Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Following on from their iconic 1982 debut full-length Kill 'Em All, the sophomore effort from thrash metal titans Metallica would mark their turn towards not just darker but more introspective and dynamic songwriting. While jolting blasts of frenetic riffage and virtuosic solos still abound in cuts such as 'Fight Fire With Fire' and 'Trapped Under Ice', moments like the acoustic driven, melancholic 'Fade To Black' or the menacing instrumental closer 'The Call Of Ktulu' were indicative of the visionary prowess the still relatively young band would go on to explore and expand greatly upon with subsequent releases. It must also be noted that Ride The Lightning birthed two of the most essential cuts from the Metallica back catalogue with the eerie war torn anthem 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' and the Egyptian history lesson turned thrash opus 'Creeping Death', which already cover the price of admission.

Review: There's no thrash, or general metal album, apart from possibly Black Sabbath's Paranoid, that's as instantly recognisable as Metallica's 1986 magnum opus Master Of Puppets. Although garnering an internet revival of sorts thanks to the title-track's inclusion in the season four finale of Stranger Things (which subsequently lead to a meeting between actor Joseph Quinn and the band who would bequeath him a guitar), any metalhead worth their salt will tell you how this album never strays too far from their blackened (no pun intended) heart. Featuring an endless expulsion of the most complex, hard-hitting yet instantaneously memorable metallic, progressive thrash of not just the 80's, but of any decade; one look at the tracklist should see iconic bangers leaping off the sleeve. From the intense opening cut 'Battery' to the aforementioned and incomparable title-track, to the haunting 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)', all the way to the epic instrumental monster 'Orion', this third LP took the promise of the band's preceding 1984 effort 'Ride The Lightning', and lofted it into the metal stratosphere.

Review: Originally released in 1998, Garage Inc. would follow the split double albums of Load and Re:Load as a form of creative cleanse for thrash metal titans Metallica. Clocking it at over two hours, this epic compilation of covers taken from the Garage Days Sessions, B-sides, as well as new selections, paint a sprawling sonic picture of the vast array of influences each member holds dear. Running the gamut from punk and hardcore (Discharge, Misfits), to early proto-metal (King Diamond, Motorhead), all the way to their classic rock and more outsider inspirations such as Bob Seger, Blue Oyster Cult and Lynyrd Skynyrd (with their rendition of 'Tuesday's Gone' as an exceptional highlight); this bloated, overstuffed collection may appear overwhelming at first glance, but offers a curious through line and insight into the varying machinations that have maintained Metallica's status as the biggest thrash metal act of all time. It all had to start somewhere, and what better place than the garage?

Review: The long-awaited, much anticipated, eleventh full-length from thrash metal titans, Metallica, will serve as their first full-length since 2016's underrated, Hardwired To Self-Destruct, and continues the damage (inc.) control mission the band have been on ever since, St. Anger soured fan palettes and expectation almost two full decades ago. While, Death Magnetic, played it somewhat safe, there's been a notable element of soul-searching over the last number of years, in an effort to recapture the breakneck thrash fury that originally elevated the Metallica brand to genre staples. From the blistering, lead single, 'Lux aeterna', alone, it's evident that James Hetfield and co have regrouped at the source (their 1982 debut, Kill 'Em All), to reimagine their dynamic metallic machinations as the seasoned veterans they've effortlessly moulded into; promising their purest, most revitalised return to form yet. Luckily, '72 Seasons', won't take as long as its cryptic title to materialise.

Review: The fourth full-length from thrash metal titans Metallica has gone on since its original 1988 release to be heralded as the band's most progressive, vicious and artistic statement. Marking their first work following the tragic passing of bassist Cliff Burton, the album has become controversial for its notable muting of (at the time) newcomer Jason Newsted's performance, yet it's immensely difficult to ignore a project that boasts some of the band's finest material, from the breakneck paced opener 'Blackened' to the grooving intensity of 'Harvester Of Sorrow' to the Johnny Got His Gun based psychological metal ballad 'One'. Ask a Metallica lifer what's truly the group's finest moment, and any worth their salt will point you towards ...And Justice For All each and every time.

Review: Metallica's self-titled fifth full-length, subsequently dubbed 'The Black Album', still serves as the controversial bridging point from their iconic run of four definitive thrash metal classics throughout the 80's, to their more sporadic and messy 90s output. For some, the inclusion of producer Bob Rock was a step too far into accessible territory as ten-minute instrumentals were abandoned, compositions were simplified, and the overall aggressive, grim edges showcased on the preceding classics Master Of Puppets and ...And Justice for All were somewhat sanded down to appeal to as large of an audience as possible. Make no mistake however, for every naysayer fan who opts to live in a fantasy where Metallica never continued into a second decade, there's still legions of adoring defenders who praise the balance the group would strike. It also doesn't hurt that the tracklist boasts literally some of the most well known and iconic cuts of their career, from the opening classic 'Enter Sandman' to the hefty groove of 'Sad But True', to more melodious fare like 'The Unforgiven' as well as the timeless ballad 'Nothing Else Matters'.

Review: If you've seen Metallica live and in the flesh you'll appreciate how ferocious their shows are. It's not just the music that's loud, all aspects of the performance seems to hit like wrecking ball, raising the volume and intensity on each chord of every riff, drum-packed crescendo, and disorientating outro. And it's always been that way, as this reissued recording from one of their legendary shows proves. Captured in 1994, when the thrash metal pioneers played Woodstock, USA, Justice For All certainly lives up to the name of the outfit's classic 1988 LP, And Justice For All, which earned them their first Grammy nomination. It's pretty powerful, potent stuff, running through a number of the group's strongest tracks in a live context, which goes some way towards transporting us to the gig itself.

Review: "It rained like a cow pissing on a flat rock" Aerosmith's Steven Tyler apparently once said about Woodstock 94. His band's set, in the middle of the night, followed a monumental firework display at the end of Metallica's typically juggernaut show. A cataclysmic halt, picturing the scene in your mind now is almost biblical, moody storms setting in across a dangerously oversold, woefully organised weekender headlined by some of the most lightning-worthy rock bands on the planet. Short Cuts: The Best of Woodstock 94 is more than a concert recording, then. An abridged version of a marathon set, it's also a declaration of intent from metal titans who refused to be upstaged by the events unfolding around them. If there's ever an excuse to revisit Metallica on stage during the Black Album period, then surely it's with a backdrop of chaos and rage?