense that they’re back on track and ready to put St. Anger behind them. James Hetfield (vocals/guitar) told Revolver Magazine that St. Anger “had to happen,” and that “it was a stripping down of walls.” So much so that the album sounded like a train wreck, but maybe that’s just what the band needed to progress.

Looking to change things up, this time they worked with famed producer Rick Rubin, known for his work on Slayer’s Reign In Blood and Slipknot’s Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses). Rubin advised Metallica to go back to the thinking process they had during the Master Of Puppets album. So that’s what Hetfield, Kirk Hammett (guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums) and Robert Trujillo (bass) did, as they began work on Death Magnetic.
“This album is some of the best music we’ve made in the past 15 years,” Hammett comments in Kerrang. “A lot of the albums we made post-’Black’ were us trying to get away from a perceived Metallica sound. That was the right thing for us at the time, but we don’t feel we have to do that anymore. And to be truthful, it’s fun to play fast, to be heavy. We’re now all on the same page with regards to that. I’d even go so far as to say that we missed playing that way.”

“This album has a hunger and a youthfulness about it,” Hetfield notes. “We had a new producer, a new bass player... and we worked really hard to get it right. So when you ask me if it’s good? If it’s really good? I can honestly say, ‘Yes, it is!’” Lars agrees, stating, “I can honestly say this album is the best album we could possibly have made.”

Metallica’s fan base seems to be divided by those pre-Black era and those post-Black. The pre-Black fans always long for a heavier sound — like those albums from the ‘80’s. However, Metallica chose to make their own path, which wasn’t always to the liking of many fans. But as a band progresses, there are always going to be changes — even if it seems as though they’re leaving behind what they were known for.

“I think we’re all aware of the danger of becoming a band that exists in the past,” Hammet explains. “I think any band that’s been around as long as we have, has to face that. But (Death Magnetic) is going to prove to people that we never lost our ability to make an album like this. We just chose not to. And I’ll stand by those words.”

The hype has certainly grown as XM Radio has dedicated Channel 51 as a 24/7 Mandatory Metallica station that started August 16 and will run through September 30. The channel features a wide range of songs from the band’s long history, as well as live songs from the Metallicalive.com vaults and “Metallica Moments” shared by the likes of Slipknot, Disturbed and Linkin Park. August 21 was the most anticipated date for most fans when first single, “The Day That Never Comes,” debuted. Now in rotation, musically it’s a mix of “The Unforgiven” and “Fade To Black,” but vocally it’s more along the lines of Load and ReLoad.

Check out www.metallica.com for samples of other songs from the album and Metallica news. The band has announced the first leg of their North American Tour as starting in Arizona on October 21.

No DFW dates yet, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.