Hardwired ...

[uwe]

Listening to Metallica's new three CD behemoth just now and - say what you will about them - two seconds into the album and just with Lars' drumming you know it's them!

I'm no Metallica diehard (I buy their albums pretty much like I would buy the new U2 or Kings of Leon release - you gotta know what's on it) and the attraction of their early speed metal stuff escaped me because I don't like music that is faster than, essentially, Highway Star.

But all that said, from what I've heard so far (5th or 6th track), Metallica fans won't be disappointed, within their confined approach it is relatively varied. And I never really noticed this before, but for a Yank outfit (well, 3/4 Yank at least) they are pleasantly Led Zep-influence free. Instead you hear chugging rhythm guitars and lead breaks a là Blackmore and of course the Sabbath ingredient. And - I've said this before - when I hear Hetfield (his voice, his phrasing), I forever see Eric Bloom of BÖC.

Oh, and that clicky bass drum sound of Lars is just hilarious! Proof how if you're a zillionaire they'll let you get away with anything in the studio, you can grab them by the presence fader!!! 

Hey, even a ballad of sorts ... And no one obviously told Hammett that multi-voiced guitar melodies aren't that en vogue anymore, Judas Priest'ish twin leads frequent the songs. 

[Granny Gremlin]

That clicky bass sound is such a modern metal production cliche and not limited to Lars at all - if you google bass drum EQ techniques it's the one thing you'll find in every article (boost in the 6-8k range depending on drum tuning) and that is a good general rule of thumb, when used judiciously - it's just that metalheads in particular went wild with it (mostly because if you also cut some low end out, you can do really complex double pedal patterns and not get the detail lost in a wall of mud - that boost is the beater attack so ole deaf Lars can actually hear his kick flams).  Then the Audix D7 kick mic came out with this sort of presence peak built in to the response and metalheads just scooped them up (but still added the manual presence boost on top of that, because it's how you EQ kick after all,  so it's super exaggerated). 

This has leaked a bit into the production of other genres (and live sound venues) but luckily has not become too ubiquitous, and I don't think it will.  It does have it's place, even if I currently find it overused and exaggerated.

[uwe]

Personally, I don't like it at all because it drowns out the pick attack of the bass player! But as in this day and age nobody wants to hear the bass as long as you can plenty feel it ...

To be fair: Steve Harris' bass sound in Iron Maiden uses the same trick: Make the clicky frequency really annoyingly audible so everybody can hear what you are doing. Lars and Steve should really do an album together, people would be returning the CDs for all those "malrecorded clicks" in droves. 

[Granny Gremlin]

LOL; I hate pick attack - on guitar and bass (also string noise on accoustics).  Whenever I record something/one I try to bury those things or even better, not capture them in the first place.

Says the guy who switched from fingerstyle to pick playing.  I sometimes consider going finger for some songs but it's been so long that it trips me up now (at least on songs I have been playing with a pick since we wrote them ) and on some I would have to switch back for the chordy bits.