OK, after a ton of listening, I've downgraded my rating of "Death Magnetic".

I'm very glad to have the Metallica boys back in Thrash mode and I'm damn skippy to have Metallica sounding songs crashing the brainwaves again...but the mix on "Death Magnetic" has started to piss me off to no end. The thin ass vocal mix is not acceptable. It doesn't fit the room size in the recording as there's nil reverb on it. It sounds almost separate from the mix to me.

Somebody please stop them from going into "...And Justice for All" mix/record mode next time. Let them growl through the full range of hertz.

I keep hearing the Guitar Hero mix of "Death Magnetic" is fantastic (I haven't heard it yet) and if true, that pisses me off.

Many of the songs on "Death Magnetic" have a great riff and many of the riffs will make you think "Damage Inc.", "Master of Puppets", etc. This isn't totally fair as they aren't cops--they're evocative of the albums. However, as a listener, these thoughts will float by.

Still, while not an "A" anymore, "Death Magnetic" rates a damn solid "B".

It's also the best damn album Metallica has had in decades. I still say welcome back boys!

Now, keep that damn train rolling.

--Jason Henke

Hell yeah.

The thrash is back.

Lots of speed...totally loving the old school vibe again. The shifts in speed, melody, and riffs....Good job boys!

Welcome the F back!

--Jason Henke

I'm old school with my Metallica fandom. I like it fast, I like it loud, I like it intense. I like the changes in rhythm, I like varying riffs, I like melodic intensity. I like the mosh, I like the pit, I like the thrash, I like the attitude they had.

"Death Magnetic" is the best album they've had since the 2nd disc of "Garage Inc." (when they finally put "Breadfan" and "Stone Cold Crazy" on CD). "Death Magnetic" actually thrashes again. It actually has some bottom end in it.

However, it isn't a straight out home run though. It's got a few songs in their new vein which I don't really love yet, but they don't really piss me off either; maybe, with listening, they'll grow on me more.

Overall, I hate the thin sound (but like the songs) on "...And Justice for All" and that thin highly compressed sound is on the first radio single released from "Death Magnetic"--that single almost kept me from even exploring this disc and had definitely kept me from picking up "Death Magnetic" at release time; I mean come on, they even thinned James' vocal track to match the thin sound on the first single released this time. I feared this would be the whole album...

It isn't.

First off, and I'm truly sorry, but that thin ass sound blows. It sounds like crap. I only listen to AM radio when I have to. With the equipment out in the homes and in the hands of the kids...use the full sonic tonal range available to you. Let some thrasher have his boom car thundering with your song. Stop giving his tweeters alone the work out.

Thank God, this album doesn't stick to the thin sound all the way through.

The first radio single kept me from buying the album despite hearing continuous reports that Metallica had gone back to the heavier riffs and thrash. Why then did I pick up "Death Magnetic"? Because my buddy Bradd had it and I could hear the other songs.

Frankly, those other tracks made me much happier.

This, as Bradd said, is the album that should have followed "...And Justice for All." F__k the "Black Album" and the others after it. We finally have the speed and complexity of Metallica of yore back in the mix. It's no longer one riff and then hanging power chords for the chorus. It's not "Turn the Page" or "Whiskey in the Jar"...it's not the power ballad "Nothing Else Matters" and it's not a lame attempt at being Motley Crew or the Seattle Grunge sound. It's not the desire for a "greasy" sound.

It's power, speed.

It's more old school.

It is so much closer to the Metallica I remember. It's closer to the thunder and glory of the pit and their "remember the kidz" days.

Welcome back guys. It's about F'N time. You left a bunch of us hanging.

Now go kick ass again.

I look forward to exploring "Death Magnetic", letting the songs sink in as I give it numerous spins today as I work. I'll have a much firmer reaction to it by tonight.

Live well, laugh often, love much!
--Jason Henke

As I continue my trend of revisiting my past punk/metal/alternative music, I have a huge opportunity to pick up the majority of Sonic Youth's music for $20....I'm debating buying it (you know I'll cave), but I'm trying to save cash. Still though, opportunity purchases like this are rare.

Sigh. I know I'm buying it....

Live well, laugh often, love much,
Jason Henke

Yes.

Pure and simple. I just went through the first Violent Femme's album again--wow, it still kicks ass. It's got bounce, it's got catch. It's still edgy and the discontented, angst, outsider, black shirt, cigarette smoking punk sensibilities still strike a chord.

It's not over chromed, over slicked, or a loop hound. It's just straight ahead counter culture. Damn, I love that album.

--Jason Henke

First off, my disclaimer:
I love my trusty IPod. Truly, the IPod is a great way to bring around a huge music collection and it's just damn handy. I love the video features (that little screen is remarkably clear), but I do so wish that my 80 gigger was the new touch screen. Wow, that's sweet.

Now, to the subject at hand:
We all know that the default headphones in the IPod box are crap--OK, they're not complete crap, they're bright, sunny, and overly vibrant. They have no depth though. It's almost thin. The low end blows.

I set about replacing them. First I tried some of my cheap backup earbuds...better low end, not bright, lower volume (required the IPod's volume to be boosted)...not bad, but kind of the opposite end of the audio spectrum. These cheap buds had a darker tone, no real vibrance, they weren't sunny...they appealed to me more though. The sound was closer to true.

Then, I bought a cheap pair of ear clip headphones that had better specs than Sony's (and they ran for dollars less). They sound decent for budget buds. I'm using them now. The range is more true, the sound more balanced. It's good to hear a better tonal range than either previous set.

This little headphone testing led me to sarcastically wonder if the overly bright, sunny, happy, false smile of the Apple IPod default earbuds was really a subliminal attempt at making me feel happy with being in the Apple camp. They may have been the cause of my wanting an IPhone actually. Clearly this is a communist re-education attempt. I mean, where are the ear buds made...

The new phones have cleared my mind. I'm out of the re-education. I've found myself again. :o)

Yes, I'm being tongue in cheek, but we always are; no matter what, your tongue is always firmly in cheek--if it's not, you've got a larger problem to address for something has gone horribly awry.

My best,
Jason Henke