Diamond Head’s Electric is yet another reason why I should really check out this British band, after Helpless and Am I Evil? (both included on disc two) already suggest they created at least one album of highly enjoyable traditional heavy metal. In fact, there are really only three tracks out of eleven that could be considered metal at all, and my personal preferences make those easily the most enjoyable for me. The first disc is totally new stuff, recorded at The Plant Studios in September 1998, whereas the second disc contains older recordings from various locations, recorded between 19.Īs mentioned above, the first disc is all newly recorded post Load / Reload, so it’s not at all surprising to find tracks included that likely inspired them to take on a less metal path. was released on November the 24th 1998 and can easily be considered an album split into two halves. Then again, getting these bands heard by the multitudes of Metallica fans that otherwise might not have, is likely the intention of it in the first place. I’ll say straight off that I don’t own a single album by any of the bands covered (although I have heard the Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate and Motörhead tracks over time), which probably doesn’t make me the ideal person to review this release. It’s fairly remarkable that they had enough cover material to make up over two hours of music, but I guess that’s a sign of how open and grateful Metallica are to their many influences. Given my general disdain for cover tracks, the idea of a double disc collection of covers was about as appealing as a romantic dinner with Lars Ulrich, but at least Metallica had the sense to put these cover tracks in a compilation, rather than tainting their studio album experiences as so many other bands tend to do. It seemed extremely unlikely that this once great band would ever produce an album of the sort of quality they once did seemingly at will, so the news of a third release within as many years didn’t exactly have me jumping up and down in excitement. The epitome of a mixed bag, there's something here for everyone, while remaining a release that will satisfy very few.īy this stage the idea of a new Metallica release contained none of the excitement of years gone by. At an excessive two and a quarter hours in duration, this can be a pretty enduring listen, but there’s enough decent material here to make ‘Garage Inc.’ as vital a part of Metallica’s discography as any of their studio releases. Anger’, this album just kind of sits there, a small, subtle reminder that despite everything, Metallica were still metal fans at heart, who’ve never been afraid to wear their influences on their sleeve. After going alt rock with ‘Load’ and ‘Reload’, but prior to working with an orchestra and all the drama that would follow with Napster and ‘St. ‘Garage Inc.’ came out at a weird point in Metallica’s history. Such is the quality of these covers when compared to their original counterparts. ‘Am I Evil’, ‘So What’, ‘Blitzkrieg’, ‘Helpless’, ‘Breadfan’, ‘Last Caress’ and ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ are more-or-less Metallica songs now. Some are better produced than others, but overall they’re a solid bunch too. The second disc is a compilation of any covers the band had recorded in the past, either for various EPs or as singles b-sides. The likes of ‘Die, Die My Darling’, ‘Turn the Page’, ‘Astronomy’, ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ and ‘It’s Electric’ make this an interesting listen. Well produced, well performed, and special mention to Hetfield’s strong vocals here. The first disc consists of covers recorded for this album in 1998, and while the song list is a little hit or miss, for the most part it’s a solid effort. With beefier guitars, production and Hetfield’s trademark vocal style, pretty much all of these tracks are better than the original. But regardless, Metallica have an incredible talent of doing covers in their own way to truly make the songs their own. Of course, part of that is probably the fact that about 95% of these bands would be absolutely unheard of if it weren’t for Metallica in the first place. Regardless of your thoughts on the band cutting their hair, Napster, Lars’ drumming, selling out, Kirk’s wah pedal, James being a table, or the countless other things the band have had thrown at them over their careers, one statement that holds up true is that Metallica have always done an incredible job at covering other artists songs. ![]() ![]() Released in 1998 during the heyday of their alternative rock phase, ‘Garage Inc.’ is a two-disc compilation of covers by heavy metal legends Metallica.
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