The Dexter Leader
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Metallica bounces back with old school thrash
By Lee Copley, IN REVIEW: Music, Film, Games
PUBLISHED: January 8, 2009
Music: "Death Magnetic" by Metallica
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Over two decades ago, the world was introduced to a new breed of metal. It was fast, heavy and loud. It was called thrash metal, and the forefathers of thrash were Metallica. An icon. Gods of metal. The definition of metal.
Metallica's latest album, "Death Magnetic," brings thrash back to the limelight after their last album, St. Anger, ruined it for a lot of people. "Death Magnetic" is a throwback to the old school metal that's been absent from the music scene for years. It's a dose of metal that music lovers of today needed to have.
"Death Magnetic" sounds more like something released in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Every song is long, with the shortest song, "My Apocalypse," still more than five minutes. The longest song, "Suicide & Redemption," is two seconds short of 10 minutes.
James Hetfield has one of the few metal voices, and it's changed little over the years. Lars Ulrich is an amazing drummer. He creates extremely good beats that catch the listener and keeps them hooked. He keeps time with the ferocity of a machine gunner. And last but not least is Kirk Hammett, by far one of the best guitarists alive and still playing up to his high standards.
The songs on "Death Magnetic" are what you'd expect and appreciate from Metallica. Mostly fast and heavy stuff, with a slow one tossed in here and there. "The End Of The Line" has an amazing beat to it, and has extremely good vocals. The lyrics on it , however, are just average. "The Day That Never Comes" starts off slow, with an almost 'power ballad' sound to it, but it's chorus is heavy and it turns very heavy towards the end on the song. The vocals help take the song to the same level as "Nothing Else Matters."
"All Nightmare Long" has a unique intro, with a distinct guitar riff. There is almost no singing, but it's okay for this song. It's a speed metal song that shows the talents of Metallica when it comes to playing pure metal. "Suicide & Redemption" is a pure instrumental, minus the chorus. It keeps going much longer than it needed to.
"The Judas Kiss" may be the best song on the album. It has good lyrics, a good beat and an awesome intro. When you play "Death Magnetic" for the first time, skip straight to "The Judas Kiss" and work your way around from there.
This is by far the best metal album released in the last few years. There's nothing else like it out there, with Megadeth and Iron Maiden's recent albums as an exception. I can't wait for another old school metal album.
"Death Magnetic" is a must buy for any metalhead. Grade: A.
Music: "THR33 RINGZ" by T-Pain
It seems like new rappers come on the scene every few seconds. Well, a few seconds ago T-Pain arrived. His third album, "THR33 RINGZ," recently hit stores and it seems more like an attempt at electronica or pop. On most of the songs, T-Pain uses voice effects to give his voice a more "computer" sound. It can make a song more interesting if used in moderation, but almost every song on "THR33 RINGZ" has this style and it quickly becomes annoying.
There also is a circus theme on the album, but not strong enough to make it a concept album. The artwork on "THR33 RINGZ" is designed to look like a circus poster, and there are several tracks that are skits. However, these skits really don't relate to each other, and they don't create a storyline for the album.
The worst, and best, part of the album is that there are guests on almost every song. Some of these guests make the songs a hundred times better, and some only add to an already awful song. "THR33 RINGZ" would have been a lot more interesting if it was a concept album and all the songs had a circus theme.
The list of guests on this CD include Ludacris, Chris Brown, Ciara, Lil' Wayne, Akon, T.I., Kanye West, Musiq Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn, Jay Lyriq, Young Cash, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Tay Dizm and DJ Khaled. That is way too many guests to have on an album especially while trying to prove how good of a solo artist you are.
Some of the highlights on the CD include "Ringleader Man," by far the best song without a guest . It's a slower song with a good beat. "Freeze" has Chris Brown as a guest singer, and it may be one of the most radio friendly tracks on the entire album. It's more of a club song, suited for dancing and not much else. "Karaoke" features DJ Khaled on vocals with T-Pain, and it is the best rap song on the album. It has a solid beat, and the Khaled's vocals are strong.
Some of the lowlights include "Therapy," featuring Kanye West. The lyrics are awful. In fact, the whole song is awful.
"THR33 RINGZ" has a professional sound, but is over-edited. Some editing here and there is understandable, but he adds a almost digital sound to his voice. The beats on the songs are generally well done and show a lot of work, but flashy production does not make a bad song any better. "THR33 RINGZ" has weak lyrics and vocals, and features one of the worst songs ever made in "Therapy." Grade: C-
Game: "Fable 2"
Several years ago the game Fable was released by Lionhead Studios for the then modern systems. It offered unique character development, an interesting world to play in and a very good story. There was an expansion set called "Fable: The Lost Chapters," which added little to the game.
Now comes a true sequel, "Fable 2."
The story of "Fable 2" picks up 500 years after the end of the first one. The first game was in medieval time and the second is in something similar to the Renaissance. Many locations and characters are either mentioned or seen. The main character, which is made by the player, is different from the first game, but there are many points that hint at a relationship between the two.
The first hour or so are spent in childhood, to learn the controls and be introduced to the grand scheme of things in the world. Within the first three hours the main enemy is introduced, your sister dies and you become an adult and thus able to begin questing. The main storyline is to find three heroes and defeat the enemy, Lucien. Throughout the game, you're helped by a mysterious woman named Theresa, who knows more than anyone else in the game. If you've beaten the first game, you'll recognize Theresa as the sister from the first game.
The end has the typical "choose your path" endings, and sets up a possible third game. The plot keeps your attention, and does a good job of adding elements when needed, but isn't as good as the first game because they're pretty much the same kind of thing.
"Fable 2" is a good game, but seems more like an expansion pack than a standalone sequel. It bridges the gap between the first game and a possible third game. It's a unique game, but "Fable" was a lot more groundbreaking. Grade: B+
Lee Copley is a student at Dexter High School and writer for The Squall.
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