1. Death Magnetic
Its the closest Metallica has come to rediscovering the glory of the early days, and, five years later, the albums bite remains as sharp as ever. The Day That Never Comes, Broken, Beat, and Scarred, All Nightmare Long, Cyanide and Suicide and Redemption all contain shards of what made Metallica great to begin with, because they went back to the basics indelible riffs, breakneck soloing, lyrical consequence, this was the Metallica we were hoping would return someday, and return they did. If you factor in the four-song EP Beyond Magnetic as a companion, the comeback is augmented by previously unreleased tracks such as Just a Bullet Away and Rebel of Babylon. All of the pain, suffering, and indifference the guys had endured up to that point inspired them to summon Rick Rubins expertise as a catalyst for rededicating themselves back into a corner they could be happy with. Their relationships had reached a point where both personal and professional interests could co-exist healthily enough to elevate the material to a level worthy of the Metallica brand. When they took part in the 2010 Big 4 extravaganza in Bulgaria with Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, the material from Death Magnetic galvanized the crowd and served as a sturdy bridge between the classics instead of an excuse to head for the bathroom. The fact that they haven't played anything from St. Anger since 2008 yet routinely haul out as many as seven tracks from this album illustrates how far they've come. Hetfield's kinetic writing style was in full effect, Hammett's sinister tone was resurrected, Lars was attacking the skins with gusto and Trujillo was finally able to contribute during the recording process itself. It is a good omen that Metallica was able to reconcile with Dave Mustaine and allow the Big 4 reunion to occur, because I don't think the St. Anger era would've lent itself to letting go of past disagreements so easily. As for whether or not that newfound positivity carries over into the next record, only time will tell. What stands out most to me about Metallica in 2013 is how much their on-stage behavior has been scaled back from years past. Trujillo exudes more energy than the other three combined and Hetfield lets the audience sing the majority of lines he doesn't feel like singing anymore, so the experience, while still a blast, is visibly different than it once was. Maybe the recent release of Through the Never will inject some youth back into the guys, because I still feel as if they have a lot left in the tank.