09 May 2008

An open letter to Metallica...

Written by mrlister (

)
Published on May 9th, 2008 @ 05:18:14 pm, using 1092 words, 50 views

Categories: Turn It Up!

(The rock band Metallica is set to release their new album in the coming months. Its an album full of dread and hesitation for me. They’ve meant a lot to me in 20 years of listening to them. Because of that time invested, their recent musical directions has left me disappointed many, many times. I posted the following on another blog after the qustion was posed – “…if you could write a letter to Metallica, what would you say?”

Ohhhhhh…I have PLENTY to say. Have at it.)

Dear Metallica -

I’m a fan of yours since junior high, 1988. I discovered you one fateful weekend at the Sam Goody music store at our local mall. I was looking for new music and found ‘…And Justice For All’ with a big NEW RELEASE sticker plastered on the display. I thought the cover and logo were pretty cool…and even better, it was on SALE. Having no clue who you were, I took a chance and bought it. The hard rock and metal world I barely knew (Ozzy - ‘Bark At The Moon’, Whitesnake - ‘Whitesnake’ and Motley Crue - ‘Girls, Girls Girls’ were my first albums ) was changed forever.

Soon, every inch of wall space in my bedroom was covered in Metallica posters, magazine pullouts, pinups, drawings and whatever else I could find. Lars and James were my heroes. I wanted to be both guys — James for his attitude and swagger, Lars for his double bass Rockstar drum kits. I bought everything I could get my hands on that was emblazoned with the classic Metallica logo. They were my band. I bought all the albums. I bought all the imports I could find. Hell, I even bought shit on CD before I had a CD player!

Fast forward to 1996. Having taken five long years after the Black Album they presented us with LOAD. I was confused. I was unsure. Where are my gods? The long hair, attitude and ‘Blackend’ were now replaced with eye liner, martinis and ‘Mama Said’. I was a bit bewildered. But, myself being an artist and not too afraid of creativity and change, went with it. I could handle it. They had matured a bit. The ‘heavy’ had also matured.

Fine.

But with each new release, you slowly peeled away your leathers and your spikes and became something else. ‘Low Man’s Lyric’ sums it all up.

But I REFUSED! I told myself that you were just exploring different sounds. I knew you were still the heavy, badass motherfuckers I discovered way back when. Going to see you guys in concert was all the proof I needed. I saw you live five times. The best was in St. Louis - 1998. My wife and I had seats 15 feet from the stage directly in front of you. It was THE most fulfilling metal moment of my life. We caught two guitar picks and I caught the Holy Grail – James’ plastic water cup; complete with fingerprints and water stains. I had to fight off three other dudes to get it after you chucked it into the crowd.

And then you lost Jason.

Jason was truly your beating, metal heart. He was more a one of us than the rest of you. He came into Metallica as a true fan. He loved you. He was the last soul still fighting to keep the METAL in ‘Metallica’. I could see in the last of the live shows you four did. Three of you were phoning it in while he played every note with power and emotion.

You never wanted him. It was always obvious to the fans. Well, at least to me, anyway. You fucked with him for 14 years while he gave you everything he had. Who can blame him for walking?

With his departure, you lost the last remaining element of what made Metallica ‘metal.’

‘St. Anger’

I hate that album. It made me sad to hate it. I WANTED to like it. I played the shit out of it — HOPING it would grow on me. It made me sick to my stomach to think I actually HATED something my heroes — Metallica recorded!

I still hate it. I haven’t played it since I bought it 5 years ago. I can’t listen to it. It’s so unfinished. So slapped together. So fake. To me it sounded like a band who forgot how to play. How to make an album. How to write a song.

And then, the ‘Some Kind of Monster’ movie. Oh my fucking God. Not only have they forgotten who they were…they’ve grown vaginas. $10,000 dollars a day or whatever the fuck it was for a therapist for you to cry on?

Jason said it best ”I think this is really fucking lame.”

So. Where have my heroes gone? I embraced some others. Anthrax. Exodus. Testament. Guys that have been around just as long as you. The guys that were always eating Metallica’s dust. I loved them then and I love them now.

I understand what fucked everything up. Money. It made you soft. It made you lazy. It made you lethargic. It made you spoiled. You found success and it swaddled you. It snuffed your fire, your rebellion, your attitude and turned you into silly caricatures. You sell baby clothes on your website.

Anthrax. Testament. Exodus. They’ve never made it to the mind-boggling heights of superstardom that you have. That keeps them hungry. That keeps them angry. That keeps them metal. They put out some of the most amazing albums in the last few years – they’re hungry. Metallica lost its hunger. In losing that hunger, you’ve lost who you are. Who you were.

I haven’t totally written you off, Metallica. I AM looking forward to the new album. I’m hoping bassist Robert Trujillo and Producer Rick Rubin have put a new fire in Metallica’s belly. A fire hasn’t burned in you in almost a decade.

I will buy the new album. I would love for my heroes to sonically kick my ass again like they used to. I would love to get fucking excited again about Metallica. I miss it.

We had a good time, Metallica. You and me. If its’ not in you anymore, I understand. Things change. But I hope you’ll understand that I’ll have to move on if the last of the metal you had exited with Jason almost a decade ago. I’ll be sad but the memories will remain.

- a fan