Album Review

Metallica – All Nightmare Long

• 22nd Jan 2009

After the madness of ‘Death Magnetic’s launch has died down it becomes easier to view the songs within context of Metallica’s career and more importantly in their own right.‘All Nightmare long’ is the second song to be released from ‘Magnetic’ and is an interesting choice, as it’s not a three minute wonder, it’s multilayered, almost jam like.

The accompanying video and subsequent reaction will ensure you’ll be hearing a lot of this track, and it’s no bad thing as it’s a perfect introduction to the album-that is if you’ve been in a nuclear bunker playing hide and seek and have failed to hear ‘The day that never comes’.
‘All..’ is fresh and played with all the energy of a garage band not caring if they sell two copies at a local gig-something they wanted to achieve with ‘Load’ but didn’t. Rather than hitting out wildly, the punches seem focussed and determined, not least for the fact that Rubin has been in their corner-Ricks production always starts with getting the band to play together first of all and find what made that special in the first place, with ‘Nightmare’ that’s exactly what has happened.

Metallica answered a lot of critics and fans with this record, simultaneously moving forward whilst retaining already installed ideologies and sounds.

It’s also finally respective of the material it shares a set list with and weaves between a strong chorus and moments of just thrashing it out, all punctuated with Kirk soloing and sounding reborn, signalling Metallica accepting the solo again-who’d have thought that sentence would be have ever been applicable?

It’s possible any song could have had the album based around it and this reason alone that should label the album a success. Let’s not forget here that the Mets have a history of releasing an inordinate amount of singles, so it’s entirely possible that there will be future singles not just the token two for every album or three if the albums particularly successful-as is the norm, and it’s this ability to release almost every song in single form that is the reason for Metallica’s longevity.