Metallica - St Anger

Metallica. 

The most metal band ever. Even their name suggests an amazing experience of heavy metal delights. 

St. Anger. 

The album name suggests an album of indescribable aggression. An album that will pound you into the ground, making you martyr yourself in hate and anger.

Instead, we get lyrical content that a five year old could write when stoned, and a soundscape that likens to a grammafone. 

Someone should inform the band that part of what makes things sound heavy is having some sounds in the low end of the spectrum. Aside from the singer's voice.

Bass guitar lines that sound like the guy is playing while taking a dump (watching a music video seems to make that a more accurate description). Contrived, average guitar lines.

Drums… drums… drums…

Have you ever heard the chaotic clank and clatter a young child makes banging on mom's kitchen utensils? That sounds better than the drums on St. Anger.

Lars even plays like an infant, standing up and waving his arms in the air like he's surprised he's even making sounds.

And then there's James Hetfield's lyrics. Monster lines of imagination that circumvent any semblance of logic or sense.

“Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick…”

Is this a nursery rhyme? Are we speaking in some form of baby talk? Maybe, he believes we are all good boys, and we can go for walkies soon.

There's rumors that James Hetfield is somehow related to the famous Hatfield family. The ones that have a centuries old grudge. Personally, if that's the case, I wish the McCoys had won.

I shall leave you with some more impressive word smithing from the title track. 

“You flush it out, You flush it out
Saint Anger 'round my neck
You flush it out, You flush it out
He never gets respect”

I think he clogged his potty.

“I feel my world shake
Like an earth quake
Hard to see clear
Is it me? Is it fear?”

Or maybe he's just afraid to use the potty...

Hext