Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * *

As Metallica’s St. Anger turns ten years old it is worth remembering that upon release it polarised views of critics and fans alike. There were those that admired the stark honesty that Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and especially vocalist James Hetfield tried to convey after many years away from the studio. For others it was a departure they couldn’t cope with, the hard beating disturbed heart that was evident throughout the metal beasts first four albums had at first been replaced by a radio friendly outlook that bought extra fans to the band but also grinded the teeth of those who had come to expect a blistering hardcore sound on any album and then the further departure as they went more commercial. Something was lost between …And Justice For All, the so called Black album, Load/Reload and then in 2003 the album that sounds as clear as mud, St Anger.