Metallica's St. Anger and Ugliness
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- Опубліковано 26 кві 2023
- Sonic Discourse for Damaged Brains #2
I tell ya, St. Anger don't get no respect. No respect I tell ya.
Here's a video of some funny Some Kind of Monster moments:
• funny Metallica St Ang...
I wrote this video myself but here's a hilarious description of this video that ChatGPT wrote:
In this thought-provoking video, we delve into the complexities of heavy metal music and its relationship with ugliness, as we analyze Metallica's controversial album, "St. Anger." We examine the duality of the genre and how it navigates themes of darkness, anger, and aggression.
We ask the tough questions about why people react negatively when the music on "St. Anger" actually had an ugly sound to it. Is there a double standard when it comes to the expectations of heavy metal music? How do we reconcile the artistry of heavy metal with its ugly subject matter?
With expert analysis, we take a deep dive into the making of "St. Anger," its reception among fans and critics, and its enduring legacy. Don't miss this insightful examination of the paradox of heavy metal music and its relationship with ugliness.
Keywords: Metallica, St. Anger, heavy metal, ugliness, dark themes, aggression, controversy, double standard, artistry, music analysis, legacy, metal music, negative reactions, dichotomy, documentary.
At the time this album came out, a well-known metal magazine called "Metal Maniacs" summarized it perfectly in one sentence...
"St. Anger is the sound of rich people slumming."
haha well said!
during their prime, metallica transformed pain into beautiful pieces of art. and then st anger came. they made something ugly stay something ugly. intentionally or not, they dared to be grotesque, but not in a metal, horror form. they made it in a human form. and to be human is to be ugly sometimes.
That last sentence, perfectly said my friend
St.Anger- The most raw, thrashy and full of pure hatred and energy album. Thats the one when you absolutely loose your head to the headbanging, especially Shoot me Again. Sometimes when Im walking to my 9-5 job, I put the St.Anger on my headphones and kicks me into full gear like a coffee from hell
@gansior I agree- shoot me again is awesome and rocks -
Its badass. That feeling. Healthy.
I usually have to keep quiet about how much I like St. Anger for fear of sounding like some kind of contrarian or metal hipster, but I really like it. It feels real to me in a way that no successive Metallica album has. The music is actually interesting and unexpected and the lyrics read like a torturous rehab diary. Every record they've done since (Lulu excepted) feels like a paint-by-numbers pastiche of golden era Metallica. Boring, predictable and safe. And I'd take the trashcan detuned snare of St. Anger over the compressed-to-hell q-tip to the eardrum snare of 72 seasons any day, but that's just me lol.
Same
Dude this content is good quality! Dunno where the views are at but this videos great don’t stop man!
When I first took it home and listened to it, the first thing I said about it to a friend was, “It’s either one of the best albums I’ve ever heard or one of the worst.” And I have always believed that reaction means that it’s worth paying attention to. They achieved SOMETHING, even though I think most of us still aren’t quite sure what exactly it was. This video gets closest. The (possibly) intentional ugliness of it can’t be denied.
Amazing collection of videos! Such a great channel. Cheers!!
i love the snare sound in st anger. unlike anything iv heard before. it was exciting.
Wow you have to be the only person on Earth who thinks that! 😆
@@jameswest4259 yeah probably but i still love it.
I always it worked well since Lars has always been more of a punk drummer in my mind, and that beltless snare works with that type of drumming.
@@jonnybarnard8578 dude that snare sound is garbage 🗑️
I love it too it makes the songs sound more evil and angry
St. Anger-the track, and video-has a great deal of raw, and real emotion. I like it. Always have.
I bought St. Anger when it came out. It's the only album I have almost thrown out of a moving car. I have tried to listen to it multiple times since then and came with an open mind. It never got better for me. Can't do it
I don't see enough videos like this in the field of music, especially not metal. This is a great and well thought out video, please make more. For what it's worth, I think St. Anger has a lot of good riffs and would've been respected more down the line if it didn't have that snare and the songs were about 2-3 minutes shorter.
i'm one of the folks who you mentioned in the video... the group of folks who made videos about St. Anger. As a matter of fact, i made a six hour documentary on the album. It's one of my top ten favorite albums of all time.
i scourge the internet for any content on the album, so seeing this was a nice surprise. Thanks...
Great content my guy! I hope you'll get more recognition!😁
Good content here, just stumbled in today 🎉
wow dude you get it. these videos are so refreshing
I remember when this album came out. Yeah, I was disappointed, but also knowing that the band was pretty much on the verge of a meltdown and breakup made it make sense. Yes, it is in my opinion their worst studio album. But there are some cool riffs, and it's not the worst thing I'd ever heard. I had a thought at one point that if, say, Metallica had been a new band to the scene, and this was their first album, I might have thought, "These guys have potential. I'll look forward to hearing them develop their sound and style more". But from a band that was 20 years into a huge and storied career? Eh.
Sweet Amber Unnamed Feeling and Invisible Kid are kind of underrated
THis is such a great overview!
Great review top stuff
Hey man you really paid respect. Pretty cool that you looked at the whole picture.
such a great and based video. subbed!
I had a hard time trying to listen to kill ‘em all and master of puppets for a while because of their sound production , but I don’t know why St Anger just instantly clicked with me. After listening to almost all of Metallica’s discography I was expecting complete earrape from this album. The first time it was kinda funny how gross it sounded, the second time I was a absolutely loving it. I get major soad and korn vibes from it.
if it wasnt a metallica record it would be one of the best nu metal record in the eorld.
Interesting analysis. Never understood the hate for the sound of St. Anger in a genre (Thrash, even though St. Anger is not exactly thrash) that has albums like Hell Awaits or Eternal Devastation as its staples, which are not that... polished. I think that the statement they were trying to make was: "look, everybody's putting out super polished records, we're going the opposite way" which I found pretty cool. To be honest I find the sound much more authentic than the overproduced Death Magnetic or the sterile-sounding latest two records. Like, DM was awfully produced too and there wasn't even any particular reason behind it, then why aren't people making such a big fuss over it? Finally, I think it took a lot of guts for Metallica at that point in their career to put out a record this "ugly"-sounding as you said ahah. By the way, in spite of the sound, some songs are really cool and personally I'd rather relisten to St. Anger than Load or Reload
I wouldn't say I 'hate' the sound of St. Anger as it doesn't provoke particularly strong emotions in me one way or the other. I definitely dislike it though, because it literally gives me a headache to listen to. It's the *only* metal album that literally gives me a headache to listen to. I can't even listen to the whole thing in one setting, I have to shut it off after two or three songs. The likes of early Slayer and Destruction records may not be polished but they're not built on obnoxious instrumental tones like St. Anger. The guitar tones on Hell Awaits kick ass. The drum tones could be better, but they're not obnoxious.
I like this album. Heard it years later as I was too young to listen to it, back when it released. I knew about it's status, but I genuinely like the album. Many memorable riffs, lyrics and drum parts. It's honest and emotional and that's what Metallica does best.
St Anger is brilliant compared to Reload, which is dogshit
I too really like St Anger. I’ve always said that if it was produced differently, it would be hailed as the best album. But I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Dude no. The first 4 albums are their best. St Anger is the best music in the 2000s. But they can’t hold a cancel to the 85-89 period. Go back and listen those songs live in 88-89.
Meh... even if the album was produced in a much more polished state, the songwriting certainly wasn't up to par with their previous releases or afterward (maybe better than LuLu, but that's not saying much).
Don't get me wrong, there are some good riffs and even a song or two that are relatively decent. I can see why people would like it. And tbh, based on the (arguably) most tumultuous period that the band was going through at the time, it's a miracle that an album even came out at all.
Objectively though imo, it was a bad but necessary album for their stability in the long term.
The riffs on St Anger are garbage.
This is the first Metallica album I ever heard and I almost wrote them off because of it. There's some fun riffs on it but they meander for ages. Even if you can get past the bad production and the tin snare to hear them, then you'll still have the get past the high school live journal lyrics. Like this is the same dude that wrote Fuel.
The marketing was the worst. Bob Rock plays bass on this Rob didn’t join till I think the album was already done. And the album was released with the bonus DVD of them playing every track live, with Rob playing.
I’d like to think that somehow Jason was responsible for making that snare sound so shitty, a nice thank you to Lars for turning the bass off of And Justice for All.
This really makes me think about the meaning of ugliness
I think the only issue I take with this video is the idea that the album failed, or that Metallica didn't know what they were doing. They explicitly state in the documentary that they were trying to make an ugly album. I think Lars described it as giving birth to an ugly baby or something (don't hold me to that, can't remember his exact phrasing, it's been awhile). I think if another more underground band had released this album, it would have garnered a much different reaction. But at this point in their career, they had their die-hard purist 80s fans who wanted to hear Master 2 and their radio rock 90s fans who wanted Load 3, and they didn't give us either. I actually think it has more in common with Kill Em All than anything else in their discography. And I think it's a great album if your ears are open to it. But you weren't going to like it at all if you were expecting it to sound like anything they'd done prior.
I think one needs to also put the time of what the band was going through at time, even if you think it's a cop out. But think how many bands in the space of 2 years have one band member leave, the lead going into rehab, then getting psychological help which open a can of worms that was stewing for years and years between the band members, mostly Lars and James. All that anger and rage had to be let out somehow, and I think they transmitted that to the album. Back them the snare sound or lack of guitar solos didn't bother me, but I was 13 or 14 and didn't have a bigger understanding of music (still don't have a deep understanding, but you start to pick up on things with age). The lyrics work, they reflect the shit the band went through, the pain, the suffering, the anger issues. I think, if played with the " normal sound" of Metallica and some guitar solos, it works out for most fans.
After i watched "some kind of monster" i then went and played every Megadeth album i owned to get the taste out of my mouth.
I loved allot of the songs on st anger. Had been recorded differently it would have been great to most people. There were more great songs on it then flops and it was extremely better then load and reload. I also thought it was a great intro to death magnetic. I look at St anger as a demo tape. That's what it sounds like, a demo. First time in a studio making something to sell at shows. So to me it was a great intro back into that heavy thrash that they're so great at doing. Death magnetic and hard wired were great records. Going back to a sound that we all know and love. I can't say much about the new album cause I haven't heard much of it but what I have heard it sounds great. They're in their 50s and they're making thrash that is coming from a mature mind. It's is still way better then load and reload
Good points made. I love the sound of this album personally. It just needed to be edited. Something different for sure, but the long-song format that marked previous Metallica should not have been followed here. If this were a bunch of 3-4 minute songs, it would have been a fuckin' phenomenal album.
Been a Metallica fan for 30 years, fav records UJFA and RTL but I love Load and like reload and kinda love how raw St Anger is specially Frantic.
I actually feels the same way about the Fans' reaction their album with Lou Reed.
St Anger is their Tom Waits album. Over the years, its grown on me
One my favorite Metallica albums. So much energy gets out when I jam to it. But I like the live garage st anger better than the album recording. The guitar sounds better and the open snare isn’t as bad. Load and reload still some my favorite albums as well.
I can still remember the first time I heard Master of Puppets. I was blown away. In my mind that is the greatest thrash album of all time and will never be topped, I'm not even sure anything else will ever even come close. After Cliff Burton died they went straight downhill. And Justice for All is a decent album, but everything after that is just shit. I see some talking in the comments below about the song Shoot me Again, I don't recall that song, I'll have to ck that out, but the song St Anger is straight, pure shite.
It's okay to love St. Anger. I mean, I love Load AND ReLoad!
I also really love Bush. And I'm not just talking their first album, or even their first two albums. I'm talking their first FOUR albums! 🤷🏻♂️
Completely agree
Frantic, Unnamed Feeling 🤘
don’t know why metallica felt the need to release a new album in 03 when they already attained there legend status pretty much a decade earlier
I'm not particularly fond of the songs on St. Anger, but I can appreciate it for daring to be different. Modern super polished metal productions with clicky typewriter drums are insanely boring.
Frantic was my fave song from that album.
To paraphrase James at the end of SKOM movie, "this album is like a diary", a diary of dark, ugly period
I agree ,i started listen to metal in 96 i was 16 i liked a lot the load album and stoped there.
ST.ANGER?...🤔...An interesting experiment. It had it’s moments.
I truly believe☝🏽if it was a debut album from an unknown band, it would’ve been embraced & started a new sub-genre.
Frantic is still one of my favorite Metallica songs. St. Anger is underrated.
St. Anger had more quality than all of their 90's music combined. I loved it!
I love this album
I liked st anger because it was the first new original metallica album after I started listening to them (which was in 98 so that was a good little wait). After wearing it out, I started disliking it and that's been my stance for the last 15 years or so until I decided to re listen to it. Now I like it again. It has some bangers that would be even better with better quality sound but I like it for what it is.
St Anger.. Being my favourite Metallica album. Love everything about it. It's a powerhouse. Yes.. I'm in the minority.
This album got me through a divorce. I would get up at 5am and drive aimlessly til it was time to go to work. This album at full volume, through a car stereo who’s speakers were on the verge of blowing, while you are driving fast is a very cathartic and cleansing experience. I hear the haters and the metal snobs and I roll my eyes because they don’t understand that this album is the soundtrack for rock bottom. Ugly outsider music for people who feel ugly on the inside.
The best bit of logic behind this album that i can offer is dually: In Bob Rock's words "this album saved the band." & my own 2 cents... Metallica took C.O.C.out on the roaad with them some years prior to the recording of St. Anger, supporting their legendary album 'Deliverance'. It would be inspirational for Het in that, he made a great new friend in Pepper Keenan ( guitar/vox ) & just loved the record's groovy, bludgening, & downright nsaty sound. If you're not at all familiar with it ua-cam.com/video/NOn9o0ISQto/v-deo.html soak it in & then consider how St. Anger sounds. It explains a LOT imo. I've long said that: *if some rando Cross-over Hardcore band had released St. Anger, the album would be heralded as legendary.* BUt...as this is METALLICA, anything short of the Transcendent is abject failure. There are some outstanding riffs to be found here, amidst the half-assed, largely incomplete songs. Abandoning solos *was* wrong, & was trend chasing in the worst way. There are some boring duds too, obviously; but the album is not the marvelous abomination that Lulu or this new 72 Seasons are.
I am a lifelong Metallica fan. I didn't hate this album when it came out, & still don't. It's ugly, raw, painful to listen to & hosts some of the most punishing & malevolent shit they ever released. In that, & in light of the initial explinations, I have a fond place in my heart for this loveable, craptastic record.
Yeah one of my friends (RIP) always said a lot of their later stuff had a later COC sound, not nu metal or grunge per se
メタリカのアルバムの中では皆ブラックアルバムが好きだと言うけど、個人的にはセイント・アンガーが一番好きなアルバムだ。
これまで聴いて来たメタルバンドのアルバムの中で一番衝撃的だった。
St Anger was my gateway to Metal. I came from alternative music and hated how over the top and " perfect" Metal sounded. I missed the raw anger and dirt that I had with bands like The Jesus Lizard or In-Utero-era Nirvana.
To this day, I love the raw energy and emotion of the record. Not every moment on it is great, and I really dislike the guitar tone, but it's a damn good album that I vastly prever over Kill Em All and Hardwired. I know many people that only like this Metallica album. And to my entire school class, this was the gateway to Metal.
The only thing that threw me off was no Kirk solos but I dont think solos would have ever fit
It's grown on me since it came out. I love it now in 2023. And check this I went to a listening party for the 2023 new album. I loved it. But. It's getting awful the more I hear it. It's old and loopy. And slow and sad minus a few bangers. And after your video, I'm now more in love with ST ANGER.
So for pov:
Ajfa is number 1.
2 is mop.
3.rtl.
4. Metallica, aka black.
5. Hard and Death tie.
6. St. anger.
7. 72 seasons.
8. Load & reload are one album. Fight me.
9. Kill. Why? Because that is how much better all the rest are. It's silly to over hype kill em all. Grow up, ppl.
Here before everyone decides to blow this channel to stardom!
No, but I hear you dude, and St. Anger, like its contemporaries, were ugly in nature. The time and scene around the album was ugly, and dysfunctional. They (Metallica), were losing their grip on each other, and their music reflects that shift. Nowadays, with Hardwired and Seasons in their older age, they're taking a step back and doing what they've enjoyed doing with each other.
Making some good fucking metal!
Is that's Metallica s first álbum for Many??
Load and Re-load are definitely VERY un-Metallica sounding but to be honest there's some badass songs on those albums. Some of it is a bit goofy sounding but they are not bad albums at all.
St. Anger on the other hand.....
amazing script
I used to think Lars was really dead - set on people not illegally downloading his music, so that's why he made this album.
I disagree against the masses .. St Anger is a very emotional record - the lyrics are phenomenal .. I personally felt that road and reload we real bs.. but yet someone out there would say load or reload spoke to them deeply as well .. so who cares what my opinion is really
When it came out, I wasn't as impressed by it as i thought i would be. It was their first album in years that went back to their heavy metal roots, so i was expecting something in between the Black album and "and justice for all". Now years later i listened to it again, after avoiding it for years, and while it isn't as good as say Master of Puppets, or and justice for all, it is better than the black album IMO. I'll admit i cherry pick songs on the black album, but on St. Anger i can listen to it from start to finish. I think they way it was marketed is what really made it seem so bad.
When you tell a Metallica fan that Metallica is going back to their heavy/thrash metal roots, we're going to imagine Battery or Dyers Eve, or Four Horsemen, or For whom the Bell tolls. "All within my hands" was the closest one to one of the 4 mentioned, again IMO, it had that feel to it.
Metallica will always be in my top 5 favorite bands. And near the top of that list. IMO they totally redeemed theirselves with Death Magnetic.
st/anger cool
st anger is my 5th favorite metallica album. unnamed feeling is metallica's most underrated song
Disposable Heroes is…
My favorite Metallica album.
When I watched Some Kind of Monster, I understood Metallica had grown dysfunctional and resentful of one another. It was fairly evident. You don't have to be stoned to understand this.
Underground before justice can't be beat rock on
I love how the people in jail look like it’s further punishment to have to listen to Metallica lol
And then here's 'Lulu' Yikes!
Why not both? A crititical defenseof the album
I stop buy album after load..
Nah, we like things dark not shit.
It's not about ugliness. Ugliness is fine. St. Anger crosses the line from ugliness into obnoxiousness, and that's the problem.
Why were they actually put off by something repugnant? Because it was repugnant XD
Genesis 2:17 John 2:24
St. Anger is the most emotional Album from Metallica, being the Bands last dying scream before being reborn into their modern form. Shaking all of their old demons and beginning Anew.
It is exactly what is says: An Album filled with Hate, Anger and Despair. And I love it.
I've never been a Metalica fan. Generally more of a hard rock person, at the time I was in a nu metal phase. And a lot of nu metal, especially early on, was very deliberately UGLY. Silpknot, Coal Chamber all that stuff. So I checked out St. Anger and I immediately went: "Oh, a Metallica album with drums that don't sound deader than cardbord boxes filled with water? Yes, please!" And it did sound genuinely angry. As a teen at the time, older metal stuff, Metallica included, looked and sounded almost like cosplay, in comparison to the raw late-'90s early '00s stuff. Of course, nu metal subsequently went nearly all bland and disingenuous within a couple of years too.
I actually unironically like st. anger. I know it's not liked by most metalfans, hell, I might even be the only one who likes it, but I don't think its that bad of an album at all. But I understand the critisism though. If you compare the album to their work before, it sounds like trash. If you compare it to the metal of its time, it's complete trash, however, if you have a background in raw punk, it's actually not that bad. The album is more akin to punk, speedmetal or anything other than what they did before. Did they create the sound of a garageband? No. Did they create a "I don't give a fuck" mentality with the sound, that a lot of underground punk bands have? Well, it's not there yet, but it's close. So from that perspective, it's an ok album. And this is imo exactly why the album is so disregarded, it's just aimed at the wrong audience.
Metal is ugly yes but I’m more of a trashing your apartment in a fit of rage ugly while st anger is more like a rage room it’s artificial chaos
It’s also hilarious that Metallica makes a nu metal album right as the genre died & guitar music started blowing up again
There are a couple songs on DM that are decent. Everything else, after the Black album is mediocre. These guys can obviously play, but being able to play doesn't make great music. Music that stands the test of time. The first 5 albums are what people want. The magic is long gone. It's ok, it happens. My favorite band ever is Rush. From Vapor Trails on is garbage. Did they forget how to play? No, they ran out of magic. It happens to everyone.
Song writing talent seems to be a finite resource in most musicians.
Ok... I am gonna make an unpopular statement. LULU was their best album..... J.K. i was trying to troll but i cant do it😂😂😂😂
I'll say what I really think: it's just a bad, boring, directionless album, the only truly bad album they've ever made, that sounds way worse than a demo from a bunch of teenagers in a garage.
No use philosophising about its supposed merits, it's simply a single big misstep in an otherwise near-perfect career.
Any other band had made it, there would be no debate, as it would have sold about 8 copies.
I grew up on Nirvana and 90's metal. Naturally, I also discovered and liked the first Metallica records. But the truth is, after many years now, that I return to St.Anger most often listening to the music of this cheerful band. Black Album or Load/Reload are so boring after many listens. Meanwhile, Anger is a mine of great riffs, ideas, tempo changes, etc. I love it.
And finally - I don't give a shit what a snare drum sounds like :)
My favorite Metallica album. Very unique and the most replayable to me.
I understand why this album exists, and why it sounds the way it does and in a sense appreciate it for what it is. I just don't want to listen to it.
Forget the snare.... How about that horrid guitar tone?
If you want to hear an ugly album I suggest you check out all the great black metal albums from the 90's and beyond. St. Anger is a shitty album, big difference!
But they havnt had good album since black album I havnt really enjoyed any new songs the same way I enjoy master of puppets justice for all RTL kill em all I'd routher listen to other bands
It's not that we hated it, we still hate it LOL
Underwhelming underproduced and made like stuffing your ears with nails on purpose, but some songs are good. The whole album sounds like a demo. Lost they were but that was the album that made me a metallica fan.
It didn’t suck because the production was ugly. It sucked because the songwriting was really really bad.
You cna get all fancy smancy with your big words, but soemtimes ugly is just straight ugly. Like, cool, you're having a mental breakdown, but do my ears need to bleed from your snare drum to get that point across?
or maybe the album just sucked.
Babble much ..?
St. anger was complete trash....sounded like Lars was playing drums in a trash can.......kirk can play...lets go No solo.....the whole thing was hard to listen to
St Anger is a great album