Beyond Magnetic EP

I heard the four tracks on this EP online when they were released individually a couple months ago, and now it's nice to have them on CD since they're good songs, and since I'm not into iPods. Some of them, especially my favorite, Just a Bullet Away, probably could've replaced tracks that made it onto Death Magnetic. Metallica might be aging, but they still have some fire left, as they showed when they played these songs live during their 30th Anniversary gigs in San Francisco. Similar to the other songs from the Death Magnetic sessions, the four tracks here show off plenty of metal riffs and solos, with equal portions of Black Album-style heavy rock. Here's a more detailed account of each track for anyone interested. Hate Train--The first half of this song features riffs very similar to Fuel and Black Album-era verses, with the second half sounding more like their thrash era. It has some slow parts with decent singing by James, but some of the first half might have sounded too close to Fuel to make Death Magnetic. The solos could be longer, but this song is definitely heavy on riffs and has a lot of different sections. Despite the Fuel riffs, I think it sounds less like the Re-Load era than several songs from DM. Just a Bullet Away--Awesome metal song, with great riffs, lyrics, and vocals...this one definitely should've been on Death Magnetic. It seems to be most people's favorite of the four, although Rebel of Babylon gets a lot of votes, too. I think it would fit nicely on the Black Album, as it's sort of an almost-thrash song that would sound at home with the heaviest few tracks from that release. Hell and Back--The strange song out of the four. It reminds me of Broken, Beat, & Scarred in some parts, and Cyanide in others. The weird verses in the first half don't remind me of anything from Metallica. They're almost alternative, I guess; not bad, really, just different. It gets fairly heavy in the middle, then continues with some nice riffs until the end. Even though it might be the weakest of the four tracks, it's still good enough for a solid 4 out of 5. Rebel of Babylon--This is another clearly heavy song like Just a Bullet Away, with some fast riffing in the verses. James offers a few vocal lines that get about as old-school as he can manage these days. There's still a lot more singing than in the old days, but you hear traces of that gruff, harsh James of the past. It leaves a nice taste finishing things off heavy. Listening to the songs on this EP, I could make the case that some are about equal to tracks on Death Magnetic, so I can see where Metallica might have had a tough time deciding which ones to leave off that album. Just a Bullet Away is the only one that I'd gladly sacrifice a song for (maybe Cyanide), but just adding them to Death Magnetic would've made it too long in my opinion. Which makes it cool that they put them together for an EP to hold us off until a new album comes together. Clocking in at about a half hour with four 7-8 minute songs, Beyond Magnetic is a fine EP to add to Metallica's discography. Easily worth the $5 price tag.

Great tunes

So the four songs on Beyond Magnetic are supposed to have been the leftovers from when Metallica recorded Death Magnetic (see my review). Comparisons are somewhat difficult since these are "rough mixes". However, I can't imagine these having been included on their triumphant return in 2009. These songs aren't bad, and I've been listening to them almost every day since I got the CD. I think they are OK, but I don't know that old school fans are going to be happy with these after the return to form on Death Magnetic. "Just A Bullet Away" seems very modern in terms of James' vocal delivery. His rhythmic style seems out of place compared to the straight ahead style Metallica fans are accustomed to. The guitar riff lead in also has more of a Pantera circa "Walk" vibe. Then with "Hell And Back" you get a song that sounds like it belongs on the Black Album. The same could be said for "Hate Train" whose opening calls to mind "Through The Never" from the Black Album. In the end I am conflicted about Beyond Magnetic. I like all of the things in the comparisons I made above. It's just not what I would have expected from candidate songs leftover from the Death Magnetic recordings. I settled on four stars because it means "I like it" - which at the end of the day I do. Hopefully this helps you get an idea of what this EP is like. Whether or not that is what you are looking for is entirely up to you. I'd love to hear what other people think. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Bought for a friend for secret santa so no comments about the music itself, came on time and didn't arrive damaged, so all good

I'm glad Metallica learned not to release an album of outtakes just because they could (example: ReLoad). They were smart this time and chose 4 long songs that occupy about a half hour on this disc and every song is up there with Metallica's best material in my opinion hands down. Being sold at 4.99 is a perfect price, a dollar a song. These songs were probably left off because of space concerns but it succeeds where ReLoad didn;t in that less is more because 4 really amazing songs is better than like 13 with alot of filler and maybe a few really good ones. Worth it for every fan of Metallica. Grade: A

Death Magnetic was insane. Front to back, left to right, up and down. These 4 tracks really do a great job in closing out the Death Magnetic studio sessions. Each track has it's own feel and easily could have fit on the Death Magnetic album. I'm glad Metallica decided to release them to the fans, as we've been asking for a while about them! This is a must own for any Metallica fan... they're instant classics! Now, I want a deluxe album containing these 4 tracks AND the 10 from Death Magnetic.

The four songs on Metallica's Beyond Magnetic may not have made it onto their Death Magnetic album, though don't let that dissuade you from buying this EP. The songs on Beyond Magnetic easily could have made it onto Death Magnetic; listening to the EP for the first time, I was in fact left wondering why they did not. The four songs on this EP are more true to the classic Metallica sound than are any of the songs on the Load or Reload albums. So, turn up the amps and blister your ears (with a freshly purchased copy of Beyond Magnetic, of course)! You'll be thankful you did.

So I have seen these guys in concert several times, own all their studio albums, but this is only slightly better than their horrible album St.Anger. I think 'Rebel of Babylon' may be the best of the four tracks. Buy it if your a fan, the songs may grow on you.

Metallica to muzyka)))

This EP makes a few points that Metallica should take note of. Their first few albums were all killer no filler, the songs were long but it never felt like it because they were enjoyable and interesting. Recently Metallica have been releasing albums with a bit too much filler, don't get me wrong there is always good stuff on them but they haven't been as consistent. Metallica went from being an album band to being a singles band. After getting into this EP what I really wish is that Metallica would decide to only release EP sized treats so that we can get back to solid albums, or in this case EPs. Why is this so good then? I think in part because it feels so much like a consolidation of Metallica old and new; long songs which develop from start to finish mixed with their mid period groove combined with their latest sound. It is very impressive. On a side note if these songs were rejected for inclusion on `Death Magnetic' I would be interested to know why. It could have gone in as liner notes to make the packaging more interesting. Not a big deal but it would have been nice. Hate Train: The introduction sound a little bit like `All Nightmare Long' from Death Magnetic. This song has a very heavy groove to it. It has a chorus which recalls some of their previous work its got an air of Load era. The track powers to a close with some nice lead work. Just a Bullet Away: Nice looping riff begins the build up of the song underpinned by a nice constant chug. Just over half way through the song drops out and we are introduced to a nice gentle section which shows off some fantastic slow burn lead playing. The drums build then explode and you realise how well Metallica can still develop a song. Hell and Back: Groovy, chunky but mellow start which continues for most of the songs apart from a bit of a build and release for the chorus. Again it's a track that shows good development as we go past the halfway mark, keeping it interesting. The songs finale is very impressive as it all comes together in a slightly chaotic fashion. Rebel of Babylon: This track rocks. Probably the best on the EP, its got a good pace and the song is constantly changing and evolving making it an interesting track which you won't get bored of in a hurry, impressive because it is eight minutes long. The rough and ready feel (well rough and ready by Metallica standards anyway) make this EP so very exciting. It will truly be very interesting to see if Metallica can create a whole album which stands up to the standards set here. Try this for sure.

Tutto ok perfetto bellissimo disco

Made in India but satisfied with cd. These tracks should be in death magnetic Awesome track 4 tracks 30 minutes of music

Muy bueno. Canciones que no sabía que existían. Un descubrimiento. Recomendable para todos aquellos que os guste el buen metal!