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Editorial Reviews
2012 CD EP from the Metal titans containing four leftover tracks from the Death Magnetic sessions. All four tracks were previously available only as digital downloads, but this EP is the first time these recordings have been available in a physical format. These four songs are the rough mixes, unfinished to their original degree of mixing from March of 2008.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 66 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Metallica's Musical Apology For the Lulu Project Is Pretty Decent, But Not Great
February 5, 2012
By J. Gordon
Format:Audio CD
On the heels of their disastrous collaboration with Lou Reed, "Lulu", Metallica releases "Beyond Magnetic", which I imagine is sort of musical damage control. After all, while "Death Magnetic" still has had its fair share of detractors, I think it is considered by a majority of metal fans to be at least a relative return to form. So after squandering their newfound goodwill by indulging in what could be best described as a musical vanity project with Lulu, it makes sense that they would dip back into the Death Magnetic well, with this release of 4 tracks that were completed for that album, but not fully mixed and released on it.
Listening to it, it reminds me of how confused the band must've been in the time leading up to the Death Magnetic recording sessions. Since the dawn of the 90's, Metallica were being increasingly influenced by their producer, Bob Rock, which resulted in them attempting to re-brand themselves as a heavy rock band, as opposed to a heavy metal band. Load and Reload were both ostensibly attempts to "branch out" into styles that the band members may have already had some interest in, but it was clear that the process was somehow...just not natural. Everything sounded too restrained, too calculated, which I believe was in part due to Bob Rock insisting that they "play it safe", and keep things simplified enough to be commercially viable. Eventually, it all broke down when St. Anger was being made, and with Bob Rock's departure, the band was left adrift in strange and out of tune waters. They had the pent-up rage, but had forgotten how to harness that emotion in the form of actually listenable songs. The songs on Beyond Magnetic are interesting in that they provide an insight on the path back from the confusion of St. Anger, as it is clear why these were not included on Death Magnetic, while at the same time being songs that wouldn't necessarily sound out of place on that album.
Let's get the bad out of the way first: the songwriting here is not as tight and well-polished as what made it onto Death Magnetic, and as the songs were released without the same final mixing and post-production as those on DM, it's a less user-friendly experience in some ways(although with DM's way too hot mix, that may be open to debate). As a result, there's a bit of that scruffy New Wave of British Heavy Metal vibe, which makes sense, given that I think the band went back to those influences on Death Magnetic. Of the 4 tracks here, the weakest among them is clearly "Hell and Back". It wouldn't surprise me in the least if this was one of the first songs written for these sessions, as it sometimes sounds closer to St. Anger than Death Magnetic, and it shares the same overwrought, confessional tone as St. Anger. I will say that the song improves halfway through, and has the kind of pyrotechnic soloing that was absent on St. Anger, but it doesn't have the same success in blending Metallica's different eras together as the songs that made it onto Death Magnetic.
The good news is that the other 3 songs are all pretty damn solid pieces of work. The unfortunately-titled "Hate Train" turns out a lot better than the name would indicate, as it starts off switching back and forth between the heavy-rock boogie of a song like "Fuel", and straight-on metal galloping, with some clean-sounding, melodic choruses. About 2/3 of the way through, the song shifts gears completely, and throws a 1-2 punch of a somewhat thrashy, palm-muted theme and a slower, heavier riff, both backed with some nice guitar harmonies. "Just A Bullet Away" is even more unabashedly metal, relying on a chunky, rapid-fire backing riff that builds up, until everything goes silent, and the band breaks out a clean, mournful section where guitar harmonies sprout like bamboo stalks, until things build back up into the main riff. "Rebel of Babylon" can best be compared to "All Nightmare Long", although the emphasis here is less on fast riffs (which are still present), and more on slower, doomier riffs. The common thread, however, is that these 3 songs don't quite seem to have the same confident tone as those that made it onto Death Magnetic, despite the generally competent songwriting and performance present.
So overall, Beyond Magnetic is a must-have for those who enjoyed Death Magnetic. Those who dismissed Death Magnetic as Metallica trying too hard to recapture the essence of a band they no longer are, are unlikely to find anything to change their minds here. If "Hell and Back" had been a stronger track, this EP could've easily rated 4 stars instead of a "very high 3 stars" (Amazon, please change the ratings to a 10 star system!). This leaves us with the question of whether Metallica's "Lulu" misadventure was just a brief accidental detour, and whether they can regain their momentum that they seemed to have reclaimed in 2008. Only time will tell, but I'm hoping for the best.
Listening to it, it reminds me of how confused the band must've been in the time leading up to the Death Magnetic recording sessions. Since the dawn of the 90's, Metallica were being increasingly influenced by their producer, Bob Rock, which resulted in them attempting to re-brand themselves as a heavy rock band, as opposed to a heavy metal band. Load and Reload were both ostensibly attempts to "branch out" into styles that the band members may have already had some interest in, but it was clear that the process was somehow...just not natural. Everything sounded too restrained, too calculated, which I believe was in part due to Bob Rock insisting that they "play it safe", and keep things simplified enough to be commercially viable. Eventually, it all broke down when St. Anger was being made, and with Bob Rock's departure, the band was left adrift in strange and out of tune waters. They had the pent-up rage, but had forgotten how to harness that emotion in the form of actually listenable songs. The songs on Beyond Magnetic are interesting in that they provide an insight on the path back from the confusion of St. Anger, as it is clear why these were not included on Death Magnetic, while at the same time being songs that wouldn't necessarily sound out of place on that album.
Let's get the bad out of the way first: the songwriting here is not as tight and well-polished as what made it onto Death Magnetic, and as the songs were released without the same final mixing and post-production as those on DM, it's a less user-friendly experience in some ways(although with DM's way too hot mix, that may be open to debate). As a result, there's a bit of that scruffy New Wave of British Heavy Metal vibe, which makes sense, given that I think the band went back to those influences on Death Magnetic. Of the 4 tracks here, the weakest among them is clearly "Hell and Back". It wouldn't surprise me in the least if this was one of the first songs written for these sessions, as it sometimes sounds closer to St. Anger than Death Magnetic, and it shares the same overwrought, confessional tone as St. Anger. I will say that the song improves halfway through, and has the kind of pyrotechnic soloing that was absent on St. Anger, but it doesn't have the same success in blending Metallica's different eras together as the songs that made it onto Death Magnetic.
The good news is that the other 3 songs are all pretty damn solid pieces of work. The unfortunately-titled "Hate Train" turns out a lot better than the name would indicate, as it starts off switching back and forth between the heavy-rock boogie of a song like "Fuel", and straight-on metal galloping, with some clean-sounding, melodic choruses. About 2/3 of the way through, the song shifts gears completely, and throws a 1-2 punch of a somewhat thrashy, palm-muted theme and a slower, heavier riff, both backed with some nice guitar harmonies. "Just A Bullet Away" is even more unabashedly metal, relying on a chunky, rapid-fire backing riff that builds up, until everything goes silent, and the band breaks out a clean, mournful section where guitar harmonies sprout like bamboo stalks, until things build back up into the main riff. "Rebel of Babylon" can best be compared to "All Nightmare Long", although the emphasis here is less on fast riffs (which are still present), and more on slower, doomier riffs. The common thread, however, is that these 3 songs don't quite seem to have the same confident tone as those that made it onto Death Magnetic, despite the generally competent songwriting and performance present.
So overall, Beyond Magnetic is a must-have for those who enjoyed Death Magnetic. Those who dismissed Death Magnetic as Metallica trying too hard to recapture the essence of a band they no longer are, are unlikely to find anything to change their minds here. If "Hell and Back" had been a stronger track, this EP could've easily rated 4 stars instead of a "very high 3 stars" (Amazon, please change the ratings to a 10 star system!). This leaves us with the question of whether Metallica's "Lulu" misadventure was just a brief accidental detour, and whether they can regain their momentum that they seemed to have reclaimed in 2008. Only time will tell, but I'm hoping for the best.
31 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By Fernando
Format:Audio CD
If you're like me and followed the making of Death Magnetic on Mission Metallica, then you couldn't help but be disappointed when Death Magnetic came out. A great album, but there was indeed some really good material left off. Beyond Magnetic fills in the gap. While listening to this EP, I couldn't help but say to myself, "ooh I remember that!" and I'm sure you'll find yourself doing the same. The four previously unreleased Death Magnetic tracks are here in the same horrible Death Magnetic production. Look out for Rebel Of Babylon, it can get a bit thrashy. And if anyone is wondering where "Shine" is, it's re-titled Just A Bullet Away.
11 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I heard the four tracks on this EP online when they were released individually a couple months ago, and now it's nice to have them on CD since they're good songs, and since I'm not into iPods. Some of them, especially my favorite, Just a Bullet Away, probably could've replaced tracks that made it onto Death Magnetic. Metallica might be aging, but they still have some fire left, as they showed when they played these songs live during their 30th Anniversary gigs in San Francisco. Similar to the other songs from the Death Magnetic sessions, the four tracks here show off plenty of metal riffs and solos, with equal portions of Black Album-style heavy rock. Here's a more detailed account of each track for anyone interested.
Hate Train--The first half of this song features riffs very similar to Fuel and Black Album-era verses, with the second half sounding more like their thrash era. It has some slow parts with decent singing by James, but parts of the first half might have sounded too close to Fuel to make Death Magnetic. The solos could be longer, but this song is definitely heavy on riffs and has a lot of different parts. Despite the Fuel riffs, I think it sounds less like the Re-Load era than several songs from DM.
Just a Bullet Away--Awesome metal song, with great riffs, lyrics, and vocals...this one definitely should've been on Death Magnetic. It seems to be most people's favorite of the four, although Rebel of Babylon gets a lot of votes, too. I think it would fit nicely on the Black Album, as it's sort of an almost-thrash song that would sound at home with the heaviest few tracks from that release.
Hell and Back--The strange song out of the four. It reminds me of Broken, Beat, & Scarred in some parts, and Cyanide in others. The weird verses in the first half don't remind me of anything from Metallica. They're almost alternative, I guess; not bad, really, just different. It gets fairly heavy in the middle, then continues with some nice riffs until the end. Even though it might be the weakest of the four tracks, it's still good enough for a solid 4 out of 5.
Rebel of Babylon--This is another clearly heavy song like Just a Bullet Away, with some fast riffing in the verses. James offers a few vocal lines that get about as old-school as he can manage these days. There's still a lot more singing than in the old days, but you hear traces of that gruff, harsh James of the past. It leaves a nice taste finishing things off heavy.
Listening to the songs on this EP, I could make the case that some are about equal to tracks on Death Magnetic, so I can see where Metallica might have had a tough time deciding which ones to leave off that album. Just a Bullet Away is the only one that I'd gladly sacrifice a song for (maybe Cyanide), but just adding them to Death Magnetic would've made it too long in my opinion. Which makes it cool that they put them together for an EP to hold us off until a new album comes together. Clocking in at about a half hour with four 7-8 minute songs, Beyond Magnetic is a fine EP to add to Metallica's discography. Easily worth the $5 price tag.
Hate Train--The first half of this song features riffs very similar to Fuel and Black Album-era verses, with the second half sounding more like their thrash era. It has some slow parts with decent singing by James, but parts of the first half might have sounded too close to Fuel to make Death Magnetic. The solos could be longer, but this song is definitely heavy on riffs and has a lot of different parts. Despite the Fuel riffs, I think it sounds less like the Re-Load era than several songs from DM.
Just a Bullet Away--Awesome metal song, with great riffs, lyrics, and vocals...this one definitely should've been on Death Magnetic. It seems to be most people's favorite of the four, although Rebel of Babylon gets a lot of votes, too. I think it would fit nicely on the Black Album, as it's sort of an almost-thrash song that would sound at home with the heaviest few tracks from that release.
Hell and Back--The strange song out of the four. It reminds me of Broken, Beat, & Scarred in some parts, and Cyanide in others. The weird verses in the first half don't remind me of anything from Metallica. They're almost alternative, I guess; not bad, really, just different. It gets fairly heavy in the middle, then continues with some nice riffs until the end. Even though it might be the weakest of the four tracks, it's still good enough for a solid 4 out of 5.
Rebel of Babylon--This is another clearly heavy song like Just a Bullet Away, with some fast riffing in the verses. James offers a few vocal lines that get about as old-school as he can manage these days. There's still a lot more singing than in the old days, but you hear traces of that gruff, harsh James of the past. It leaves a nice taste finishing things off heavy.
Listening to the songs on this EP, I could make the case that some are about equal to tracks on Death Magnetic, so I can see where Metallica might have had a tough time deciding which ones to leave off that album. Just a Bullet Away is the only one that I'd gladly sacrifice a song for (maybe Cyanide), but just adding them to Death Magnetic would've made it too long in my opinion. Which makes it cool that they put them together for an EP to hold us off until a new album comes together. Clocking in at about a half hour with four 7-8 minute songs, Beyond Magnetic is a fine EP to add to Metallica's discography. Easily worth the $5 price tag.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars of course.. It's METALLICA!!
I really rocked out to this one! Especially Just a Bullet Away. If you're a fan as long as I have you will enjoy this one.
Published 14 days ago by G. Bordley Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
la la
la it I a by see wet you are saw pop pup look is at red hi high bye poo
Published 23 days ago by la la
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond Lulu....
It seems ironic that Lulu, the collaboration with Lou Reed was released October 2011, and due to the poor reviews, and poor sales, the Metalli dudes decided to release the Beyond... Read more
Published 1 month ago by black metal literally
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just More Of The Same
I heard the 20 second samples of the songs and thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't let down but I wasn't impressed either with the content. For a $3.00 gamble, I broke even.
Published 1 month ago by Orion
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good!!
This is a nice EP by Metallica..its not bad, new songs i havent heard.. found it for a good price and bought it.. 5 stars for any Metallica Fan
Published 2 months ago by Jexan1
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thrash For The 21st Century
If you like adventurous heavy metal, you should like this EP. Anyone into Metallica should have this EP. If you liked Death Magnetic you'll dig this EP.
Published 2 months ago by Victor
5.0 out of 5 stars
n/a
great product had no problems with the product i would recommend to my friends and family 5 stars thank you
Published 3 months ago by Joel Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond Magnetic
A must-have for any Metallica fan! This EP is a great continuation to the amazing album Death Magnetic with the same driving tracks that were created on the previous album.
Published 3 months ago by Vaughn Bremer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stands Alone! THEY'RE BACK!!!
This heavy master piece proves that Metal is alive and still kicking...KICKING ASS!!! Only four songs? Why yes. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jonathan Allen
3.0 out of 5 stars
If you liked Death Magnetic, you'll like this.
To continue my point: if you didn't enjoy Death Magnetic or don't feel a desire to collect all Metallica track releases, then you really don't need this. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Auggie
