Steel Notes Magazine
January 2017
ber and a new way to play . Criticisms did not go missing even then : songs too long , strange drums sound , not like the old songs . The same thing happened with “ Death Magnetic ”. Not sure how people expect a band to keep playing the same riffs forever , though . I feel like fans want Metallica to follow the standards of heavy metal songs that they themselves created in the 80s and early 90s . But Metallica are Metallica for a reason : they invented a style of metal and they have all the rights to keep reinventing themselves as much as they want . We should all respect the choices Metallica made over time , and consider their career as a benchmark for any rock / metal band in history . Should fans want to listen to old 80s songs , they should probably just keep playing “ Master of Puppets ” on their phones , but maybe they should not spend time criticizing the way Metallica have evolved over time . Their inventive freedom has always been their most powerful quality . They have not followed premade schemes and have created their own style , which naturally evolved over the decades . When they played “ Hit the Lights ” they were in their early 20s . When they recorded the “ Black album ” they were more mature , in their 30s . They got older and right now we are all happy to listen to “ Atlas , rise ”, or “ Hardwired to self-destruct ”. In their 50s they are now playing heavy metal in a way that represents them . Life is a dynamic process . It ’ s like a river that continues to flow . The river can look the same tomorrow , but it is not , it ’ s not the same water .
Photo courtesy of Metallica . com
Obviously , I am not talking about personal taste . Not all the songs sound great to each one of us . But who was ever capable of producing memorable songs for 30 years ? That seems pretty hard to achieve . What ’ s relevant , however , is to stay true to yourself , when making music . If your soul changes , music will change as well . You could actually wonder whether all the bands that never changed their creative style over time have done so because their life and emotions never changed , or because they knew they would make more money out of those albums characterized by a consistent sound .
Music is something that comes from our soul , and it is not a standard scheme . Art in generally is undefinable , and the more we try the more we fail . How can we define a Metallica song ? What are the criteria that describe a “ perfect ” Metallica song ? I don ’ t think we can name them . We can find a core sound , a certain speed , a great melody , but only Metallica know how and why their music comes to life . If instead of following their creativity , they kept producing specific songs , artistry would be a common job . Routine , standard , in the box . Instead , Metallica are the definition of freedom . They have no boundaries , they stay true to themselves and keep leading the way .
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