I remember the thrill of waiting for And Justice for All to come out in 1988. There was no Internet or satellite radio to get teases of what it would sound like. I sill remember unwrapping the cassette tape, excited about what I would hear. Would it match up to their first three masterpieces -- Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightening and Master of Puppets?

Fast forward 20 years and everything is much different these days. There are many bands who have followed in Metallica’s footsteps that have produced some really great music.

Sadly, the bottom line is that Metallica no longer stands out in the sea of music out there. If they weren’t “Metallica,” I don’t think these songs would even catch our attention and get a second listen. The production is flat and the sound doesn’t even compare to so many bands out there now.

Long gone are the days when a Metallica song was epic masterpiece in listening pleasure. It totally boggles my mind how the guys can listen to what they have recorded and think it matches what other bands are doing.

The last Metallica album (St. Anger) was complete and utter garbage. So, the one positive is that what I’ve heard from Death Magnetic is an improvement. And, they still rock live.

But, I won’t be buying this album and I currently have no plans to see them on tour.

This album should have been titled “Death Metalic”.