1001 Albums Summary

I've come to the conclusion that Metallica are some of musics biggest aura farmers. Their rhythm section is incredibly straightforward, James's lyrics are entertaining but shallow, and the majority of their output is dramatic and serious. This album in particular has such a grand, spacious sound to it that makes you expect a long-winded story to play out. It's all about the guitars. It was always all about the guitars, the really fun melodies and riffs they'd be able to come up with, and how one would smoothly play into the other, ideally in some epic journey that never leaves you bored. And that's what this album (in regulated doses) achieves - bombastic entertainment. This is some of the most easily listenable metal you can find, and these riffs are downright delicious. If someone told me Kirk is the real hero of the band, I wouldn't be surprised; he seems like the one member that consistently had his shit together. And yet, I still can't say I love it, even with my newfound appreciation for Orion. I love guitars too, but I've been listening to them for most of my life, I can't live off from them alone, man. I need more than just 55 minutes of admittedly awesome guitar melodies. That eventually gets overbearing no matter how great your chops are. I need sauce. I need a rhythm section that's more than just functional. I need lyrics I can actually connect with. I need a version of Welcome Home (Sanitarium) that doesn't have its second half so good that it makes the first half feel like a chore to get through. I need riffs that aren't necessarily just earworms. I need music to not treat me with oven mitts, but hit me hard enough that I forget who I am for a second. I need my metal fix from literally anyone else but Metallica.

xx keeps teasing you with it's stellar atmosphere, lovely production and clearly solid performances, but that's never enough to hide the fact this band can't write an actual hook into these tracks, most of which are at least 3 minutes long and yet still feel like they get cut off before they can actually develop into something. The only geniunely catchy moment in this is in the goddamn intro track, and even that one ends before you can get attached to it. It's honestly just sad, like watching a kid with talent deciding to give up too early into something.