You know what, Robin, despite bashing the album a lot I now realise that I've never properly listened to it. I think when St Anger came out, Metallica were in a weird place. Long-time fans like myself were still pissed off with them over the Napster incident where they began suing their fans, and I think a lot of these factors set people against Metallica at that time.
From my point of view, I stopped buying Metallica records after the Load album back in - I think - 1995. It had taken them years to follow up on the Black Album (which I also think is weak in places) and like a lot of rock and metal acts of the time, I could see a clear decrease in the quality of their work. So by the time St Anger hit the shelves, combined with the negative reviews, I stayed away. I suspect many others did too.
If I'm seeking out Metallica on my iPod, I'll put on the Garage Days EP or one of their first three albums. If you're looking for a real treat, check out their symphonic live album S&M - it's got versions of Master Of Puppets and For Whom The Bell Tolls that actually surpass the original studio versions. The San Francisco symphony lift the tracks to an entirely new level.
Anyway, I hear
Death Magnetic is supposedly a return to their classic thrash days. There's a lot more buzz around this album, and I'm finding myself genuinely excited to see what the band come up with.
Which leads me back to St Anger - are there any tracks on it that you would consider 'classics' in terms of Metallica's back catalogue?
