Metallica - Lords of Summer

(CD Single Review)

****

Metallica are still worth a listen!

While currently doing their yearly festival run Metallica are currently playing a set of songs voted for buy ticket buyers which include's one brand new song and the band have decided to release the track as a single download via iTunes. Opening with a big bang kind of like 'Sad but True' then leading into a pretty decent bit of shredding the song takes the verse, chorus repeat route but has a big solo and jam in the middle making the track quite lengthy before bringing it back to the chorus.

The biggest problem is that it still has that empty sound which is on 'Death Magnetic' but lets not go too deep into that as it's kind of a demo, it does say first pass version... so we'll leave the sound out of it for now. That aside it's a pretty solid track. After repeated takes it does grow on you. if this is anything to go by Metallica finally seem to have reached the point where they have found the balance between the complexity of earlier material and the more refined structures' of the 'Black Album' and the 'Load' albums. The lyrics are actually really good too and that makes a nice change from recent releases.

Let's not get to ahead of ourselves we don't know if this will even be on the next album but judging on this track alone Metallica are in a good head space now if only they would tell Rick Rubin to move over and get Andy Sneap instead to produce their next album!!! then the Lords of Summer will infact return!

Review by Joe Denby