It took almost five years for Metallica to put together their tenth album. Five years and a new producer and once again, for some of us, the magic will be here. With “Death Magnetic” Metallica is reinventing again.

Unlike “St. Anger” or their previous albums “Garage Inc.”,“Reload” and “Load”, “Death Magnetic” signals the end of experiments and searches. “Death Magnetic” is all about the sound, instruments, lyrics, raw energy and, of course, power and speed.

Their sound is more powerful and darker and the solos of Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett sound again like them and not some obscure thrash band.

For those who Metallica means “…And Justice For All” or “Master of Puppets”, “Death Magnetic” will be the album they have had waited for in the past twenty years.

But for those who begun to love Metallica after their “Black Album”, “Death Magnetic” will come as a disappointment. No long, sweet ballads, and even “The Unforgiven III” has nothing to do with “The Unforgiven.”

With seven minute long songs in which the sharps riffs are masterfully combined with Hetfield’s voice, “Death Magnetic” is the album “that should have been” after “…And Justice For All”. It’s like the last twenty years haven’t passed by and the ‘Tallica boys have just woken up after finishing their promotional tour for “…And Justice..”

The album opens with “That Was Just Your Life”, a 7:08 track that begins with a heartbeat and a solo until James Hetfield kicks in with his powerful voice and his furious riff. And 2 minutes later, for anyone that listens “Death Magnetic”, one thing is clear: it's 1988 all over again with long tracks, many instrumental parts, solos and Hetfield’s ambiguous lyrics. Songs like “My Apocalypse” or “The Judas Kiss” sound like the Metallica boys are in their twenties, furious and ready to thrash.

I guess that for Metallica, “Death Magnetic” is just the album that should have followed after “…And Justice”. However, they took a detour which led to another four albums, which clearly have their fans.

In fact, it’s obvious that the inspiration for tracks like “The Day That Never Comes” (which sounds like a more powerful “One” if you can imagine) or “Suicide And Redemption,” come directly from albums like “Ride the Lighting” and “Master of Puppets”.

After listening the whole album, which includes ten songs, one thing is clear: Metallica has shifted its direction again. If “Black Album” divided their fans, “Death Magnetic” will do the same thing again.

The real question is: are there enough fans to enjoy “Death Magnetic” as much as Metallica enjoyed playing it?

Track Listing

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" – 7:57
6. "Cyanide" – 6:39
7. "The Unforgiven III" – 7:46
8. "The Judas Kiss" – 8:00
9. "Suicide & Redemption" – 9:57
10. "My Apocalypse" – 5:01