Anything I really need to hear? Personalized song & album reviews!👇🏼 ko-fi.com/musickingdom/commissions Agree or disagree? What’s the best Metallica song ever made? Share your thoughts!
Great review, well said! I agree with your rating, it does get a little redundant at times and vocals are meh. Oh to avoid vocal issues, metallica has a few instrumentals - I would recommend Orion from the Master of Puppets album if you want to hear the instruments tell a story.
Yep one of mine and imo probably their most underrated. It seems to be the song that has everything. Melodic amaze-bits, absolutely blinding solo, crazy mood setting tone and fiddly bits, vocals are on absolute point and I love the story. The only critique I have of this song is one over use of the song title in the vocals where James sings 'sanitarium' one too many times and it always made me cringe a little... I almost feel ashamed for thinking that, but it just feels like he ran out of ideas so just repeated it.
Excellent discussion as always! If you feel like going back to 1984's Ride the Lightning, I recommend "Creeping Death" as a way to experience Metallica's more pulse pounding metal - less ballad, more face melting, but still with plenty of fantastic elements throughout. Of course another standout on that album is "For Whom The Bell Tolls" for another iconic Metallica track with amazing soundscapes throughout that never fails to keep your head moving. And, at the risk of sounding redundant to what you've discovered about Metallica, both featuring excellent lyrics. Swinging back to Master of Puppets, "Disposable Heroes", though at over 8 minutes long, it might skirt the "redundant" line, but the song takes you on many, many different trips and changes that I find it's impossible for me to get bored listening to it (and once again, more excellent lyrics), and I find the song's nearly-mentally-exhausting-when-it-ends effect blends beautifully with the thematic purpose of the lyrics.
These geniuses were 22-23 when making the songs and 23-24 when this epitome-album was released 🔥🔥🔥🤘🤘🤘…..next one: Disposable Heroes from this otherworldly album…..it will leave you in awe and you will need to find the very high scores 🔥🔥🔥🤘🤘🤘
I know the point of this channel wasn’t to be strictly a Metallica songs review page, but to be honest, you could do most of their catalog and I’d be very happy haha. For me Sanatorium is a Metallica classic and it never gets old, from the heartfelt and super melodic intro, to the addicting and very energetic solos. Anyways, loved the review and the honesty of it. Keep it up!
Thank you for this excellent video! I'm 30 years old, 20 of them being a Metallica fan, and your thoughts are on point: This song shines because of its lyrics, and the melancholy/anger duality printed on those verses-chorus (the guitars are doing it at the same time, with that riff played clean at first, and then with distortion). As a guitarist, not a big fan of the solo, but I always love some harmonized guitars. I'm good with the vocals being *ok* at best, since that gives the song more authenticity regarding the storytelling. Plus, James was not a trained singer at that time, but my God he's capable! Listen to "Harvester Of Sorrow" live in Mexico City (my city), and his vocals take the song to a whole different level. Thanks again. Cheers everyone.
Yeah this song is more about the atmosphere and the lyrics. It’s not meant to get you hype. You’re supposed to feel sorrow or melancholy due to the dark themes and nature of the song material. Yeah James hadn’t received any training at this point and still had a very underdeveloped voice and it shows very easily on the first few albums.
Great reviews, Metallica catalog is huge and very versatile. I love to see the “unforgiven “ trilogy done , 3 different songs with an amazing different.
The reason people recommend live versions is because the early albums were written to be live. The way the song is performed live is the reason it is a favorite.
I honestly agree with your thoughts on this song. It never stood out to me as much as some of Metallica’s other ballads even though some people swear by it. I never skip it while listening to the album but it isn’t a song I would intentionally queue up. Also if you want some crazy time signatures and compositions I recommend listening to some Dream Theater and of course listening to more Opeth would be awesome! Great review as always and keep up the good work!
I wouldn't call them terrible but they are an acquired taste. it took me a long time to get used to them because I usually wouldn't say I like that vocal style.
I loved the video. And I would (once again) recommend "Disposable Heroes", "Orion" and "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth" all by Metallica (I know you usually listen to the studio versions, but I would really recommend the live in Chicago 1983 version because there are some great improvisational moments in that version) and because you said you loved a good E-Organ I would recommend "Child in Time" by Deep Purples (again live in 1970 on the British TV show "Doing Their Thing" and this song isn't really Metal but it's just great and has some awesome Vocals, Guitar, E-Organ and very cool Drumming) and for getting into Death Metal (as your last video suggested that you would like to get into the more raw side of Metal (I also had a comment on that video explaining a bit more of the band Death, and how to get into Death Metal if you want to you can read it)) I would recommend anything by Death especially of their album "Symbolic" like "Crystal Mountain" or "Symbolic", but to be honest almost everything in their discography is great, in my opinion, they were one of the first Death Metal bands and are considered on of the best, they got me into Death Metal and they are also very unique and they are pretty progressive/technical on everything after "Spiritual Healing" and other bands to check out to get into the more raw/extreme side of Metal are: Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Sepeltura, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Venom, Possesed, Meryful Fate and (like I already said) Death. Hope you like the recommendations if you give them a listen and have a lovely day!
Great job with your reaction to Welcome Home Sanitarium from Metallic it's my favorite song from Them. Yes there's a unofficial video for this song with clips from The movie One Who flew Over the cuckoo's Nest.
The concept of the Mellow intro leading into the heavier stuff was will trade territory in Metal by this point, however, as you said Metallica really sharpened and focused it.
Would be cool to hear your take on one of the instrumental songs. My favorite is Orion but The Call of Ktulu, Pulling Teeth or To Livie is to Die (has lyrics but very short...).
I remember when I was 11 and first learning how to play, spending days and days with all kinds of effects trying to get the open E to sound the way it does when the song starts.
Is so difficult for me to be objective when it comes to the material from this album, as it is pretty much been in my life for so long I can hardly remember before this album's release. It is the quintessential metal album as far as I'm concerned, the hybrid between what was being the Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Hira and into the new. The elements that bands like maiden and priest, rainbow Etc pioneered are all present here not to mention the lyrical subject matter being progression from the gloom-and-doom of Sabbath into a more introspective version of despair. It is a phenomenal album and still holds up today
You’ve already checked out a fair bit of Metallica, so ig I’d suggest you check out Megadeth next. They play a similar style of thrash metal to Metallica, but often get more technically complex specifically with what they do with their guitars. I know I’ve already suggested you check out their songs Peace Sells, Holy Wars... the Punishment Due, Tornado of Souls, and Countdown to Extinction, but I’d like to add three more to that list that I think are also essential listens: Looking Down the Cross, Symphony of Destruction, and A Tout le Monde.
I always find your comments interesting, and as a fan of most of the songs you have reviewed I find it great to hear a fresh opinion. We love the music, and we love new perspectives. To that end I have two recommendations. I highly recommend The Day the World Breaks Down by Ayreon. I believe that the complexity of the composition and the story telling will draw you in. It is the first track of a concept album and will hopefully lead to an enjoyable rabbit hole. After listening to the song I would recommend going back and watching the official video because Arjen, the composer, adds comments about the different participants which I think adds some great context to his love of music. You had mentioned previously that you are not used to thinking of metal music as beautiful. I would recommend some doom metal to change your mind on that. I would do either Sleepwalkers by Draconian or Woven Into Sorrow by Swallow The Sun. I am sure that neither one will be what you expect, and I would hope you find them as beautiful as we fans do.
This is one of my favourite Metallica songs - the lyrics are very good, but the slow build transitioning into the apex, solo and outro are the hero here for me. 9.5/10 (on a relative metal scale)
Other Metal bands may not use the slow open as much as Metallica, but I would argue that some do it just as well. . You've already heard one of my favorite slow opens (I checked); "Hallowed be thy Name" by Iron Maiden.
I love this song, but I think your points were fair. James' vocals had not peaked quite yet in 85/86, technically speaking, although as far as raw aggression, that probably was his peak. The 1989 live in Seattle version of Sanitarium is probably my favorite. As for other bands to react to, you owe it to yourself to check out Judas Priest. Too many great songs to list, but standouts for me are The Sentinel (my favorite), Hellion/Electric Eye, and Victim of Changes.
For great "deep cuts" the load albums are a good source. So many great songs that I rarely hear people talk about like fixxxer, where the wild things are and low mans lyrics. It's not the usual thrash or heavy metal that fans are used to but I honestly love the blues grove combined with some hard rock and even a little country in some songs.
I think you should listen to some more thrash metal bands. Metallica is one of most influential bands in this subgenre and I've seen you reacting to many of their songs but I believe you haven't give a chance to any other thrash metal band. I'd strongly recommend at least giving a try to other bands of big 4 of thrash metal (term often used to reffer to 4 most influential thrash metal bands that defined this subgenre - metallica, anthrax, slayer and megadeath) I'd recommend these songs: slayer - crypts of eternity anthrax - the enemy megadeath - holy wars the punishment due
My "perfect" Metallica album from this time of their career is a combo of Puppets and Lightning. Welcome Home is good, but it doesn't make that combo. ... well technically Justice is my perfect Metallica album from this time period, but
@Themusickingdom Thank you for your analysis! Honestly, from my perspective, you don't have to apologise for your ratings of vocals etc.... You jave a great format that is interesting, to me at least, and your opinion of Metallica doesn't change my opinion Just offers another insight. I think you're very fair in your analysis. As much as I want you to say, Yes, Metallica is 10 out of 10! It's unrealistic and your critique is quite good. From a guitarist who used to play back in the day 🙂 Love your breakdowns. How about Orion from Master of Puppets?
Love the song, but I'd agree that it isn't on the same level as Fade to Black or One. I would suggest listening to Blackened from the And Justice for All album. That and Dyers Eve, from the same album, are my favorite Metallica songs. Blackened is the first song on the album and opens with an array of backwards guitars that I think you might appreciate. I like Dyers Eve more, but Blackened is more complex, where Dyers Eve is more straightforward and aggressive.
I’d love for you to listen to “The Day That Never Comes” and “Halo on Fire”, they’re both newer songs but both are severely underrated, also since they’re newer, you might notice James has a more trained voice
This is somewhat of a deeper cut of Metallica, but if you want react to another slow and emotional song like Fade to Black that has some heavier elements you should check out To Live is to Die from …And Justice For All. If I had to choose a favorite Metallica song, this would be it. Disclaimer: the song is an instrumental and it’s almost 10 minutes long.
Great review. As a huge fan of the song and album, I have no issue with your assessment. As for slow intro, I'd say Iron Maiden have nailed this and made it their own far more than Metallica. But I am quite biased here. Most people seem to point to Hallowed Be Thy Name, however, despite the legendary status of this song and its story, Maiden have a plethora of great songs of this ilk. Infinite Dreams Dream of Mirrors Fear of the Dark Dance of Death The Man Who Would Be King For the Greater Good of God Blood Brothrs Etc. Etc. All great songs with interesting lyrical stories.
Solid review and thoughts. Out of "big" Metalica songs this has some cool parts, but def not their best. FWIW, this is where a deep cut would be a better barometer, like 4 Horsemen or Khtulu.
Like alot of people will say, if you do Metallica "live", check out S&M. It's the concert they did in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony back in 1999. They did do another one 20 years later in 2019 (S&M2) but it's not quite as good in my opinion. So make sure you look up the 1999 version.
Of course some Mettalica die hard fans would disagree and would give it a 9 or whatever...but I think the rating is on point! So always try to stay objektive! I like this channel so far! And if I may give you a suggestion : Do Nevermore - Sentiet 6! It's a very underrated progressive Metal band with one of the best guitarists of the world (Jeff Loomis,who also did most of the lyrics and plays now with Arch Enemy since Nevermore split up) and an amazing singer (Warrel Dane who sadly died a few years ago)! Composition,lyrics,musicianship,storytelling...all outstandingly good.I'm sure you as music lovers would totaly enjoy it! I'm almost 50 now and a metalhead since I was 12,so I know what I'm talking about when it comes to metal! And Nevermore are one of the best bands I have ever heared! I would love to see you giving them a try,even if it's not the most known band out there!But their nickname 'the best band you've never heared from' comes not from nothing!Cause thats always what people say who listen to them the first time...
A pretty fair review. I personally did not exactly love the remastered sound - in my opinion it is beginning to sound kind of disjointed with instruments moved further apart from each other compared to how they were mixed originally. I know that it may sound to you like a waste of time, but still check out the original if you feel like it. What really is making Metallica special in my opinion, is that they were one of the very first bands that would bring Progressive into Metal - and just a literal couple of years after pioneering the whole subgenre of Thrash Metal along with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Metallica was really on point with nailing exactly the Metal sound and direction throughout the whole 80's decade. It takes listening to their contemporaries to have a perspective on how unique they were. But even without it your high scores are the testament to those songs withstanding the test of time. Thank you. I will be following your journey.
Yea I noticed the sound being off slightly and was like WTF then I noticed the "remastered" part. The original sounds better to me but I've been listening to it for 30 years lol
Just get their song Blackend off ...And Justice for All out of the way. There's a weird timing change in the drums after the guitar solo that's subtle but noticeable and the guitar playing is more complex
Man you are missing out on Dream Theater, in the very least you should do “Pull me under”, but anything from Images and Words really, it is a cornerstone of the prog metal.
I forget the compositional score guy's name but his review confused me. The first point he made was to highlight the song's unique chord progressions and yet at the end contradicted himself stating the composition wasn't anything special. Which is it? I don't get mad when people don't like the music I do. I never have understood why people do that. But, I would like to understand their take and this is difficult when they contradict themselves.
I liked that particular chord progression, but in my eyes that doesn’t make the song as a whole an incredible composition. Lots of other factors to consider, and in the end I felt that this piece was more basic and repetitive than other songs that have scored higher. - JP
you should listen to sad but true by Metallica. some people will say that the album it is on and the song itself is not that great because it is not "Metallica like" but i think it is great.
Loved the video you did a great job as always. I would love to see you react/rate Avenged Sevenfold. Little Piece of Heaven is in my opinion a fantastic song featuring an interesting story orchestras choir and some fantastic metal elements as well. I would love to see what you think of this band and thanks for reading this message
If you're looking for a heavy metal singer that has better range than Hetfield, Judas Priest's Rob Halford would be a good choice. You've already listened to 2 of the best metal singers in Dio and Dickinson, but you're missing out on one of the best of all time, the Metal God himself.
Metallica’s music and lyrics were written by angry people for angry people. If you’re not or never were an angry person; then you’ll never truly understand it.
Metallica almost gets proggy sometimes, I mean from the master of puppets 21/32 time signature (or whatever it is), and even weird song structures. This wasn't my cup of tea either when I first heard it, it grew on me though, but thats metal for you Since you before have said you love vocal runs, I wont say anymore about the vocals and I'll just recommend Nighttime Disguise - Leprous, this is a band like opeth, extreme prog, these guys arent death metal though, both of those two bands are soo good at blending the unconventional song structures to make it seems like it fits. Usually guitar solos are standouts and the anticipated part of the song, these two and some other bands just make it seem like the whole song is a solo, so good.
I think judging the singing on metal vocalists in terms of just that: singing and actual singers isn't quite right but I feel you do a fair job with the score on that. If we put metal vocalist in the same room as pop artists and whatnot in terms of vocal range, skill and delivery then between 4-6 is generally fair. It's more about fitting the song and matching the lyrics than sounding good by vocal standards anyway. James is a great metal vocalist but not necessarily very good singer per se.
Im not sure how many Megadeth songs you've been recommended, but I figured i'd pitch them to you: They are another Thrash metal band in "the big 4" with Metallica and have a sound quite similar to early Metallica, being fronted by an Ex Metallica member who wrote a lot of material on Metallica's first 2 albums. If you were interested in a ballad similar to this, I would recommend "In my darkest hour" or "trust", or if you want a more thrashy song most people would point to "Holy wars... the punishment due!" which I think you may enjoy due to its interesting compasition. I know I said metallica 4 times there but you cant really talk about megadeth without them
You're accurate. Coming of fade and One is going to overshadow sanitarium. And James's vocals are not top notch vocals. They are clunky and raw on a good way
If you want to hear better singing from Metallica you probably need to check out a recent record. He's been steadily improving from the beginning to now in the singing department
Mental asylums are the biggest mistake to humanity ever. They don't solve anything. This song perfectly implies they're nothing but dark and evil, driving people insane.
James was not the best singer back then he admits it... after years of hurting his voice in the 90s he damaged his vocal cords and had to learn to sing again ..... his voice after that is so much better .... some metallica fans will disagree since they think that the older stuff is all that is good
I'm one of those fans that prefers the older Metallica stuff, but you're 100% right about James' vocals. His voice wasn't great until he finally took singing lessons for the Black album, and then his voice just kept getting better and better.
Francis, don't take this as condescending and I appreciate your continued curiosity, but you still don't know much about metal. Metal is such a voluminous subgenre of rock that reacting to 20 or so metal songs isn't even the tip of the iceberg. You know more than you did before those reactions but stay curious, sir. Trust me. After a year on this path you will look back at where you are right now and agree with me that Francis didn't know sht. There is still soooooo much for you to discover and that is a good thing because you can only discover something once. After that, it isn't new anymore.
Bro honestly James isn't a great vocalist at this stage in Metallica's career he hasn't had a single singing lesson it wouldn't be until he losese his voice mid concert in the early 90's that he would finally get singing lessons, you see james never wanted to be the bands singer james is a guitarist he ended up singing for the band because they couldn't find anyone else to do it and the band didn't stop looking for someone to sing until the death of cliff when the search for a new bassist finally ended James's hope of not singing for the band
