Metallica - "Death Magnetic"

Released: September 12, 2008
Format: audio tracks ripped from the soundtrack to the game "Guitar Hero 3"; also available as a regular album (CD or download) for the hard of hearing.

Songwriting: 6
Performance: 7
Recording: 6 (game soundtrack) or 2 (album release)
First Impression: 7
Staying Power: 6

Guitar Hero 3 goooooood!  Album release baaaaaad!

Yes; the opinions you might have read on the tubes are true.  "Death Magnetic" sounds orders of magnitude better as ripped from the game "Guitar Hero 3", compared to the actual album release.  The latter is another victim of the Loudness War (the phenomenon of most modern recordings having the volume maximized with little regard to sound quality).  Thankfully it is technically impossible to so brutally butcher the soundtrack for "Guitar Hero" type games, so the sound quality was mostly spared for the former.  It is more or less in line with Metallica's releases from the 1980's - not fantastic but not horrible.  The ripped version even contains a bonus: two versions of one song, with guitar solos from James and Kirk respectively.

As for the music itself, there is some good to great content.  Nothing really stands out as a masterpiece, but it's certainly amenable to those who fondly remember Metallica's earlier albums.  The songs are long and varied in tempo and mood, often changing mid-song.  While it pales in comparison to the untouchable awesomeness of "Master of Puppets", it holds its own very well and will not disappoint the fans.

Suggested sample track: "The Day That Never Comes"

Recommendation: buy the CD or pay for the downloads to support the artists and the music industry juggernaut.  Then download the version ripped from "Guitar Hero 3" and load that onto your best sound system.  Turn the volume control up to 11.  Raise your index and pinky fingers.  Rock out.