Band remembers roots, honors many influences

By Eric Booth, Special to the Daily Forty-Niner

Wednesday, December 2, 1998

 

Metallica returns to its garage roots with the newly released two-album set appropriately titled "Garage Inc." The album is comprised of 27 cover songs.

Metallica pays tribute to bands that have influenced its hard-hitting and fast-paced style of music.

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ALBUM REVIEW

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A sequel to the 1987 "Garage Days Re-Revisited" is included in its entirety on the second part of the album. Metallica combines its unique sound with songs from Black Sabbath, The Misfits, Discharge, Lynyrd Skynyrd and other heavy metal bands.

The second part of the album also contains the 1984 "Garage Days Revisited" tracks "Am I Evil?" and various B-sides and singles from 1988-1991, including "Breadfan," "Stone Cold Crazy" and "So What."

The result is traditional heavy metal music the way it is meant to be played. Metallica has come a long way since the release of "Garage Days Re-Revisited."

Lead singer James Hetfield continues to experiment and broaden his vocal range.

His powerful voice gives new energy to lyrics in "Turn the Page," which was originally recorded by Bob Seger in 1973 and "Astronomy," originally recorded by Blue Oyster Cult in 1974.

The blistering sounds provided by lead guitarist Kirk Hammett in the opening song "Free Speech for the Dumb," originally recorded by Discharge in 1982, sets the tone for the rest of the album.

Combine these elements with Lars Ulrich's heart-pounding drums and Jason Newsted's crunching bass sound, and one can not help remembering the early days of Metallica.

The band invaded the heavy metal scene in 1983 when it released its first album "Kill 'Em All."

Since then, they have released more albums including "Ride the Lightning," "Master of Puppets," "And Justice For All," "Black," "Load" and "Reload."

With each new release, the band provides its fans with music that is unique and sometimes risky.

This trademark style has made Metallica one of the most popular heavy-metal bands.

"Garage Inc." is sure to fit the standard that Metallica has set throughout the years.

The album will provide fans with heavy metal sounds influenced by past great bands that today's bands unfortunately lack.