[soMn]

what was the artist's name that used to do a lot of the metallica artwork. looks like the same kind of art on those headphones. a friend of mine had a board with that on the bottom.

 

[Crackerman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkswordsman17 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't take this the wrong way, its an honest simple question, but is this accurate, or is it mindless Metallica malaise? I won't be surprised to find it true (as its par for the course in a lot of music these days), just a little curious myself. I haven't heard much (and what I have has not been in optimal conditions), and while I cringe at the vocals, I actually wanted to hear more of the instruments (I think they could win the fans missing 80s Metallica back by doing a mostly instrumental album, a la Orion, To Live Is To Die, and obviously The Call of Ktulu). I did see them selling Metallica "branded" headphones on their site and just rolled my eyes.

Sorry I went to bed before I saw your reply, no its not malaise it is (very unfortunately) true.

I'm a Metallica fan. A fan in that I like pretty much EVERYTHING they've done from Kill 'Em All through Load and Reload (hell, I love Reload). Pretty much everything except St.Anger and I even found a couple of sweet spots on that one, somehow.

But Death Magnetic has been utterly, completely ruined by horrible mastering. Musically its quite a good album from what I can tell, but its practically unlistenable due to the insane level of clipping. It really does take hearing it yourself to actually believe quite how bad it is. My 190kps version of I Disappear I got off iTunes sounds far better, much fuller and more dynamic, than Death Magnetic sounds ON CD.

Anyway sorry to derail the thread but this loudness war business really riles me.

 

[japc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes. as long as you turn the volume down to 0

LOL! Much fun.

 

[PWilson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soMn /img/forum/go_quote.gif what was the artist's name that used to do a lot of the metallica artwork. looks like the same kind of art on those headphones. a friend of mine had a board with that on the bottom.

Pushead.
That's some art from the self titled era, I believe. Possibly the single/cover for Sad But True, if memory serves.

 

[Gurck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crackerman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry I went to bed before I saw your reply, no its not malaise it is (very unfortunately) true. I'm a Metallica fan. A fan in that I like pretty much EVERYTHING they've done from Kill 'Em All through Load and Reload (hell, I love Reload). Pretty much everything except St.Anger and I even found a couple of sweet spots on that one, somehow. But Death Magnetic has been utterly, completely ruined by horrible mastering. Musically its quite a good album from what I can tell, but its practically unlistenable due to the insane level of clipping. It really does take hearing it yourself to actually believe quite how bad it is. My 190kps version of I Disappear I got off iTunes sounds far better, much fuller and more dynamic, than Death Magnetic sounds ON CD. Anyway sorry to derail the thread but this loudness war business really riles me.

Get your hands on the Guitar Hero 3 version, it sounds pretty good. Not audiophile quality, but very very listenable, unlike the retail CD. I'd put it between Justice & Black album in terms of quality. I didn't like (Re)Load / St. Anger, but I'm enjoying DM a lot.

 

[dcpoor]

comparison of the cd and guitar hero versions.

 

[hauntingtheholy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcpoor /img/forum/go_quote.gif comparison of the cd and guitar hero versions.

WOW. I just shti my pants. I had never heard of any "loudness war" and know nothing about it. Just when you think you can't be surprised anymore....good GOD.

 

[nc8000]

I bought it today and have just listened to it on my bedside rig through the L3000 and yes it's the flat dynamics/compression that's the problem. I only detect clipping on track 4. Musically I actually like the album quit a lot but the compression totally kills it.

 

[spacemanspliff]

sadly, metallica has aged badly. they seem oblivious to it all.

oh well.

 

[buddhashenglong]

Loudness war, my friend of misery!

 

[Audiofiler]

Wow those are crazy looking cans. Wish the phones made the sq better on the new album, or perhaps played an alternate non-compressed version which was instrumental.

Some nice solos with faster older sounding passages, some of the songs should have started at 3 minutes or after..

 

[Crackerman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcpoor /img/forum/go_quote.gif comparison of the cd and guitar hero versions.

Oh my God. I'd heard it was different but that is astonishing. Have the band even heard the CD version of the album?

 

[Gross]

Before the album was released I d/led a copy of TDTNC, and it sounded so bad, I just figured it was a copy of the streaming version from thier website. But then when I bought the CD it sounded the same way

That you tube clip shows a lot, how you can plainly see how compressed it really is.

Oh well, They can't sound that bad when I go see them again in Omaha in a month!


Edit--

I had not listened to Death Magnetic with my headphones yet, just through a stock stereo in a car, and then in another car from my Sansa being modulated.
I just 'Acquired' the Guitar Hero III version of the Album, and compared it to my 320kbs rip of the CD, and What. Horrible. Looking back at my road trip when I was modulating my MP3 player, I kept thinking I had it turned up to loud and it was clipping, or that there were radio stations coming in, so I kept changing the frequency. No, it is just that the CD sounds so bad. Mind you, I do not have the golden ears that some do, but I know what sounds good to me, and it is a night and day difference between the 2 different versions.

 

[krmathis]

No thanks!

** moves on **

 

[MetalGeek]

Metallica 1990 and after = teh suck. I used to like The Black Album and Reload, but that was back in 1998 when I was just realizing that I liked rock and metal. Those pretty much died for me a couple years later when I found Master of Puppets.

The Black Album was the beginning of the end. Sad that the end is being dragged on this long. Mind you, they've had a couple good songs in that time span, but even a blind squirrel finds the occasional nut. Luckily, their more recent efforts (or lack thereof) don't in any way degrade the good music they released from 1983-1988. Hard to listen to their newer music and believe that they're even the same band.

This is all coming from a guy who used to LOVE Metallica.

Oh well, there's plenty of other great metal out there to be heard.