Content area
Full text
METALLICA Some Kind Of Monster
THE band fondly called Alcoholica must be the biggest contemporary rock band around. Living legends, they are arguably second only to Deep Purple in terms of reach and influence. Of course, when it comes to partying, these guys whack the socks off the Purple.
Tragically, it must be a sobering and humbling experience now that they seemingly struggle to recapture the magic of old. They may still have a large fan base and while they have garnered some younger fans as well, the number, one suspects, is far and a few.
Something is not right with them. Of course, those who have been following the band would be quick to add that there has always been something wrong with the band right from the start. And yet they survived, didn't they?
They are relying too much on `oldies' as their more recent works hardly impress. The fact that you struggle to name just one recent track lends credence to this.
And in the age when even non-singers like the look-at-my-body- and-not- my-violin
Vanessa May, or worst still, Nu Virgos, can be featured over and over again on MTV, it's sad that Metallica can hardly penetrate the market.
This, however, is still a collectible.
It's the `soundtrack' of sorts to the rock movie featuring the band that had garnered quite an impressive turnout.
The movie, by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, is a hit among fans, even if critics say it's really nothing but two hours confirming what many already know: The band is in crisis.
A fanatical fan says the movie showcases the feuds between frontman James Hetfield and blabbermouth drummer Lars Ulrich, as guitarist Kirk Hammett tries to play peacemaker.
But we all know that this is expected from the band, who literally kills `em all (pun intended) with six `live' versions of their `old' hits, played in front of a very cultured crowd in Paris on June 11, 2003.
Heck, Hetfield, who is not known to be one who's easily tongue- tied, must have soaked in the cultured lifestyle of the Parisians as he ended three songs exactly the same: "We love you Paris. Merci beaucoup."
The tracks, though, are classic Metallica. You can feel...