METALLICA KEEP MILKING THEIR GLORY DAYS FOR ALL THEY’RE WORTH

Last year, when Axl Rose brought Sebastian Bach out to duet on “My Michelle” at the first of four shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom, it seemed like a pretty cool rock n’ roll surprise. It seemed a little less cool when Axl did it the following night and little less cool when Axl did it the night after that, and by the time Axl did it again five months later at Madison Square Garden, it seemed like Vegas lounge act gimmick – something Axl knew would get the crowd all riled up no matter what.

I mention it because, for the second summer in a row, Metallica are touring Europe with no new album to support, playing Master of Puppets in its entirety. I’m not saying seeing Metallica play Master front to back last year wasn’t one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life; it was. I’m just saying that it made sense last year, when it was Master‘s 20th anniversary. Now it seems like the band is doing it just because they know it will get a huge response from the crowd. It’s not something the band did as a special treat; it’s something they’re doing because they know their goodwill is at all time low after Suck Anger. And, frankly, it doesn’t instill a whole lot of confidence in the quality of the band’s upcoming album.

-AR