Metallica: Beyond Magnetic EP – Music Review
- December 14th, 2011
- Posted in Music . Reviews
- By Eric
- Write comment
ARTIST: Metallica
ALBUM TITLE: Beyond Magnetic EP
RECORD LABEL: Warner Bros. Records
RELEASED: December 13, 2011
By Eric Stuckart
Creator, Destroyer
After releasing Lulu to the poor reception that it’s gotten from pretty much everyone, it’s hard to not look at this release — a collection of B-sides that didn’t make the cut for their 2008 return-to-roots album Death Magnetic — as a very calculated and perfectly-timed bit of damage control. However, considering the quality of these songs, it’s a great way to make up for their less-celebrated endeavors last month.
With four songs clocking in around a half hour, they fall into the same sprawling, lengthy vein that most of Death Magnetic fell into, but after a few listens, it’s not hard to see why they didn’t fit in on that album. From a structural standpoint, these songs are a little more expansive in their scope than the whole of DM, toying with different textures, riffs that don’t really fall into Metallica’s typical style, and clean breaks that hint at a bit of progression in the songwriting that wasn’t so present in the final product.
While that doesn’t mean that Metallica is going all proggy on us now, it just shows signs of the type of experimentation from the band that hasn’t really been present in their music in quite some time. Whereas the songs of Death Magnetic were more about sticking to a very formulaic, longwinded path peppered with the expected solos, Beyond Magnetic shows the band utilizing a different approach.
“Hate Train,” while being a little cheesy at points in the lyrics, takes a riff that’s basically a beefed up version of “Fuel” and marries it to a clean melodic chorus that sounds plucked from one of Load or Reload’s more melodramatic songs, and then spliced with a heavy helping of thrashing out throughout, complete with a pseudo breakdown riff towards the song’s climax. “Just a Bullet Away,” on the other hand, 
features spiraling riffs during the choruses that pair up nicely with James Hetfield’s lyrics about voices in his head. Eventually, the song gives way to an unexpected silent break, only to return with a somber instrumental section bringing back memories of the Metallica that once was.
Granted, these songs are still very much in line with the style that the album sessions that birthed them, but it shows what could very well amount to a new era for the band that I think most fans would welcome in a heartbeat. By combining some of their more adventurous past elements into the structure and melodicism of their more recent material, they could be onto something much more interesting than Death Magnetic. It shows the band taking the kind of risks with their songwriting that we want to hear from them, not the kind that results in more disappointment. The only drawback to the whole project is the rough nature of the EP. As we were warned, these songs are raw and unpolished, so don’t expect to hear the greatest mixing or clarity. Then again, it still sounds better than the horrendously clipped Death Magnetic and generally garbage tone of St. Anger.
I think it’s obvious that Metallica are never going to record Master of Puppets: Part II, so this probably isn’t going to convert anyone that’s given up on the band already, but it’s probably their strongest work in a long time, and it kind of makes me wish that Death Magnetic sounded more like this than the way it ended up, but I think they felt that they had to prove to their fans that they could still rock out and play, so they did what they felt was right. Either way, it’s a good collection of songs that hopefully point to things in the future. Ultimately, as a Metallica fan, I know it’s not good form to be so optimistic about their musical endeavors, but damn it if Beyond Magnetic doesn’t make me think that I can look forward to new material from the band without fearing for the worst. We all can dream, can’t we? Even if James Hetfield is the table.
RATING: 7.5/10
Front page image from guardian.co.uk, interior photo from f1rocks.com.
I liked Lulu, people are idiots, closet minded, if you like older Metallica, LISTEN to it. I understand why people didnt like St.Anger or Load/Reload their not for everyone. Respect what the band does, to make it somewhere in the music you take risks. Goddamn, everyone on the internet is the same. I for one loved the Load/ReLoad era, but thats my opinion were all different, and at first I hated St.Anger then I looked past everything, Metallica will never be the same, And I think they wanted to do what they did, stray as far away from their “thrash Roots” theyre still a kick ass metal band though, Ive seen em live two times, they play with so much heart. And they embrace everything that made them who they are today, very few bands do that now.
and Lulu WASNT EVEN A METALLICA ALBUM!
Austin, thanks for the comments. Just out of curiosity, did you read my review of Lulu (found here)? To be honest, I didn’t really give it that high of a score, but I felt that it was more because of how it fares as a music project on a whole. I feel that without proper context it is a little hard to relate to or get into it. There is no way to really have it on and listen to it casually. Ultimately, it is a bit of an art project more than a proper album. That’s just my personal opinion, but I feel that I was fair in my review.
I pretty much like everything that Metallica’s put out, some more than others, but I don’t hate much by them. My biggest gripe sits more with St. Anger‘s production than it’s musical merit.
And while I know that Lulu wasn’t a pure Metallica release, but you can’t deny that it’s likely that it really put a bad taste in many listeners’ mouths.
metallica does what they want to do if u consider that selling out then what ever!Alot of metallica fans forget that alot of times.As far as beyond mag.I really enjoyed it.IT sounds like james is finally writing better riffs and songs.All u so called critic metallica fans just wait till 2013 which i think their next record will drop.U all will drop your jaws and finally realize u can fuck with metallica!!The metal militia will rise again i promise!
I absolutely agree with your review of the EP, and if this gives us a sneak peek of the direction the next “proper” Metallica album is headed in stylistically, then i’m very encouraged.
It’s nice to hear them pushing things and taking chances within their own trademark style again.
My main criticism of the Load/Re-Load/St. Anger stuff was that they often abandoned their own sound completely in search of something new, rather than adapting their pre-existing style.
No such gripes or quibbles with the new EP.
“Just A Bullet Away”, in particular seems like a logical progression from Metallica of old, familiar yet surprising at the same time.
Hopefully they’ll fully realize their full potential for progression on the next full length without sacrificing any more of their own character in the process.
This EP shows it can be done.
@Austin
Perfectly said