Review by d4nu65t3R

metallica is back after seven years with its follow up to hardwired...to self destruct. while the initial reaction to 72 seasons upon first hear is akin to proclaiming it as the greatest reinvention of bread, it needs to be guzzled up in several repeated listening for one to fully gauge its placing on the pantheon of metallica's discography. that said, fans hoping for sonics and rhythm harking back to the first four albums would be let down. there's no master of puppets here, no four horsemen, no one. instead you get music that straddles the black album and the reload eras. its an extension of hardwired, and truth be told, the songs tend to bleed into one another after a few spins. the guitar interplays between hammett and papa het remain impeccable and the latter's vocals has a grit to it now that wasn't there, say 30 years ago. trujillo's bass lines are literally walking moreso when heard through a full stereo set up and well, lars is lars. its still a great way to waste 77 minutes but at the end of inamorata, the album's 11 minute closer, you cant help think metallica has turned to ac/dc.

gorillaz is back with their 8th opus and it is almost excellent. my only gripe is it's too short at 10 songs and the absence of a japanese edition of the album. skinny ape, baby queen, oil, possession island, silent running, the tired influencer are undoubtedly the best of the bunch. what keeps this from achieving 5 stars is the bad bunny track which i feel is the one weak link. bring on the physical copy of the deluxe version!!

i originally got a cassette copy of disc 1 way back in 1978, and along with her presence in grease, it was enough to turn me into a follower. disc 2 was released in 1982 during olivia's peak physical era. having both discs released in one package was quite a surprise as a quick cross check with amazon usa indicates that this are two separate releases stateside. the packaging and the extras are impeccable. i've always wanted to have a cd copy of disc 1 (i was lucky enough to find a standalone disc 2 release 25 years ago) and this set completes it. my only gripe is they could have included twist of fate. that would have made this collection more extraordinary.

if i had deeper pockets, the creatures box set is the definite way to go. this 2 disc deluxe set is the cheaper alternative but in no way disappoints. the real gem here is disc 2. i could do away with the live tracks but the demos are worth the price of admission. conversely, i wish amazon would take a page out of cdjapan's book on packing their cds, assuring that the item gets to you in perfect condition.

a cheaper alternative to getting the whole pricey boxed set, this remains a crucial set to tide you by. i'll probably spend more time spinning the demos disc for the usual rarities. cdjapan's packaging of the product remains impeccable as the item is perfectly free from dents or clippings, something i couldn't say for amazon.