demonstrates listening to loud music can damage your hearing.
In response to the criticism flying about over the Metallica’s new album “Death Magnetic” destroying the competition in the “Loudness War“, Lars shows what effect years of loud volumes can do to your hearing…
Listen, there’s nothing up with the audio quality. It’s 2008, and that’s how we make records. Rick Rubin’s whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I’ve heard that there are a few people complaining. But I’ve been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds fuckin’ smokin’.
You gotta remember, when we put out “…And Justice for All”, people were going, ‘What happened to these guys, this record? There’s no bass on it. It sounds like it was recorded in a fuckin’ garage on an eight-track.’ And now “…And Justice for All” is sort of the seminal Metallica record that supposedly influenced a whole generation of death metal bands.
The internet gives everybody a voice, and the internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice. Listen, I can’t keep up with this shit. Part of being in Metallica is that there’s always somebody who’s got a problem with something that you’re doing.Lars Ulrich
Of course there’s nothing wrong with it if you are someone who thought the drums on the last album (St. Anger) sound great and like real drums when they actually sound like Officer Dibble banging on Top Cat’s dustbin to wake him up.
Is “…And Justice” the blueprint for bands of any genre? I’d have gone more for the first three albums over that one and is he claiming there is bass on that album, think Newkid might have something to say about that.
It also shows the effect on your hearing when you stick your fingers in your lugholes and shout “lalalalalalala I can’t hear you”.
But just in case it is bad…
I’m not gonna sit here and get caught up in whether it ‘clips’ or it doesn’t ‘clip,’ I don’t know what kind of stereos these people listen on. Me and James made a deal that we would hang back a little and not get in the way of whatever Rick’s vision was. That’s not to put it on him — it’s our record, I’ll take the hit, but we wanted to roll with Rick’s vision of how Metallica would sound.Lars Ulrich
…it’s all Rick’s fault oh and your crappy stereos 😉
I’m certainly sympathetic to your reaction, I get to slam my head against that brick wall every day. In this case the mixes were already brick walled before they arrived at my place. Suffice it to say I would never be pushed to overdrive things as far as they are here. Believe me I’m not proud to be associated with this one, and we can only hope that some good will come from this in some form of backlash against volume above all else. Ted Jensen
That’ll be Ted Jensen the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, where the “Death Magnetic” was mastered.
There is a backlash against the Loudness but whether the artists will take any notice is another matter entirely though it’s doubtful anyone will beat this album especially tracks like “Cyanide”…
