11 Great Things In Metal This Week (20th Nov)
Metallica, Lamb of God and DevilDriver... Oh my!
Metal is a very diverse and rich genre of music. At least, more rich and diverse than most people seem to give it credit for. Because for every "household name" in the heavy world (the Metallica's, the Slayer's, the Iron Maiden's), there's at least a hundred underground acts, trying their damnedest to scratch and claw their way through the glass ceiling.
And it is to those up-and-coming bands that this new weekly list will be dedicated. To offer a picture of the best of the vast metal landscape, I have set myself the task/challenge of naming (at least) ten great things in heavy music that have happened over the course of the past week. Every week.
Some might call me a hero...
And what a first seven days to focus on: not only have big boys Metallica and Anthrax been busy giving you more metal than a workaholic in a steel mill, but so have such underground darlings as Ramage Inc., Brutai and Ion Dissonance.
11. Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct (and A Ton Of Music Videos)
Truthfully, Metallica should probably be at number one on this list. Not only are they the biggest metal band in the world today, but they've also been on a roll so monumental that it almost makes you want to forgive them for making that Through the Never film. Almost.
But at the same time, they're clearly the obvious choice and needed to be put out of the way early.
Not only has this week seen the band finally unleash their long-awaited tenth record, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, but it has also been witness to ten (yes, ten!) music videos. "Dream No More", "Now That We're Dead", "Lords of Summer", "Spit Out the Bone", "Murder One", "Am I Savage?", "Confusion", "ManUNkind", "Here Comes Revenge" and "Halo on Fire" all saw release on Wednesday through to Thursday this week, building up to Hardwired...'s final unleashing on Friday.
As for the record itself, "Confusion", "ManUNkind" and "Am I Savage?" are easily skippable entries, mostly adhering to a mid-pace structure with the surprises being few and far between. But the other songs? Each just has to be heard to be believed, from the all-killer-no-filler "Hardwired" to the slow-burning "Halo on Fire" to the gloomy, Lovecraftian "Dream No More", this record is near-perfect, and easily the best thing Metallica has done in 25 years.