Compared to the first three they are. The Black Album was the last decent record they made. Everything after that was downright awful.

I was able to like their page again but I can't like or comment on any of their posts.

Load,reload,garage was great but the best
Album since master is death magnetic you
All should give that album a chance and really
Listen to it !

Enough with the spam driving to the old mod site. Just post your interweb findings here.

Great Song.

There is nothing from ST. Anger and nothing from Load. Those 2 Albums should have songs. They were full albums non EP and non covers.

So as of now according to http://pinballvote.metallica.com/results

There has been ~19149 votes / 2 (since we get two votes) = 9575 People Voted

That's pretty impressive. I would imagine there can't be much more than ~2000 Metallica machines total out there....

Took you more time to type that up than to click the link and read the blog. But thanks for the positive energy- always great to find the haters.

#dislike

They also suck. Sorry, just true. Now anyone can have an opinion, no one has to listen to me, but the fan voting makes it pretty clear no one is dying inside over having those two left on the cutting room floor and would rather have classic older material.

I checked it out after people started saying that, it seemed more like a return to the Black album to me than MOP. Which is a big improvement, don't get me wrong, but not a huge fan of the Black album either. Soft and friendly rock balad Metallica just doesn't do it for me. I'm a grumpy old fan who basically only listens to two albums (maybe occassional Justice when I can deal with the production) so let me just shake my cane a little bit at you all.

I'm sure there are multitudes of people voting that have never even seen the pin. And people like me who voted three times

I would bet a large sum of money that you are not alone.

Load is not thrash metal, but it's great music overall (imo). It may not be as good in your opinion as Puppets or Lightning, and may not be what you wanted from a Metallica album, but that doesn't mean it sucks outright.

I've never understood the hatred of albums and projects from bands and individuals where it strays from a genre, or an expectation. To me good music is good music whether it feels like metal, country, soft rock, electronic, etc... I certainly have favorites but to hate Load and the Black Album because it's "not metallica" is silly imo. (Not saying you Aurich hate them, just that that's a general standard consensus RE: "True" Metallica music)

Good bands put out bad stuff, and bad bands put out good stuff. I don't know why people subscribe to the music bandwagons rather than simply appreciate good songs. I suppose it's no different than pinball machine and manufacturer hating. I don't quite relate to that either.

Couldn't agree more. Turns out that Metallica is a pretty horrible bluesy hard rock band, though. Thrash metal is their wheelhouse. (in my opinion, taste is subjective, etc.)

You a Faith No More fan? From "Angel Dust" on, almost every song on an album felt like a different style or genre....and I loved it.

As for the poll - I ended up voting for Ride the Lightning and And Justice For All. I think there are other songs I like better, but felt those would work with the pin well.

"Load", "Reload" and "St. Anger" are utter crap and the sales of those backs it up. They experimented with a style change and failed. Hopefully they go back to their proven style of music.

I've heard it and it sounded like they were a Metallica tribute band, playing songs "inspired by" their older works and playing them poorly. It was almost worse than the albums that came between it and the Black Album. It was like the band finally gets that they have sucked for years and decided "hey let's try and make a record like the older ones" but they just don't have it anymore to do it and make it sound right. They are old, wealthy men and lost that fire in their bellies and the anger that they had 30 years ago. If they broke up after Master of Puppets when Cliff died, they'd have been the best heavy metal band of all time.

Metallica started getting crap from the "true fans" as early as RTL, because they used acoustic guitars in a couple of intros on that album. They couldn't prevent Cliff's departure, but they lost a lot more "true fans" when they had to go get a new bassist (and put out a kick ass album). Black was a huge turning point, because they strayed into Radio-Friendly waters for the first time, and cut song lengths and used a soft producer. A whole new generation was introduced to Metallica, but they also began really alienating a lot of old fans. I personally thought the Black album stuff was good, just different. I don't mind different Metallica, even if I prefer old Metallica. I even liked the Load album to a small degree, and appreciate a few of their later songs (I Disappear and their cover of Whiskey in the Jar, in particular).

But to say that Metallica didn't change is just is not true. But they changed to some degree with every new album. There were grumbles with every single new release, for one reason or another. They just got louder and more widespread the further along they went. Death Magnetic is actually the closest Ing to the old stuff that they have done in years, but it kind of fell on deaf ears, as no one was around to listen to it anymore.

Oh??? Your the same person you were in 1984???? People evolve, Metallica evolved. They are and will always be considered the best heavy metal band ever. When Cliff died, so did the band for awhile. Things change, give it a rest and just listen to the albums you like!

No, it's okay, you can say that about me.

Actually to be honest I don't hate them, because I'm truly just indifferent. Before this pin I hadn't spent any time thinking about new Metallica music since the Black album came out. I've got Death Magnetic on in Spotify right now as I'm typing, giving it another chance since I only really listened to it all the way through once.

It's okay I guess. I'm not disliking it or anything, but it doesn't do a whole lot for me. I appreciate that it's a bit of a return to form for them, and great, but I think for me it's just too late. I've moved on. The metal I like is the metal I like, most of it is old and familiar, and bends hard towards the death metal end of the spectrum. I'd rather put on some old Morbid Angel or something. I'm probably not in great company in this thread music wise anyways, after this Metallica album is over I'll probably go back to some trap rap. I find what Young Thug is doing now with vocal inflection way more interesting than some old washed up metal heads straining for their glory days.

It's always challenging when bands try to stretch their wings. Sometimes it leads to new brilliance. Rarehero's Faith No More example for instance, what Mike Patton brought to the band when he was able to really be part of the writing process was huge. Angel Dust was a bit of a switch, it's true, but it's an incredible album. I'd call it a classic.

If Metallica had switched it up and it was similarly incredible even if different then hey, I'd say more power to them. To me is just sounds like they chased after more pop stardom, and instead of building on their great foundation and stretching to new heights (like Faith No More) they crapped out some less challenging and boring music.

To be clear, I consider Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets two of the best metal albums of all time. Not many bands can lay claim to that. Even if every single other thing they did doesn't measure up (and I'm being harsh here because it's not that every other thing sucks) that's an incredible accomplishment.

I can't really listen to Kill 'Em All now, it's just too raw and underproduced and unrealized to me to really tolerate. It's like a demo, interesting to see as a seed, but not ultimately all that great to listen to. I appreciate the Metal Up Your Add t-shirts and all, I'm from the San Francisco, it was a big deal in the Bay Area, but it's just a stepping stone for me.

RTL and MOP, brilliant like I said.

Then Cliff died.

Justice is just ... it's a tough one. I listened to it quite a bit when it came out, but I just find that now I really have to be in the mood to handle it. The production is just so extreme. The mechanical clicky drums, the utter burying of the bass in the mix, the overall dry sound, it's just fatiguing to me. Blackened is a good choice, I'm not mad at that leading the poll. Harvester of Sorrow would probably be my #1 pick, in no small part because it's one of the few tracks where the bass isn't mixed away.

When the Black album came out I really did try and get into it, listened to it, gave it a chance. But it was ultimately just not for me, too radio oriented, the raw hooks became catchy hooks, and the interesting departures into acoustic and melodic riffs they'd tried before ended up becoming dominating themes instead of contrasting elements.

After that they just went downhill in my eyes (ears) and I stopped bothering to follow anymore. Still listening to Death Magnetic while I type, still feels like Black album to me. If that was our era you're probably stoked about it, and I'm glad for you. I'm really only playing when I say "this sucks!" because this isn't high school, there's room for everyone to like whatever they like. Listening to the "show. your. scars." chant makes me cringe a little though.

I'm just glad they made the pin, and that they loaded it so heavily with older material out of the gate. It's fun to talk metal with people, been a really long time since I even cared enough to broach the topic. So yay for pinball!

How do the songs already in the game have 1 vote each? Is this poll rigged?

No, since those songs are disabled, the db is giving them a value of 1. They will be back to zero soon enough!

I really hope some of your three votes went to The Four Horsemen.

They really need to approve the top five songs if there is any possible way to fit them in the game. Come on Metallica, make it happen!

Some people evolve into something better, and some evolve to shit. Metallica evolved to shit, so really they devolved. I think bands like AC/DC and Slayer are much better as they stayed true to what made them good in the first place. Those first three Metallica albums will always be some of the all time best. They can spend three more decades churning out more shitty albums and you can still never take that away from them.

what part was hate? The truth?

Blackened, Ride the Lightning, and Orion leading the pack with Welcome Home(Sanitarium) gaining fast.

Could not agree more. If you are an artist who does not experiment, what kind of artist are you really? An artist who sticks to what he/she knows, only to make the $$$ (Of course Im going to catch hell for that RE. Napster, but whatever, Metallica is more than Lars)

I did pick older songs since there was a limited #, but had they let us pick them all, I certainly would have included a couple for the not so popular albums.

Why Orion and Welcome home. Total snoozefests for a metal pin. Great songs, yes, not great pin songs..

You need to use the noautolinks code when pasting the URL:

http://pinballvote.metallica.com/results

Yeah, those bands have 'stayed true to themselves'. If you mean 'made the same album for the last 30 years'. Doesn't anyone ever get bored of that with metal? It's just the same thing over and over from so many bands. I'd rather listen to something new where I'm surprised at the direction the music took, even if it's not my favorite.

I don't consider RTL and MOP "the same album", and definitely not if we throw Justice into the mix. I don't consider Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss the same album. I respect that artists want to grow and change, sometimes it's better to start a side project for that. You can do Faith No More and Mr. Bungle at the same time.

I dunno, personally I avoid boredom by not staying interested in only one genre. I like metal, but I also listen a lot of rap, dancehall, reggae, whatever strikes my fancy. If you're in a metal rut then maybe step to some other music for a while. It's nice to have bands that make certain style you can depend on to go back to. If I want really brutal technical death metal I can rely on Suffocation to be there. If you're a thrash fan it's not always appealing to have the band you love get into alternative soft rock.

Edit: It's all irrelevant anyways, the two new songs are going to be Blackened and Ride the Lightning. Yesterday was the biggest voting day, it will slowly trickle down from here, and those numbers aren't gonna change.

I'd rather have another album that sticks to a good formula than a "new direction" album that sounds like load (an album whose full title was censored - "load of shit" so it could be sold in Wal Mart).

I'm all for a band changing it up some but that change needs to be for the better. Metallica changed for the worse and then when they finally realized it and tried to "go back" they found out they no longer had it.

Jason Newsted wanted to do some sidework and according to him, James said no. So he quit and joined VoiVod for awhile (Most underrated and progressive band EVER!)

I think they still have it. After seeing the premiere of Through the Never, which I thought was effing bad ass, ill be back into their concerts again. Seen 7 of them back in the day, Including Master of Puppets.

I LOVE Voivod!*

*Only the Voivod records with Snake on vocals. I hated the few they did without him.

Mmm...

Apologies for the reaction- my bad.
Was not intending spam.

Metallica fans that are only fans of the old stuff like Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets, really need to reach out and give Death Magnetic a listen to!!!! (If you can get past the over saturation on the mastering of this CD.)
It really is the closest album they have put out that is in the realm of the styles of the old stuff. It is a lot more heavy than anything since MoP.

No not really. Don't like or dislike - I don't know anything except for 'Epic' really and I'm sure that's not a fair metric for rating them (I do like it tho hah) I'll have to check them out more.

So I played the whole thing through earlier like I said I would, and I really haven't changed my mind, it sounds to me like Black album era Metallica. Hey great, beats what they did after Black. But I definitely wouldn't call it heavier than Justice, and not a return to MOP form. Not that I expect them to do that, was a long time ago, with a younger, hungrier band. I don't dislike it, but I really have no urge to hear it again either.

I tried listening to it again today and my opinion remains the same. Dislike. due to it sounding like thrash.

100% agreed

Justice is just ... it's a tough one. I listened to it quite a bit when it came out, but I just find that now I really have to be in the mood to handle it. The production is just so extreme. The mechanical clicky drums, the utter burying of the bass in the mix, the overall dry sound, it's just fatiguing to me. Blackened is a good choice, I'm not mad at that leading the poll. Harvester of Sorrow would probably be my #1 pick, in no small part because it's one of the few tracks where the bass isn't mixed away.

Justice is held back 50% by poor production, and imo 50% lack of impact (for me personally)... beyond 'One' and 'Blackened' I struggle to get as excited as almost anything preceding the album. It's good, but not great imo.

When the Black album came out I really did try and get into it, listened to it, gave it a chance. But it was ultimately just not for me, too radio oriented, the raw hooks became catchy hooks, and the interesting departures into acoustic and melodic riffs they'd tried before ended up becoming dominating themes instead of contrasting elements.

It's definitely more accessible than anything before it, and it's much less thrash - you have the correct response 'not for me'. Too many times the response is OMG ITS CRAP - No it isn't. It's not THAT different that it's offensive to the ears, even if you think it's forgettable or generic.

After that they just went downhill in my eyes (ears) and I stopped bothering to follow anymore. Still listening to Death Magnetic while I type, still feels like Black album to me.

DM is a mixed bag for me. They hit a lot of black album notes...a bit of Justice...and at worst, a bit of St Anger where they almost seem to be TRYING to be angry. It's easily a great album imo, but again its not puppets or ride. Doesn't mean it's bad.

If that was our era you're probably stoked about it, and I'm glad for you. I'm really only playing when I say "this sucks!" because this isn't high school

I think ultimately I've had a benefit to NOT grow up with Metallica. I was aware of many songs by them but wasn't a passionate fan until well after St. Anger came out. It wasn't until a friend turned me onto them that I realized I loved so much of their music, from Kill em All all the way to Reload. I overnight became a fan of songs like Hero of the Day (still one of my faves) to the Four Hoursemen. Through the Never to Fade to Black. Call of the Kthulu to Ain't my Bitch. Some are thrash, some are rock, some blues, some undefined. I'll listen to any of those tracks over the crap that's churned out by the produced 'artists' of today regardless of how 'Metallica' they are.

Are there better thrash bands? Ya. Are there better rock bands? Ya Blues? Ya.... doesn't mean half of Metallica's discography is garbage.

Hmm...what's another example of a band that's changed their style a lot? Rush? Some people hate their synth years, I guess....but again, I love when Rush tries new things - I like all of their eras.

Personally (they are a bit new) I really admire what the Killers have done. They've released everything from pop to soft rock to springsteen-esqe rock to dance to electronic.... The change from Hot Fuss to Sam's Town to Day and Age is wild imo.

I know a lot of people that dislike them but they have changed album to album, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

I think it's easier though in some ways when you set out that way as a band from the get go. It's when you release 3 or 4 albums in a style, and build a fan base, and then try and take it sideways that people get bitter.

Radiohead. Hardly believable they are the same band between The Bends to now.

Def Leppard changed their style as well. Can't stand the new stuff from them either.

I'm old school Def Lepp fan and actually songs from the sparkle lounge aren't THAT bad. a few catchy ones in there, but nothing like high N dry or pyromania. when drummer lost arm, I lost interest.

I love all Metallica. The cover of Remember tomorrow is bad pass as is the Ramones tribute. I think St Anger is also Damon good. Seen metallic 30 plus times and even load and reload tours were awesome

When I like a band, I definitely prefer some of their albums more than others, some of the tracks on an album more than others, and often times I've found that albums and tracks I disliked grew on me with repeated listens. But then I haven't always given that material that 2nd chance.

What always surprises me is the passionate, "I hate it! They betrayed me!" attitude toward new music that doesn't follow some formula they feel must be followed album after album.

I'm not a big fan of St. Anger, and Load/Reload aren't my favorites, but there are still tracks on them I can appreciate. I just don't have them on the USB drive in my car.

Do I wish they could recapture the magic of Master of Puppets? Sure. But then would certain albums like that be so highly regarded if they were the norm and not the exception?

All that being said, Def Leppard really needs to get back to their High & Dry / Pyromania formula. Their recent stuff sucks!