Maps of Music

Death Magnetic (2008)

Where the lyrics of Death Magnetic take you, and where it was really made.

The album brought Metallica back to thrash roots after St. Anger, yet its loud, compressed mix became a case study in the loudness war.

Key places

Sound City Studios, Van Nuys (2008)

Recording site Sound City Studios — One of three studios used to record Death Magnetic between March 2007 and May 2008. The source places it in Van Nuys, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Shangri La Studios, Malibu (2008)

Recording site Shangri-La — One of three studios used to record Death Magnetic between March 2007 and May 2008. The source places it in Malibu, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Metallica HQ, San Rafael (2008)

Recording site Metallica HQ — One of three studios used to record Death Magnetic between March 2007 and May 2008. The source names it as HQ in San Rafael, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Death Magnetic: ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica
• Released September 12, 2008 through Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Vertigo Records elsewhere
• Produced by Rick Rubin, with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich as co-producers
• First Metallica album to feature bassist Robert Trujillo
• First album since ...And Justice For All not produced by long-time collaborator Bob Rock
• Second Metallica album where all members shared writing credits
• Described as a radical departure from St. Anger and a return to thrash metal roots

Background

• Metallica began writing music for the album in 2006
• Recording took place at different studios across Los Angeles County from March 2007 to May 2008
• Includes the band's first fully instrumental piece since Orion from Master of Puppets
• Metallica promoted the album with the World Magnetic Tour from October 2008 to November 2010

Recording

• Three studios used: Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Shangri La Studios in Malibu, and HQ in San Rafael
• Ulrich said the band narrowed a potential 25 songs down to 14 before recording
• Eleven songs were recorded, but only ten appeared on the album due to physical medium constraints
• Mastering by Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound Studios

Cover

• Cover combines a white coffin, a grave and a magnetic field
• Turner Duckworth designed the packaging, and a model made and photographed by Andy Grimshaw was used
• Original digipak featured a layered die cut

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, later based in San Francisco for most of its career.
• Founded as one of the "big four" of thrash metal alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer.

Members

• Current lineup: Hetfield, Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo.
• Former members include Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton, Jason Newsted and Dave Mustaine.

Career

• Commercial breakthrough with Master of Puppets (1986), often cited as one of the best metal albums of all time.
• The self-titled 1991 album moved the band toward a more mainstream audience and became its best-selling record.
• Returned to thrash roots with Death Magnetic (2008) and released 72 Seasons in 2023.
• Led the lawsuit against Napster in 2000.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
• Sold more than 163 million albums worldwide as of 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album received positive reviews from critics, who considered it a return to form for Metallica.
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the album sounds like Metallica again.
• The Guardian called it the strongest material the band had written in 20 years.
• Uncut said the album connects directly with the listener's inner adolescent.
• The album's production was criticized for overcompression and was cited as a product of the loudness war.
• Sean Michaels of The Guardian explained the compression as a result of the loudness war.

Reappraisal

• Death Magnetic was praised by fans and critics as a comeback after the widely panned St. Anger.
• Fans noted that the sonic problems are absent from the Guitar Hero version, where tracks were sent before compression.
• In 2015 the album was re-released on iTunes with a Mastered for iTunes version featuring improved dynamic range.

Records

• Death Magnetic debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 490,000 copies in just three days of availability.
• It is the band's fifth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1, making Metallica the first band to do so.
• The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK albums chart after three days of availability, selling 75,164 copies.
• The album was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA on June 28, 2010.
• It peaked at No. 1 in 34 countries, including Ireland, the UK, Canada and Australia.
• The album and its songs were nominated for six Grammy Awards and won three.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Kirk Hammett inspired the album title by bringing a photograph of the late Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley to the studio where the band was recording.
• The title is referenced in the track My Apocalypse.
• Four unreleased tracks from the recording sessions were later released as the Beyond Magnetic EP in December 2011.
• Alongside the album's release, it was released as downloadable content for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
• Death Magnetic was issued on vinyl in a special box set and also in a deluxe edition shaped like a coffin.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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