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This is still my favorite 'Tally album.I can't stand all the "oh they sold out" blah blah blah.They made a great album - get over it.I wish they'd go back in this direction.
It is brand new, but comes warped. My record skips on every song and it is not because of my record player. The people who cut this new version did not do a good job. Better off to buy an original off of ebay and pay the extra $$$$. I do not recommend this to anyone.
The Lord's prayer is recited in the rear left channel and the child repeats the prayer in the rear right channel, as the drums and bass stay center stage. Since upgrading to Polk speakers,a Velodyne subwoofer and a Rotel amplifier for the fronts, my feelings for this album have only grown. The rear right and left channels occasionally burst into life with a guitar riff. Let me start with a description of my favorite two tracks on the album as they sound in surround.
Guitars and bass would often come in from the rear channels. Overall, Metallica really takes advantage of the full surround sound stage. At the time of my original review above, I had Cambridge Soundworks speakers hooked up except the front R&L channels which were Advent Legacies. The choruses seem to fill the entire sound field. Then Lars drums boom from the front center, and bass guitar fills the rear. The opening vocals of the song burst in from center stage, and choruses just seem to float into the whole sound field. The album opens with the song "Enter Sandman".
Metallica was very light on the bonus features with this disc. I've always liked Metallica and view them as a "thinking persons" heavy metal band. Barely visible on the matte black cover in a dark grey is the band's logo and a "Don't Tread on Me" snake. You will want a good center channel speaker for this DVD-Audio, because Urich's drums are consistently located front and center of the sound stage. You get to hear Urich declare that the black album is their "Dark Side of the Moon", and a few bits about how hard it was to produce, but to get the full story, you need to wait for the "Making of", because its just an advertisement.
Since DVD-Audio cannot be copied and distributed on the internet, I am positive that Lars Urich will release more of Metallica's albums in this format. I didn't notice much improvement on the stereo mix, but this is not a criticism of the DVD-Audio, its more of a compliment of the original CD. This review will focus on the sound quality of the DVD-Audio rather than the album itself. The opening guitar chords of the song float in the center of the room, then a few guitar riffs come in from the rear left and the rear right surround speakers. The Lord's prayer also gains a new depth when it is separated away from the heavy drums and bass. I will state that I am one of the fans who believe that they have grown. The Advanced Resolution Surround Sound mix is only playable on equipment designed to play DVD-Audio.
Pros: It's Metallica -- IN SURROUND SOUND.Cons: No extras, unless you count an ad for one of their DVDs.The Bottom Line: If you are a Metallica fan, and you own a player compatible with DVD-Audio, GO BUY THIS. Lear Jets cost money you know. A "video" is included which is nothing more than a teaser trailer for an upcoming video by them about the "Making of the Black Album". The DVD-Audio also has an advanced resolution stereo track (for DVD-Audio only) and a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix for use in any DVD player. On my favorite Metallica song "Unforgiven", the opening guitars (reminicent of the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns) come in center front and expand to the full center stage. On the songs with melodic guitar solos, the guitar work clearly stands out in greater depth than it did in the stereo mix.
Similar surround effects were used throughout the album. Vocals then move around a bit, sometimes coming in front left or right, other times rear left or right. Metallica albums have been reviewed rather heavily as the band has gained and/or lost fans as they have grown (or "sold out"). You can hear the notes resonate. The first album that Metallica chose to release as DVD - Audio is the already very well produced self titled album, also known by Metallica fans as "the Black Album".
The orchestral work on "Nothing Else Matters" for example, takes on a clarity I had never really noticed in the stereo version. The right and left rear channels are very actively used, and not just as ambient fill. - Shopaholic_Man, epinions 2/4/05 Based on the sound of the black album, I think thats great. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original 02/04/05 review: Metallica has been quite busy over the past decade releasing a lot of studio albums, a few live albums, several concert DVDs and now a DVD -Audio. Although Lyrics are included, a photo gallery is not. I would have also liked to see at least a couple music videos thrown in, but none are.
By moving the instruments into six channels instead of two, I gained a greater appreciation of how well produced this album is.
Please buy it though, don't borrow it from your friend, or listen to it for free somewhere without properly compensating the band for the intellectual property they have commercially distributed for home use and enjoyment only.
Metallica does all of this in a way that sounds like a natural use of the surround sound and it never comes out as gimmicky or forced.
That said, how does an already well done album sound in the new DVD-Audio format.
Added notes: This was originally reviewed on a Yamaha Surround Sound Receiver with a Pioneer Elite 47A DVD player.
Then Lars drums come in solid center front and the vocals seem to emerge from the center of the room.
Mostly, the drums and lead vocals would stay in center stage, but backing vocals and choruses would move around or literally surround you.
If you are a Metallica fan, and have DVD-Audio and surround sound, the black album is a worthwhile purchase.
In fact the Velodyne subwoofer really brings out the bass I hadn't noticed in my original review.
Total whiteness meets total blackness; the focus and ferocity of the music really got me into the zone as I went over a high mountain pass and slowly came out of the snow. But Rock saw where this band's real power lies: founders Ulrich and Hetfield. No comparison. The best drummer/rhythm team in heavy rock at their zenith.But you gotta play it loud, with a subwoofer. Hammett's solos get pretty boring after a while to me, but oh well. Most bands get there once a night if they're lucky.I don't much care for their work since this album, but as peaks go, this is Everest among metal albums.
Massive.Plus, these tunes are among the best these guys ever wrote. Maybe the best huge drum sound since Bonzo. I especially love Sad But True. What a huge riff, and Ulrich's drumming is truly awesome. I was on a long drive recently and listened to all of the Metallica albums in order up to Live.Binge, and I must say that it made me realize what a huge difference Bob Rock's production and attitude made for these guys.The original band was far better, for my money: Cliff and Mustaine vs Kirk and Newsted. Just listen to the huge pockets on Sad and Sandman. That's a new zone for Metallica, and I don't think they've topped it since.Nothing against Kirk or Jason, they're both decent, but they're playing with probably the best metal drummer and metal rhythm player of them all, so it's hard not to seem somewhat pedestrian.
Newsted does lock in well with Lars' kick drum here, and that brings a lot of weight to the proceedings.I got caught driving in a sudden blizzard in the Rockies last week at 3 am and could barely see ten feet down the highway, so I put this album on and turned it up to 11 to keep me sharp. I will never forget that hour. Everyone is pounding but those songs could be even heavier if there was more rhythmic push-pull, a la early Sabbath and middle Zep. He clearly knew how to bring out their best in the studio, and he definitely mic'ed Lars' kit like no one before or since. The perfect soundtrack to hair-raising intensity.I should mention that I saw a show on the first leg of this tour, and it remains one of the top five rock shows I've ever seen, of about two thousand.
This track exemplifies the main gift Bob brought to these guys, though I've never heard anyone mention it: he taught them how to swing.While listening to the first Metallica albums I get a little worn out sonically because everything is so on top of the beat. Rock saw this and showed Lars how to pull back in the pocket a bit, which makes Hetfield's incomparably heavy rhythm riffs thunder like never before. They were on fire and went off at least six times. Booooommm.
Let's just say that it would collide with my present life style too much. Bleeding Me 6. Nothing Else Matters, eidt (1:40) 2. I am sure there is much more great music here but the speed of those expressions exceeds my ability to follow it correctly.these days. The message of The Unforgiven is: Don't let the rules of bitter fools change you into one of them.
The Unforgiven is another beautiful song on this album. Untill It Sleeps 9. The message of Nothing Else Matters is straight forward: Be your own man, live your life however you choose and allow others the same. I am quite aware that all of the above music rules its territory and I used to spend time there.
Turn The Page 3. Fade To Black 8. Obviously I could listen to the music of Metallica and Iron Maiden and Judast Priest for a week and be completely in tune with it and hooked on it again. After listening to Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven for a while I ended up getting all the Metallica albums in the middle of 1990s, looking for jewels. The Unforgiven 2 11.
Sometimes the most meaningful truths can be expressed in the simplest words and one such sentence can affect and change the lives of millions. The Unforgiven 4. Low Man's Lyric 5. Nothing Else Matters 7. I am giving this Black Album (1991) five stars for Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven alone. Mama Said 12. Although I don't listen to Metallica albums and I am not sure how much we could have in common besides sharing our superstar city, once I heard Nothing Else Matters I was blown away by the power of their expression coming through.
Astronomy 13. I ended up making my Metallica- light compilation in 2000 putting all these mellow, emotional and spiritual songs (for them and for most of you guys most likely) together so myself and some other sissies like me can say they also listen to Metallica. So, here it is, Metallica Angelica: 1. Whiskey In The Jar 10. Nothing Else Matters, edit (1:40)
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