St. Anger

“I need to set my anger free.” Just seven words, but they above all else capture the raison d’etre of Metallica’s tenth album. They’ve had their troubles in the past (notably the loss of Cliff Burton), but the last few years have seen them more entrenched than ever before – departing members, a battle with Napster that ultimately brought them into conflict with their own fans and finally James Hetfield’s personal battle with addiction.

If St. Anger comes across as some sort of release then, it can’t be that surprising. On the strength of these eleven tracks, though, they must have been some pretty weighty demons. Musically, the experimentation of Load and streamlined rock of Metallica has been abandoned in favour of the sheer speed and aggression of their early days, a period that saw them deliver three albums in just four years. The power of it all is simply astounding, a cacophony of rage that leaves the likes of Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and all the other pretenders to the rock throne in their wake. Only maybe Slipknot could compete with this.

The problem with St. Anger is that it is largely one dimensional, a mass of fury and not much else. At times it sounds like they’re playing three different songs at once, from which a brief, tantalising snatch of melody will appear, before they all race off again into oblivion. When it clicks, the results are nothing short of awesome. ‘St.Anger’ itself could easily stand alongside any of their best work, while ‘Invisible Kid’ is a disturbing insight into the Hetfield psyche, a vision so dark that you just have to look away.

For all their talk of positive energy, St. Anger is an overwhelmingly bleak record – one that is easy to admire but hard to love, that sees them careering, admittedly often thrillingly, down a musical cul-de-sac. If they can channel this sort of passion and rancour into the old songs then the upcoming summer shows could well be the most amazing thing you’ll see all year. And then, with this therapy session behind them, maybe Metallica will get back to making music for the masses.