METALLICA — Some Kind of Monster (review)

METALLICA — Some Kind of Monster album cover EP · 2004 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Pekka
The Some Kind of Monster EP is a companion release to the movie of the same name, featuring the original and edited version of the title track as well as six live cuts of old school Metallica, recorded in Paris on June 11, 2003. "The hottest day in the history of France", the booklet says, that's a good day to do three club shows as they apparently did.

Honesty, that's the word that springs to mind when listening to this release. First of all they show that, a year after the release of St. Anger, they thought things could have been done differently. The edited version of the title track, originally an eight minute juggernaut of slow riffs and fast beats, is reduced to four minutes with a lot of the unnecessary repetition gone, and most notably, they gave in to fan feedback by overdubbing the extremely controversial snare with a more conventional sound. This version is an improvement in every way, and I'm one of those who like the snare sound on St. Anger.

Lots of fans hated St. Anger, but one thing they should thank it for was that it encouraged Metallica to return the old classics to their live sets, replacing most of the post-1988 material. The band was enthusiastic to revisit their old material despite during the long break their playing had lost its best edge. And this is where the honesty comes in again, as the live material is presented here in all its rawness with mistakes and all, with James' voice cracking and amusingly messing up a verse in Ride the Lightning ("I forgot the f**king words", in perfect melody), Lars missing half of his supposed fills and bass drum hits and Kirk stumbling through every solo sometimes completely losing his way. But the band's energy is furious, full of drive, and that's something I value higher than flawess playing. Hit the Lights is a total killer in its ferocity and tight riffing.

A pure collectors/fans only release, and as such a very interesting one, if not always enjoyable.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed