Metallica.

The mere mention of the name evokes a variety of responses. Barring “Yee-yah!” “Metal!” and “Fuckin’ A!” odds are you’d be hard-pressed to get a strong consensus regarding the troupe. And screw the Behind The Music fodder, this band has clawed to get by, stood on top of the world, and been relegated to the greedy dogs of the music industry. Whether you think they are the gods of metal or the murderers of Napster, one thing is for certain. They are back in action. And I for one couldn’t be happier.

St. Anger is every bit as aggressive, powerful, and musical as any of their previous work. Personally, I think it’s their best effort since The Black Album, maybe even since …And Justice For All (only difference is this album actually has bass). But man, if your blood doesn’t pump just a little quicker when you hear “Frantic,” you are something less than human, case closed. My friend and I had been joking for months that unless it lived up to its expectations, the alum would forever be known to us as “Stanger.”

Thankfully, the Bay area’s favorite sons have proven us wrong. And sometimes that’s a good thing.

Y’know, lets forget everything about Metallica. Lets forget about Napster, S&M, Jason Newsted’s departure, the Load albums, the MI: 2 soundtrack, hell, lets even forget about the early albums that blew us away in the first place. Why do we have to keep such a close watch on these guys? Why is it that every time they do something that remotely strays from those early years we have to attack them?

Is it really that hard to call a spade a spade? St. Anger is good. In fact, it’s great. Screw the purists who scoff at the band. Those people who were so quick to jump on the Metalli-bandwagon were equally as quick to leap off the second Metalli-bashing became cool.

Liking or disliking a band shouldn’t be a trend. You either appreciate the music, or you do not. Period.

Now I admit. I was more than a little disappointed in how they handled the whole Napster thing. I do think they had a point in being upset, but I consider myself an advocate for both artists’ rights and freedom of information and art. Having said that, I will simply put the topic to rest by thinking a happy medium can exist if the two sides just give an inch or two. Going back even further, I’ll also admit that I was extremely disappointed with Load and Re-Load. But no band is perfect. For every Toys In The Attic there’s a Night In The Ruts. For every Appetite For Destruction there’s a Spaghetti Incident? And for every Master Of Puppets… well, you get the picture.

Nevertheless, I never lost hope that Metallica would rise to the occasion when the odds were most against them. Even when Newsted left, I remained confident that they would be able to replace him fairly easily.

While we’re on the topic, let me just say that I can’t stand Jason Newsted. I’m glad that James Hetfield railed on him all those years, because now that he’s getting vocal, I wish he’d shut the fuck up. Seriously, this guy changes his story bi-weekly as to why he left Metallica. “It was my bad back,” “I had issues with James,” “I wanted to play the blues and get away from metal.” That, by far, had to be the lamest one of all. He does the blues with EchoBrain, who stink it up royally, and then goes on to join Voivod. A full-on metal band. Well pardon me if I think you’re just a little more hypocritical than anyone ever thought you could be, “Jasonic.” It wasn’t until you left the band that your ego was revealed to be light years beyond Lars’s.

To me, the heaviest straw to grace the camel’s back was the fact that Metallica picks up Robert Trujillo from Ozzy Osbourne’s band, and who steps in for the Blizzard of Ozz? Jason Newsted. Now Sharon Osbourne can say he had to audition, he was their first pick, whatever. It seems a little more than a coincidence to me that essentially, Metallica and Ozzy just traded bass players. There are plenty of perfectly capable bassists out there. Mike Inez, Dave Ellefson, Pepper Keenan, etc., etc., ad infinitum. Why Newsted?

In my opinion, he stepped up and offered his services. Oh, he might not admit it, but that’s my personal take on the situation. He wanted to one-up his old bandmates and say, “Look at me! I’m still in demand! I’m still metal!” Newsted is officially the new Dave Mustaine. Only difference is that Mustaine was kicked outta Metallica. Newsted chose to leave, and now he’s kicking himself because the boys are back better than ever. At the time, Jasonic felt he was getting out of a sinking ship. Just so happens that a crack team of repairmen fixed the leaks with blistering riffs and intensity. Now he’s jealous because he’s not invited to the victory party.

Need evidence? Why is it that he slams Metallica when it’s quiet, yet is so quick to get on his knees and open wide when they get positive press? Think about it. The guy is such a hypocrite, it’s absolutely disgusting.

Besides, Trujillo is a far more capable bassist than Newsted ever was. Look at his credentials. Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Jerry Cantrell, Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne, the guy’s been around the block. He’s played with the best in the business. He’s the perfect fit for Metallica. In fact, I can honestly say he’s the second best bassist in the band’s history, topped only by Cliff Burton. Newsted falls a distant third. Trujillo’s got some great skills (or “skillz,” if you will), and has a much more magnetic stage presence than Newsted.

And even though he had little to do with St. Anger itself, I’m willing to bet that he will bring a different element to the table when its time to record the next album. Already the band seems to have recaptured its passion for live performances. Once again, the evidence speaks for itself. Look at the band’s first televised appearance as a restructured unit at its MTV Icon special, and compare it to their last televised performance with Newsted at the 2000 My VH1 Awards. Their rendition of “Fade To Black” was by far the best performance of the evening, but it lacked that traditional Metallica spark. They were just sort of going through the motions. But at Icon, man, they lit it up big time. I mean, they just tore the house down from start to finish.

It was at that moment I new the boys were back, and my feelings were only reinforced with St. Anger.

Let’s talk about the album itself. Yes, it’s raw. Yes, it’s under-produced. Yes, it sounds ugly. And yes, all the songs sound alike. That last point is a staple of a classic Metallica album. I mean, what’s the big difference between “Whiplash” and “Hit The Lights?” Not much. Doesn’t mean they’re bad. In fact, that’s what these so-called “purists” used to crave about Metallica. Granted, I’m a little upset that there are no solos on the album, but the full-on aggression of the riffs and beats themselves is just pure ‘Tallica. It sounds like they’re really blending old with new, even throwing in shades of Korn and Meshuggah in some areas. It’s an interesting mix that’s visceral, volatile and at times melodic.

And granted, the album sounds very different than what we’ve come to expect. Then again, what have we come to expect from Metallica? Really? After Justice, all the rules went out the window. In fact, you could actually chart Metallica’s sound by the albums. Just cluster the albums two by two by one by two. Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning cut through you like a fuel-injected hyper-aggressive buzzsaw. Master and Justice tried to mow over you like a sadistic mechanized panzer. Black Album wailed and swooned its way into the mainstream with heavy, yet accessible riffs, sharp hooks and infectious melodies. The Load twins simply tried to beat you to death with Styrofoam boxing gloves.

Here is how St. Anger lives up to it’s name. It will crawl under your skin slowly and spread through your blood like a disease. It will infect you, like an incurable rage. It will slowly work its hooks and sadism into your consciousness.

It’s just what the doctor ordered. Sure, it’s different than Master. Then again it’s also much different than Load. And to be honest, given the choice to either listen to “Purify” or “Hero Of The Day” for one straight 24-hour session, “Purify” will do just that.

At the end of the experience, you'll know what it's like to be madly in anger with someone. This is one strictly for full-on, pent up aggression that needs to be displaced in the gym before it is unleashed on some unsuspecting bystander. Oh, yes, dear readers. You'll be madly in anger with someone soon enough.

Goodnight and have a Metalli-riffic tomorrow.