Metallica

Somewhere I once read a review that Bob Rock had insisted that the strong songs be placed at the beginning, as is usually the custom with any pop album.

Needless to say, this album gets better as it goes on. "Wherever I May Roam" is decent metal, but it's "Through the Never" that shows the first sign of speed and fury and brilliance. "Nothing Else Matters" is of course the fluke, as it is by far the most commercial song here, so I don't see why it wasn't placed first. Okay, you can't start with a ballad. Second, then. But still, it is completely wooden and lifeless... Metallica have always been the Keanu Reeves of metal. Good action scenes (thrash riffs) but when it's time to display other types of emotion, they just... can't. WASP they are not.

Oh yes, good songs... "Of Wolf and Man" is another good song, as is "The Struggle Within", which is a nice classic-sounding closer. "My Friend of Misery" is okay, though they do drag it out quite a bit.

This album is not complete donkey crap, but it is pretty much complete donkey crap. It's not worth the strain of being forced to listen to riffless marvel "Sad But True", hideously oversaturated "Enter Sandman", and useless meandering "The Unforgiven" just so one can rock for 5 minutes on "Through the Never".

But hey, the production is impeccable, even by commercial standards. Britney Spears wishes she could sound this good.