St. Anger - 10 years later

[papahet252003]

Metallica released their most controvercial album exactly 10 years ago. So, guys, i just wanted to ask you what do you think about it from the distance of time. I remember all the critics and hard words, but also the hype that the boys are back. For me - good or bad - this album is the price for still having Met around.

[damageinc]

It was the first ever Metallica album I have bought and also the first ever official dvd I got so it's quite special to me. I never thought it's a bad album, I understand the band's mood over the songs (no guitar solos, agressive drum sounds, etc) and whoever says this album sucks knows shit about what the guys went through in those years. So maybe because of some sentimental thing I would rate it 8/10 because what is better than playing this album when you are in a shit mood?!

[sjmike]

I thought it was a really good album. There are quite a few songs I enjoy off it. The sound of the drums absolutely kills its for me though. That sound just drives me nuts, the only way I can listen to the album is to listen to live versions or the Guitar Hero version.

[norbinho]

i'm still thinking it's a good album...i always liked and still like songs like st. anger, frantic, some kind of monster, sweet amber for example...and especially i love the unnamed feeling...one of my alltime favourites of metallica

i agree with mike about the drum sound...it's the only thing i don't like on the album...in my opinion the album would sound even better with the band's usual drum sound.

[Paganec]

2003 was actually the time I seriously got into Metallica (yeah, seems late) and my feelings on St.Anger are kinda in haze. I recall I really liked Frantic and St.Anger songs and bought the album on MC, was very cool to listen on a road. Seems many people are fond of bashing St.Anger, even fans, but as for me it is a very important release in their career and who knows, if there wasn't St.Anger maybe we didn't have Metallica around these days. Plus I guess besides internal conflicts withing the band they wanted to match modern standards and try a little bit to please 'another' audience, nu-metal kids, all these Summer Sanitarium tours with nu-metal bands and all. Its good they later found the right path and followed it.

Overall, I'm positive regarding St.Anger, some songs I liked a lot and some songs (honestly) I listened to maybe only 3 times and have no intention to play them again. Agreed on 'The Unnamed Feeling', great one.

[benharri]

Although far from my favourite album I don't dislike it, again songs like St Anger, Frantic and Sweet Amber are really good. When it first came out I played it to death like all the rest but the drum sound does spoil it to some extent.

[vht]

To be honest, I thought it was horrible then and I still think it's horrible now. I find it unlistenable after about 10 minutes.

[no leaf clover]

I remember that the day it came out I was 5 to 10 minutes early at my favorite record shop so I could buy the album as soon as the store opened.

When I heard it I really felt disappointed.

Was this the new Metallica album I waited for so long?

What really kills it for me most of the time are the drums and that in several songs parts are repeated over and over again (SKOM is such an example)

There are some songs on the record I really like (Frantic, St. anger, Invisible kid and My world) but from the beginning it's a "love it/hate it" album for me.

Especially because some songs are great on the record but suck live, sorry guys but The unnamed feeling is such a example.
I like listening to the studio version but not live. I was glad when they played it in Arnhem back in 2003 the song was finished.

[Mr.Metal]

I was so excited about that album, I thought that the hype the album and the band's comeback was getting it was going to push them to release one of their best record. Not risking low sells considering how everyone was talking about it. I read a few reviews before it came out and the words "Raw", "Heavy", "Explosive" came coming back and my excitement kept growing... then, that abomination of show that was MTV Icon made me really scared, once they started playing Frantic I was not that impressed. The album came out, left early from work to go buy it and came running home to listen to it. The first time I heard it I was confused, not knowing what exactly have I heard, second time I was not into it at all... however, if it wasn't for the SKOM documentary I would have not understood what happened...

St. Anger to me was the last chapter of that "weak" version of Metallica, and the end of the chapter in a relationship with Bob Rock that needed to end, they were not going anywhere with him anymore. I am glad Death Magnetic was that awesome but St. Anger to me falls in the same category as Reload, an album that is there, is part of the discography but that is it.

Every band has shitty albums here and there, but the only thing that bothered me is hearing the band saying "We are so proud of this album" a million times and then hearing James saying he was not that big of fan of it after all or them not embracing it, no live songs, no references, nothing... so yeah, St. Anger is just there for me.

[Bluefalcon]

10 years on and I still have the same opinion as I did on day one. Repetitive songs combined with terrible production make it virtually unlistenable.