Of course you have to hear it loud, all the switches on. Ulrich’s drums, guitars, bass and James Hetfield’s vocals come at you like insanely heavy, compact waves that you can’t hide from, whether you like the rock roar or not. If you listen more closely, it’s not a droning either, but there are sometimes eight to ten minute long songs that pack a punch. They’re banging around in their heads like they’re in a gym looking for the weights. “Full speed or nothing, Lux aeterna, yeah,” Hetfield sings, quoting the closing hymn of the Catholic Requiem of the same name, the promise of eternal light. The arcs that Metallica span always reach from hell to heaven.
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