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The Rise and Decline of Metallica and American Liberty
There
once was a band that achieved the best in its genre, and a land that
achieved the best in its principles.[1] Early
Metallica were regarded almost universally as the best representation of
thrash metal in history. Indeed, they seemed to improve steadily in their
first several albums, but with every new record thereafter, they
increasingly strayed from what made them great, compromising hard licks,
heavy lyrical content and musical sophistication for the expediency of
neo-alternative crap, until they eventually declined to the point of
embracing the dreadful genre of nü
metal. Early
Metallica
began with an album called Kill
‘Em All in 1983. It was violent, raw, and unrefined, but showed
terrific promise and unquestionable sincerity. The next year, with Ride
the Lightning, the complexities and diversity of the music increased
greatly. With Master of Puppets,
two years after that, they accomplished the unthinkable: a metal record of
sweet perfection. The harmonious instrumental, “Orion,” was alone a
work of genius and epitomized what made the band a model for others to
follow. America
began in the midst of a revolution in the late 18th Century. It
was violent, raw, and unrefined, but showed terrific promise and
unquestionable sincerity. Throughout the Antebellum Era, the complexities
and diversity of the culture increased greatly. The country accomplished
the unthinkable: a free society, more or less. The noninterventionist and
decentralist system alone was a work of genius, and epitomized what made
the country a model for others to follow. But
then disaster struck. With Metallica, it was the tragic death of bassist
Cliff Burton in a freak bus accident, which meant the loss of the
foundation of Metallica’s sound. However, the new bassist, Jason
Newstead, had the talent and endurance to make Metallica special again, in
a new way, and with a new potential and appreciation for musical
ingenuity; there was much promise with the release of the next album, …And
Justice for All.[2]
With
There
was hope. The new album and freedom were good signs, emerging by
circumstance from the preceding disasters. A new complexity and spirit of
experimentation took shape. Things would never be the same, but there was
reason to expect great achievements and maybe even improvements upon the
founding formulas, with a new kind of excellence we hadn’t before seen. Unfortunately,
things began to decline again, somewhat slowly at first, and then quite
rapidly. Drawing
on influence from other bands, Metallica entered a new “progressive
era” with the “Black Album” in 1991, which seemed a significant
deviation from its founding aesthetic, albeit a comparatively tolerable
one when contrasted with later albums.[4] Drawing
on influence from other lands, America entered a new “progressive era”
with the election of Teddy Roosevelt, which seemed a significant deviation
from its founding principles, albeit a comparatively tolerable one when
contrasted with later administrations.[5] And
then came what would be the first in a series of last nails in the coffin
of all hope. With
the 1996 release of Load, an
album that one would examine desperately and unsuccessfully in search of
redeeming value, the band definitively went down the wrong track. Load
dragged Metallica into the trends of mid-1990s “alternative”
music. The album’s atrociousness was well characterized by the
predictable and lame fabricated angst-filled spectacles seen in the
accompanying music videos. Metallica were no longer an original band, but
were now like any other derivative “alternative” group of the time. With
the 1912 election of Woodrow Wilson, a president one would examine
desperately and unsuccessfully in search of redeeming value, the country
definitively went down the wrong track. And
then, to add insult to injury, after spending some time on the road and
performing classic songs with mediocre skill and credibility, Metallica
launched Reload onto the world in 1997.
Reload was everything that Load was,
but much, much worse – inconceivably, horribly worse – especially in
terms of the long-term prospects for quality. After that, the band would
never have any chance of returning to its roots. They began to resurrect
old recordings in desperation, perpetually saturating the airwaves with
whatever tracks they could put together, no matter how dubious the
musicianship. Hypocritically, they also began harassing people for copying
their musical recordings and violating their “intellectual property
rights.” Also
to add insult to injury, after spending years on the road to socialism
with a horrid rejuvenation of the With
every new album, war or president, it seemed like Metallica – or And
now, the situation is just pathetic. Metallica’s newest album, St.
Anger, is just unbelievably horrible and offensive to the ears. Of
course, the parallels do not end there. Look at the anti-state wisdom of
Metallica in their early years: Early
Metallica on the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction: Do
unto others as they have done to you But
what the hell is this world coming to? Blow
the universe into nothingness Nuclear
warfare shall lay us to rest Fight
fire with fire Ending
is near Fight
fire with fire Bursting
with fear -“Fight
Fire With Fire,” Ride the
Lightning, 1984. Early
Metallica on being a pawn of the warfare state: Bodies
fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end No
one to play soldier now, no one to pretend Running
blind through killing fields, bred to kill them all Victim
of what said should be – a servant ‘til I fall Soldier
boy, made of clay Now
an empty shell Twenty-one,
only son But
he served us well Bred
to kill, not to care Do
just as we say Finish
here, greetings, Death: He’s
yours to take away Back
to the front You
will do what I say, when I say Back
to the front You
will die, when I say, you must die Back
to the front You
coward You
servant You
blind man -
“Disposable
Heroes,” Master of Puppets,
1986 Early
Metallica on freedom of speech and expression: Do
you choose what I choose? More
alternatives Energy
derives from both the plus and negative Do
you need what I need? Boundaries
overthrown Look
inside, to each his own So
you trust what I trust? Me,
myself and I Penetrate
the smoke screen, I see through the selfish lie Doesn't
matter what you see Or
into it what you read You
can do it your own way If
it's done how I say Freedom
of choice Choice
is made for you my friend Freedom
of speech Speech
is words that they will bend Freedom
with their exception -“Eye
of the Beholder,” …And
Justice for All, 1988. The
band also took on the death penalty (“Ride
the Lightning,” Ride the
Lightning, 1984), the casualties of war (“One,”
…And Justice for All, 1988),
the corrupt criminal justice system (“…And
Justice for All,” …And
Justice for All), and the patriotism of defensive
violence in protection of country (“Don’t
Tread on Me,” Metallica [the
“Black Album”], 1991).[6]
By
their late career, the band tragically abandoned political subject matter
and went on to more personal, yet less compelling, lyrical content. I
won’t subject the reader to newer lyrical samples, but you can look them
up if you wish. Suffice it to say, whereas the older Metallica lyrics
poetically stressed independence and freedom, in spirit and in content
(just as older American politicians eloquently
warned against “entangling alliances,” warfare, inflation,
taxation, centralization of power and restrictions on civil liberties), newer
Metallica lyrics are just plain unintelligible
blathering (as is most of the incoherent
muttering of newer American politicians). Metallica have with their most recent album attempted to go back to their roots, with little success. In fact, they sound the most pathetic when they attempt to reclaim their earlier foundations. They stress the loudness of earlier Metallica – before they underwent some of their important developments in musical sophistication – rather than the quality and free spirit of the time. America
’s conservatives have attempted to rediscover If
you’re like me, you don’t know exactly what to think of Metallica’s
earlier albums and -By
the way, if you think my opinions on music stink, it’s a good thing our economic
system allows for differing tastes, isn’t it? [1] Thanks to my friend Metal Mike, for encouraging me to write this. [2]
Although some think that …And
Justice for All, with its poor recording quality and desperate
lack of sound in the bass register, marked the irreversible turning
point in their career, most will admit that by the time the album ends
the listener will have heard moments of beauty and compositional
intricacy that surpass what the band, for the most part, were
previously able to achieve. See, for example, the masterful “To Live
Is To Die,” which contains lyrics written by the then-departed Cliff
Burton, thus harkening back to an earlier era while simultaneously
demonstrating hope for a new resurgence in thrash metal. [3] Although some think that the post-bellum era, with the precedents set forth by Lincoln and the destruction of checks on federal power, marked the irreversible turning point in American history, most will admit that by the time Reconstruction ended the country achieved moments of liberty and constitutional protections that surpass what the nation, for the most part, was previously able to achieve. See, for example, the administration of Grover Cleveland, which comprised enormous reliance on the veto pen and a return to sound fiscal and monetary policy, thus harkening back to an earlier era while simultaneously demonstrating hope for a new resurgence in freedom. [4] There were some silver linings in the “Black Album,” such as the song, “Sad But True,” which captured the band’s raw sound at their best in the early 1990s. But even here, we can hear a foreshadowing of James Hetfield’s future singing voice, which eventually would become one of the most devastating aspects of later Metallica. By the time the “Black Album” was released, much of Hetfield’s singing was clearly straying from its original, thrash-metal tendencies into something else entirely. [5] There were some silver linings in the “Progressive Era,” such as the elevation of women to the same legal status as men, which captured the country’s devotion to justice at its best in the early 20th century. But even here, we can see a foreshadowing of the country’s future equivalency between equality and liberty, which eventually would become one of the most devastating aspects of later America. By the time women got the vote, much of mainstream feminism was clearly straying from its original, individualist tendencies into something else entirely. [6]
However, by the time of “Don’t Tread on Me,” released in their
“progressive era,” they began to digress from their philosophical
anti-statism. It was analogous to a Roosevelt Corollary to their
earlier and more modest, though problematic, “Monroe Doctrine,”
which came in the form of their first semi-glorifications of violence
in Kill ‘Em All and Ride the
Lightning. [7] I admit, this might sound like a bizarre sentiment, seeing as how Metallica came along much later than America’s decline in freedom. Lighten up! [8] There is much debate on when these turning points occurred. In summary, some Metallica fans say the band “sold out” with the “Black Album” (officially released as a self-titled album called Metallica) in 1991. Others say the watershed was Load, but that certainly St. Anger is a new low. More “hard-core” fans say the band was on the road to ruination immediately when Burton died, or, perhaps earlier. Some even think Ride the Lightning was the beginning of the end, since it included a ballad, “Fade to Black.” Most would now agree that the founding influence of Lars Ulrich contained the seeds of the band’s devolution. Some libertarian scholars say America’s turning point was the Progressive Era, including its culmination in World War I. Others say it wasn’t until the New Deal or even the Cold War that the trend toward tyranny became nearly irreversible. More “hard-core” libertarians say the country was doomed with the conclusion of the “War Between the States” (conventionally called “The Civil War”) in 1865. Some even think the Constitution was the beginning of the end, since it included federal authority to raise armies, administer central taxes, and squash rebellion. Most would now agree that the founding influence of Alexander Hamilton contained the seeds of the nation’s devolution.
discuss
this column in the forum Anthony Gregory is a writer and musician living in Berkeley, California. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history at UC Berkeley, where he was president of the Cal Libertarians. He is a research assistant at the Independent Institute, a policy advisor for The Future of Freedom Foundation, a guest editor of Strike The Root, and a contributor to Rational Review, LewRockwell.com, Antiwar.com, The Libertarian Enterprise, and Liberty Magazine. See his webpage, AnthonyGregory.com.
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Note:
Don’t take this article all too seriously, for goodness sakes! 
