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In 2011, Metallica did the unthinkable. They released music that nobody on earth (in their right mind) would want to download legally or illegally. That CD was called Lulu, and it is considered by many (self included) one of the worst releases of 2011.  So how does Metallica cleanse the palate of their long time listeners?  They release four left over tracks from the 2008 Death Magnetic sessions in the form of their new EP, Beyond Magnetic.  This EP has been available to folks for download on iTunes for a few weeks, but it received its official release on CD on 1/31/2012.

So how is Beyond Magnetic?  The four songs on this EP equates to twenty nine minutes of music.  The four songs are heavy, yet very long compositions. The songs are good, but they were probably too long to fit on Death Magnetic or to get radio play.    I have listened to this EP several times, and would say that the EP is a bit of a grower.   The songs wouldn’t stack up against any of the bands hits, but they are not throw away songs either. It gets better after a few plays.  The songs are so long that takes a few extra listens to fully absorb what you are listening to.

My favorite of the four songs is “Hell and Back”.  This song has a heavy but infectious riff, which to my ears, is easily as good as anything on Death Magnetic.

I am glad Metallica gave these songs an official release for fans to enjoy. If you are looking for some songs to hold you over until the next Metallica CD, you could do a lot worse than Beyond Magnetic.

Rating:Out of 10

Track Listing:

01. Hate Train
02. Just a Bullet Away
03. Hell and Back
04. Rebel of Babylon

Metallica is:

James Hetfield – vocals and guitar
Lars Ulrich – drums
Kirk Hammett – guitars
Robert Trujillo – bass

~ by Rob Rockitt on February 8, 2012.

Posted in Entertainment, Hard Rock Music, Hard Rock News, Music
Tags: Beyond Magnetic, CD Review, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, metallica, Robert Trujillo