I bought the album yesterday and like it a lot. I'm not a metalhead nor a Metallica fan but I really enjoyed St. Anger when I heard the real version. I've listened to "Master of Puppets" some Black...
No guitar solos per se but a lot of hard rhythm and "Wall of dark sound and fury" is what I hear and I really like it. I actually like the quote "my lifestyle, determines my deathsyle..." That line is stuck in my head... I like drums and the "messiness."
To be honest, I think its a fairly good album...
I think having no real guitar solos is alright but b/c they're big bad Metallica people expect speedy shred things. I appreciate the fact that they held back for the "sake" of the songs but I think it would have been nice if they put a little something in the songs in terms of solos. IT just feels like too much metal rhythm riffs thus making everything sound the same in the end. I think some background "texture" alah I Disappear" would have made it great. Again people describe the ping of the drums... I love it... it reminds of me old school trad folk music from another country...
Obviously if you have the following: set expectations on "how Metallica should sound like...," hate them because of Napster, or hate metal period.... you will probably hate the album....
