Metallica - Death Magnetic - new album discussion

As Ted said, the problem is probably in the mixning so the vinyl cannot be better. All it can do is maybe hide and add some more distortion. I will NOT buy this album, never!

 

A comparison between the 2LP and 5LP versions would be of great value.

 

I see. Thanks for the info! At least the music is good...

 

I gotta echo the "great music, poor recording" call, alas. Its certainly not their best work but its better than anything they have done in 10+ years, IMO. Sonically...ouch. Lots of people listed in the credits...were they all pushing buttons in the dark? I can't believe it got put into production sounding this way.

 

That was just your Life - Replay Gain of -13 db. Highest I've ever heard.
This music has NO IMPACT whatsoever! Just static white noise. Do they have a bass player? I think they hired Trujillo just for the photo sessions.

Looking at the wave, it looks like they carved it; like they put more care into how the wave looked than what the music sounds like. It sure looks pretty; perfectly symmetrical.

Some of the most inhuman, inorganic recorded sound I've heard in a while.

Pure aural garbage. Sounds like it could be cool but this might be the first Metallica record I don't buy.

All this technology, 100 years of recorded music and this what we're left with. A new low.

 

I just checked right now and the image is working.

 

Ow ow owww!!!!! I am so very upset I can't see straight.

I headed down to Best Buy at the Mall of America and scooped up D-Mag on vinyl. I was thrilled, happy, bouncing around. I've been listening to these songs for a week now, and I've ranted about it enough.

Finally hop on the bus home and switch on the stereo, warm up the Tube Box, clean off the records a bit, then start playing the beginning.

Ow ow owww!!!!!

What the bloody hell is this?! This LP sounds horrible! Within minutes my ears are hurting, like someone is jabbing needles into my ears. There's no dynamic range whatsoever, no depth of sound....hell, there's no damned music. All I'm hearing is noise. All my mind's eye sees is static and haze.

The sound of side one (first 3 songs) is extremely thin, with no depth and no punch at all. But it sure as hell is quote-unquote "loud." Not loud in any real sense, just some hack engineer's idea of noise. Everything is so horribly compressed and squashed, and the soundstage is so tiny.

I somehow managed to make it through the first three songs, but I immediately threw the record off my Debut and hurled the album on the shelf. I honestly don't know if I'll listen to the rest of the album. As far as I'm concerned, this is just about the worst vinyl lp I've ever heard.

Listening was actually painful. I've listened to countless loud albums since I was a teenager. I've never hurt my ears, and certainly not when spinning records and sitting ten feet away on the couch. What the hell is this scam?! The sound is nothing but static and foam, like a giant sponge floating in between my speakers.

I tried messing with my stereo knobs (bass, midrange, treble) but not much luck. I suppose I could completely cut out the midrange and make D-Mag almost listenable, but what's the point in that? I don't need to do that with any of my other albums; that sweet midrange (courtesy of the Tube Box) is why I love my stereo system so much.

So by this point, I am clearly upset. I'm shocked, stunned. What the hell ever happened to quality control? I hope I'm not sounding over-the-top; this album genuinely sounds terrible on vinyl, and as far as I'm concerned, it isn't even listenable. I have no explanation for why this is. My other Metallica albums sound fantastic. ...And Justice For All sounds fantastic, has great rumbling, has depth in the lower end. Garage Inc sounds terrific, full of life. Heck, St. Anger sounds much better on vinyl than D-Mag, and that album was only barely compressed. This new album sounds so much worse. It's the epitome of everything that's wrong with the Loudness Wars, everything that Bob Dylan and Neil Young have been saying.

In my experience, the only vinyl lp's that have sounded this bad was the Sony Pearl Jam reissue from last year (ugh, avoid that one like the plague), and - ha ha ha! - the Metallica reissues (I got the 45-rpm Ride the Lightning, ouch ouch). I have heard digital masters on vinyl records that have sounded good. Most of the ones that sound terrible are just cheap bootlegs. The D-Mag lp kills 'em all. Ow! Bad pun!

Now for a couple updates. I needed to run a couple tests, so after rubbing my ears and getting my eyesight back (I really do see music in my head, like an extra filter over my eyes), I pulled out my beloved Robert Ludwig Led Zeppelin II. Let's try rock's loudest album. Zeppelin sounds fantastic, amazing, musical. It's a warm world you want to jump into and play with. And the music is loud as hell. Bonham sounds like he's about to smash my walls down. Jimmy Page is melting my candles. But my ears are fine. I want to crank the volume even higher. Thank God for Led Zeppelin.

So now I'm here in the computer room, writing this report for everyone's benefit. I'm also listening to the D-Mag songs that are freely available on Metallica's website. I need to hear the songs again and see if I was just being hopeful and nostalgic for the band I loved as an 18-year-old. Would I hear the same wall of painful static I heard on the vinyl lp?

Actually, no. These songs sound pretty good. I'm surprised, and maybe a bit relieved. I have my headphones on, a good pair of Sony mdr-150's that have served me well. These songs have color to them, and I can make out guitar riffage; the vinyl lp was almost incomprehensible to my third eye. Everything is still insanely compressed, but at least it's tolerable. Don't even get me started on how the vinyl lp version sounded with the headphones on. Ow ow owww!!!!!

So this bodes well for the CD. I'm still far too upset to rush out to the store and get that version now. Being the diehard Metallica fan, I may do so anyway. I just want to bang down the doors of Metallica's HQ and demand a refund. This is a damned outrage. Is this the state of the music business today? No wonder all these record companies are going bankrupt. No wonder I can't stand of these new bands (Jack White remains a brilliant exception to the rule).

My conclusions? DO NOT get Death Magnetic on vinyl. The better your stereo system, the worse it will sound. It's like a small photo that has been optimised for a web page, which is then stretched out to a much larger size. All you can see is a frustrating mess of pixels. That's exactly what awaits you with D-Mag on vinyl.

But, seriously. What the bloody hell is wrong with Metallica? Do they not listen to their finished product? Do they just listen through iPods, or do they bother with a real stereo system. Goodness knows they have the money, and Metallica didn't become the heirs to Zeppelin's throne with tin ears. Somebody in the chain of command royally screwed up. We've got to start quizzing the old men on every opportunity. "What the hell happened?" "Have you even listened to your album?" "Who the hell decided this was acceptable?" "Was there nobody in the studio except yes-men?"

I want a re-mix. I want a re-mix. I want a damn re-mix! D-Mag is supposedly a great rock album. It's a pity I can't hear any of it. All I've been given is static and mud and haze.

Okay, that's enough from me. End of rant.

 

A damn shame as I can't say enough about the music. But it really does sound like a coffee grinder.

 

But dude, that's the point! It's artistic intent! It's supposed, like, blow up yer head!! Blah blah blah bling blah.


I wonder how many used copies will show up on Amazon.

 

Funny thing was I had the Sex Pistols' Bollocks in the carousel and it came on after DM. I could barely hear it! The difference in volume was insane!

 

Awesome metal, horrendous sound. My head is actually pounding right now (though I've been listening to it all day). I might just stick with the cd for computer and ipod and skip the vinyl.

 

Everything you said was dead on. I bought it today and I absolutely regret it. Worst sounding album I have ever purchased. Should without a doubt be avoided. I guess just buy the CD. The music on this album is fantastic but I couldn’t handle more than one side at a time because of the sound of it. At some points you can’t even tell what’s going on! Too bad they messed it up so much. Like I said, the music is really good but the sound is as bad as Vapor Trails.

 

I have to agree with all here.
Musically this is the best album Metallica has put out since The Black Album.
Sonically - it's junk.

 

I did that. The reply was essentially, "No Comment".

 

My 5 LP set came in the mail today. I'd say it's an improvement over the CD but the distortion/compression/whatever is still present. I'm recording and converting to 320 MP3 as I type. I'm gonna forget the CD and just use these recordings for my listening pleasure..

 

Hmmm ...

So which version should I buy ? I would have bought the 5 LP version if it was an improvement over the 2LP version in a heartbeat, but if they all have issues ...

 

I am waiting for hearing some new and good albums.

 

I borrowed the CD from a friend. The sound is awful, even from my computer speakers I can hear the distortion in the songs!

 

I was gonna open up Audacity and show a screenshot like that too matte.

Yepp, apart from the fact that it's so loud it's impossible to listen to without getting a headache and it sounds like absolute crap I'm sure it's a good album.

If you can call that an album mastered like that "good", that is. I wouldn't.

Also, the name is too cartoon'ish, even by the standards of the genre. And the coffin looks more like a ******. There is nothing god damn metal about putting a ****** on the cover. dammit!

 

Great album... awesome album... Im very happy with it..Didn't think they had this in em still... got the digi today :0)

Awful awful sound though.....

Thank God for this forum though, I was ready to order the vinyl...but it looks like waste of time....

This album fits nicely between justice and black IMO... Kirk is on fire! and the rhythm guitar work is awesome too....

 

5 Disc Vinyl edition.

 

Cool. What does the deadwax info say?

 

Just numbers followed by www.gzvinyl.com stamped on one side of each disc. Which is a czech republic pressing plant. don't know what this indicates. I am in the UK by the way.

I haven't played the CD yet but have got though 4 slabs of the vinyl. Each disc is very flat and really quiet. Nice wide grooves and heavy vinyl. Side 10 was very dusty and dirty but all over sides perfectly clean - weird.

The Day That Never Comes certainly sounds 100 times better than the iTunes download I have been listening to for the last couple of weeks. I'm perfectly happy with it so far.

Hope your staying safe there in Texas.

 

That's a nice looking set. It sounds like it's much cleaner than my 2 LP, which definitely pops and crackles too much. I wonder if they pressed it while someone was using a tablesaw in the room.

Both the vinyl and CD are definitely better than the mp3s that were released on Mission: Metallica. But the CD is still way too loud, and there's no question that the sound is a brick, no matter which version you buy. All done pre final master.

-HM

 

Maybe a good contender for Vapor Trails