Metallica - Death Magnetic (Universal/Mercury) Metallica's last album, 'St Anger' was more an album by a band in transition than an album by the greatest metal band in the world and caused many to lose faith in them. So, as the foreboding beeps of the life support machine kick start 'Death Magnetic', Metallica's ninth studio album, I feared that faith would die altogether. But as soon as the opening riff of 'That Was Just Your Life' blasts out of the speakers and the bass from Lars Ulrich's drums pounds the floor, it was clear there was still hope. The rhythm guitar on the track does have a remote 'St. Anger' quality but James Hetfield's vocals are straight off 'Ride The Lightning'. It also marks the return of guitar solos, which were controversially dropped from 'St Anger', but Kirk Hammett brings them back with a vengeance on 'Death Magnetic'. First single, 'The Day That Never Comes', has an intro which sounds like it was taken straight from 'The Unforgiven'. Hetfield's voice switches between soft and intense perfectly and the drums complement the lead guitar riff, the band playing as tight as they did on 'Fade To Black'. But for me, the real test of this album was 'The Unforgiven III'. The first installment, 'The Unforgiven', came on 1991's 'The Black Album' and saw the band produce a multi-layered, epic song that is seen as one of their strongest ballads. 'The Unforgiven III' takes a much softer approach that starts with a lonely piano chord and works its way from a violin through to an emotional solo. It's a stunning and fitting end to the trilogy. As a fan it's very hard to stay objective. I have to admit there are some forgettable songs ('The Judas Kiss', 'My Apocalypse'). However, what the band have managed to do is deliver exactly what fans will want. On 'St. Anger', they felt they had to deliver something completely new and changed their sound almost completely, when in fact what fans wanted was a new Metallica album - not a new band. And 'Death Magnetic' is unmistakably a Metallica album. Gav M. Review originally published by CMU Music Network www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk