METALLICA — Lulu (with Lou Reed) (review)

METALLICA — Lulu (with Lou Reed) album cover

Album · 2011 · Heavy Metal

3/5 · 2011-10-21
Time Signature

I am the table...

Genre: (old f)art metal

This release is, if nothing else, interesting. It has received a lot of criticism so far, and this criticism seems to be primarily directed at Lou Reed's vocals. I can kind of follow that, as Lou Reed definitely is an acquired taste (I mean, his first lines in 'Pumping Blood' should be enough to turn any power-vocals-loving metal fan off). I am not a Lou Reed fan, but I kind of like how his spoken word-ish vocals are laid on top of the heavy music. Yes, it is a bit arty-farty, and, yes, when he tries to sing, he's off-key and all that. But the tension between the spoken-word, poetry-slam-like vocals and Metallica's heavy music works quite well, in my opinion.

Tracks like 'The View' and 'Frustration' are actually quite cool. They are heavy and sort of groovy with a couple of uptempo sloppy passages every now and then, and I quite like Lou Reed's spoken word-ish vocals that are overlaid on top of the music - and then there is, of course, James Hetfield's new slogan "I am the table!" in 'The View'. And the following track 'Pumping Blood' with its ventures into both alt rock, thrash metal, noise rock and more traditional metal is another interesting track I think where Lou Reed's bizarre vocals go well with the music. The dark and acoustic 'Little Dog' also comes across quite okay, which also applies to 'Dragon' where the intensity of Reed's vocals actually follow the rises and falls of intensity in the music (something which some of the other tunes on the album lack).

Of course, not everything is swell and dandy, and the opening track 'Brandenburg Gate' is a bit too sloppy for my tastes, while the fierce repetitive primitive thrash riff that constitutes the majority of the musical make-up of the tune does not go especially well with Reed's moaning vocals here (well, to be fair, it's Reed's vocal that don't go well with the music), and the atmospheric noise in the background ends up being sort of annoying. Also, while otherwise a cool track, the "spermless like a girl" breakdown of 'Frustration' sort of falls flat and comes across as unintentionally funny.

I think that the one track where it all comes together the best is 'Iced Honey' - probably because it sounds like a more typical Lou Reed song which has just been added distorted guitars. It comes across as a melancholic and repetitive hard rock song whose sloppiness goes well together with the Lou Reed aspect of this release.

So, yes, I think this is an interesting release and I am glad that I have not just rejected it before listening to it, because I found it enjoyable, and, while it will never be a 'Kill 'em All', 'Ride the Lightning', 'Master of Puppets', '...And Justice for All', 'Metallica', 'Death Magnetic' or even 'St. Anger' - not by a long shot - I do enjoy this release much more than 'Load' and 'Reload'. Also, if one ignores the vocals and lyrics and focuses on the music itself, one will find that it is actually not that bad - apart from 'Junior Dad' which I think is too long, and boring, for its own good.

And, detractors, take comfort in the fact that this is not a 'real' Metallica album, but more of an experimental project (had this been a proper Metallica album, it would have been unforgivable... even to me). Let's hope that their next album proper will more in line with "Death Magnetic" and in the meantime accept this release for what it is.