St Anger (2LP ‘Some Kind Of Orange’ Vinyl)

Never underestimate the regenerative powers of Metallica.

Following the stripped-down 'Load' and 'Reload', they've returned to the raw, vitriolic savagery of their earlier canon, using 1984's 'Ride the Lightning' as a template for 'St. Anger'.

The title track provides the psychic lynchpin of the album by combining the bombast and defiance of the band's earliest high-water marks with more deliberate lyrics and emotional nakedness. Equally cathartic is 'Some Kind of Monster,' a lumbering beast of a song that declares, "This is the voice of silence no more." Despite that claim, there's an economy to these lyrics; James Hetfield's raw-toothed growl only occasionally punctuates the menacing soundscapes. In fact, 'Dirty Windows,' the standout track here, is a shimmering five-minute instrumental that's free of the baroque trappings that sometimes clutter the Metallica landscape.

Remastered on double 'some kind of orange' vinyl!

• Number of discs: 2
• Release date: 03/05/2024
• All vinyl new and sealed