I'm no fan of Lars' napster-hating ways...but he's got a point here -- the internet really does make it easier to complain, and works quite a bit like a megaphone...

OmegaVader

@Zenrick2.0:

Wow, dude, are you really make fun of a guy who was burned in a fucking plane crash? Douche.

Strangelove

While he may not have a clue about sound quality because he probably can't even hear anything that isn't turned up to "blow the roof off", never have truer words been spoken:

"The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice."

Mit

I had to scroll past that picture before I threw my monitor out the window.

It's bad news when you're such an asshole that your face starts turning into one.

goreonthefloor

Beer Good!! Internet Bad!!!

Filthy_O_Bedlam

What kind of DB admits to listening repeatedly to their own album, and has the audacity to pretend to make an objective claim?

[ZTF]

"The Internet gives everybody a voice"
Good. Now everyone can let you know just how much your last couple of albums sucked.

Samutz

Dude's been listening to the CD in his car, and it sounds "fuckin' smokin'"

If this is true I can I've lost the very little respect I still had for old lars

MINIBOSS

Of course he will say that the sound quality is good. Most of the songs have the drums mixed so loud that it is all you can focus on. Comparing this album to ...And Justice for All is a joke, it is garbage in comparison.

BC4T

@macr0planet: I agree, Travis Barker would "burn" Lars on drums. Travis is just more "smokin'"

Zenrick2.0

@ObZen: Hahaha, DEAD RIGHT SIR!

CitizenInsane27

@ObZen: I can't say the same.

The bass and drums sound more along their own lines of music than the CD, where everything seems to just mash together.

The GH version sound right to my ears. Metallica only has 2 cool songs on their new cd anyways.

macr0planet

D'awww, is little Lars scared of the big bad new internet? lol

I thijnk he's still pissed off that stopping Napster did little but encourage more piracy on the net, as more people knew what P2P was due to the sensationalist news reporting of his trial with the P2P networking site.

otakujpop

@Dorphat the Insomniac:
Haikus make me happy.

Dragonis

The album WAS mixed HORRIBLY...he's just pissed off that this information is capable of reaching him in an unregulated form. I love Metallica, but learn to deal with the internet, guys.

happycodemonkey

Hes kinda right though, the internet feeds trolls because hell people who havent even listened to the album might bash it.

And Death Magnetic was a solid album

Djnardu

@Ungeheuer: Too bad for him people have ripped the GHIII version of it too. ;o

sanyo

@Mister_Jack: It varies depending on how pretentious the metal head with whom you're speaking happens to be.

ObZen

@hammerhand: i hope so, so that way he can listen to his shitty album when he falls the fuck in it.

Spacehog85

@3inst3in: +1

.endejas.

My hearing isn't all that great, I can hardly tell if sound quality is good or not, so I can't honestly say.

But Lars is definitely coming off a bit dickish there.

ShaggE

Lars your a fuckin idiot, I blame much of Metallica's decline on your creative influence you shitfucker fuck fuck.

WhaleMenace

@3inst3in: Haha, I was gonna comment, and then...yeah. Nuff said. :)

CitizenInsane27

Isn't Master of Puppets the actual album that inspired so many people?

Mister_Jack

Part of being Metallica is having a bunch of meatheads obsess over you and thinking that makes your band the shit. That's part of being Metallica.

Anarchist_Gamer

@macr0planet: Damn this new Kotaku commenting format.

I've listened to the Guitar Hero versions. They sound flat and lifeless to my ear. Given the choice, I'd rather listen to the cd.

ObZen

Dear Lars: ...And Justice For All still sounds like shit after all these years, and the fact that it influenced a bunch of shitty death metal bands doesn't change that.

Ubersoldat19

@Rinaldus: "Hey Lars, your an idiot,"

Ah, irony.

ObZen

@3inst3in: Sometimes people speak truth. This is one of those times.

Rinaldus

I've listened to the Guitar Hero versions. They sound flat and lifeless to my ear. Given the choice, I'd rather listen to the cd.

ObZen

Sounds like the words of someone who their worse nightmare became reality: The illegal rip of the album is of better quality than the CD quality.

AuraHACK

Hey Lars, your an idiot, we're complaining about the SOUND quality, not the MUSIC quality.

Although, the album kinda sucks too. Only like three good songs on the thing.

Rinaldus

It's fucking Lars Ulrich, the man's opinion of his own band's quality is bullshit. I am so fucking sick of Metallica despite its many fans... I respect your love for them, but I cannot stomach Lars Ulrich for the life of me, he's obnoxious and he's a condescending dick.

Indy_aka_Rex

I wonder if he has a sound system for the sharks in his gold plated shark tank?

hammerhand

@3inst3in: Hey, I agree with a Kotakuite.

interim

@ObZen: I can't speak for Death Magnetic because I don't have that album.

But I do have Californication from Red Hot Chili Peppers, another disc that's notorious for overly-loud mastering, and I can easily tell that the sound quality is definitely not up to snuff. This coming from someone who can't tell the difference between a 128kbps MP3 and a 320kbps MP3 without a side-by-side comparison.

Jeff Paine

@Ungeheuer: Who bitches and whines and points fingers more about the situation, Dave or Lars?

ObZen

Bran makes you drop bombs, and real men drop bombs.

jimmyNewtron

I do see what he's saying, but does he have to say it like such an ass? The internet lets everybody say what they want, and as with anything, the more people you ask about anything, the more people will complain or react negatively. Ask 100 people what they think about this, 20 might say they hate it, ask 1000, and of course the number will be much higher, because you're asking more people. The internet though, people don't go to a message board to say "The quality is fine, just letting everybody know." People go on message boards to complain, but it's usually not complaining, for complaining's sake. If enough people are not satisfied, the record label might re-release it. Or it's all a plan of theirs to release a revised edition, or something.

Talleh

@ObZen: It does, but when you listen to the GH version too, you notice a huge difference. Then you realize that the CD does indeed sound weak compared to GH.

But then again, if Lars said it then it must be true.

Travis Barker would pwn Lars ass anyday :)

macr0planet

You see? People wouldn't think the new cd sucked quality wise if there was no internet.

*flips the big switch*

Grumpz®

@Doodah: Yeah. How dare he fight piracy and defend the product he owns and has invested his life into creating.

ObZen

Even if they mastered it perfectly it would still sound like shit.

Gouki4u

@dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased: i agree.

sqoon

Do I think Lars Ulrich capable of making the CD version of Death Magnetic sound worse on purpose to piss off everyone who rips and shares it on the internet? Hell yeah I do, and if you've been following the ridiculous Napstar stuff he's pulled off - not to mention the bitch-fests he had with Dave Mustaine, you probably do too.

Ungeheuer

@3inst3in: I wouldn't recommend it. :S

evilgiggleofdoom

Yeah, more "assholish" remarks from the guy who basically ruined the internet by screwing up Napster.

Eat shit Ulrich.

Doodah

@MrPhil: A dickface he may be, but he definitely is not a shitty drummer.

KID-A26

What a douche. Get over yourself.

OmniRemix

When you have no one else to blame, blame the internet.

MasterNinja

Dude's been listening to the CD in his car, and it sounds "fuckin' smokin'".

Because it's obvious that Lars Ulrich is an audiophile with a knack for music production.

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.'

PROTIP: If people are complaining about how horribly one of your albums was mastered, the solution is NOT to master a new album even more horribly. Making everything louder and distorted is NOT the solution. You can increase the volume of the bass without making everything too fucking loud.

Jeff Paine

Motherfucking MetallicA man!

Lars has always been and will always been a tool. I'm still going to buy Guitar Hero: Metallica though, I love all their pre black album stuff :(

fdisk

@3inst3in: Woot.

KID-A26

As much as I think Lars is an egotsitical dickwart, he does have a point. The Internet has given the petty a very loud voice.

Instead of being slapped around by your friends for saying something incredibly stupid, you can just turn to the Internet and find some people who will listen and agree with you instead.

dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased

go play some tennis, you shitty ass drummer.

MrPhil

Death Magnetic sounds fine.

People do bitch too much.

ObZen

Why is it always the internet? Napster, now the Internet?

Metallica has some alright music, but it's band members I couldn't say the same about.

The difference was night and day compared to each other.

macr0planet

What the hell? Screw that.
This is why I don't listen.
Learn to blame yourself.

Dorphat the Insomniac

@3inst3in: Couldn't agree more.

vashthestampede

fuck lars ulrich

3inst3in

Well lets break this down, the man has been a drummer in a metal band for the past 27 years. I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe his hearing could be -that- accurate to begin with.

Also, I think I'd trust the Head Engineer at Sterling Sound's verdict over an older, more than likely, hearing impaired band member.

Lastly, wether or not the resulting sound of the CD was intentionally what they were looking to accomplish. People are obsessed with quality and when you intentionally, or otherwise, deprive them of that, you piss some people off. While I wouldn't use the term "blame" I would say this is in part with the capabilities of today's technology and those wanting to utilize their expensive sound systems and rightfully so.

Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.

im going to have to at least partially agree with lars. the sound quality on justice was shit, and hes right, its pretty much a fucking fantastic album regardless.

by comparison death magnetic sounds worlds better, (sound quality wise) and im sure anyone complaining about the sound quality here hasnt even paid for the album. myself included, i actually paid for st. anger so frankly i feel im entitled to a free copy of death magnetic.

if you bought a cd and you thought you got gipped on the quality, pirate a remastered version, whats the problem?

hageshiku

@KID-A26: He's not shitty but he isn't all that great either. I'm saying this as a drummer who has been playing for about 12 years.

TheGuilty1

what do i do when i have a bad day at work? come home and search for metallica news. it always gives me a good laugh

masterbasser87

@Dorphat the Insomniac: *snap-snap-snap*

blueshoals

Lars just explained why the Internet is great in his usual ass-backwards way.

Before the Internet, fuck-ups were easy to cover up. Now, when a problem is discovered people can immediately be informed.

Yes, Lars, the Internet does give the complainers a louder voice. But when the problem being complained about is 100% valid, that is a good thing.

Did no one shows Lars the pitch comparisons between the CD version and Guitar Hero version? That alone right there seals the deal. This is an issue that needed to be talked about and brought to light. It clearly shows the CD version being compressed to hell while the GH version is a lot more dynamic (aka, the way it was supposed to be on every medium).

The album was mixed terribly. That is the fault of Metallica and Rick Rubin.

Yes, even when the complaints are perfectly valid, the Internet does have a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice.

But you know what else the Internet has a tendency to do?

Expose how famous people like Lars Ulrich can't take responsibility and have no personal accountability for their own mistakes.

Internet 1, Lars 0.

AnEternalEnigma

@[ZTF]: And that changes the fact, how?

Mit

dude srsly, bacon and eggs again james? fucking fruit and yogurt, get on that shit! we'll send you back to fucking rehab for bacon and eggs...WE'LL DO IT!!.....ok no we won't, we never want st anger to happen again >.>;;;;;

demonknightinuyasha

@3inst3in:

well said!

NLMantia

@KID-A26: He kinda is. I've never thought the stuff he does has been all that great. To me, he's always (whether intentionally or not) sounded just a tick off the click track. Idk, he's just never impressed me, and his attitude doesn't help the matter.

OnLegendary86

when we put out ...And Justice for All, people were going, 'What happened to these guys, this record? There's no bass on it.

Cyco

Every time Lars Ulrich is interviewed
I re-pirate every metallica album.

Prezel4

People bitching on the internet about Lars bitching about people bitching...on the internet...classic!

SinisterUrge13

@jmsalal: The problem isn't that the album is loud, it's that it's loud at the expense of any sort of definition in the music. The most obvious example, the drums should be defined and louder than the rest of the music, but on a poorly-mastered album the drums will just sort of blend in with the rest of the instruments.

It's up to the listener to turn up the volume on their CD player, not the producer to turn up the volume on the CD.

Jeff Paine

@3inst3in: Mod parent +5 insightful

supo

@3inst3in:

Here Here!

Harfold

when we put out ...And Justice for All, people were going, 'What happened to these guys, this record? There's no bass on it.

Cyco

He seriously looks like one of the "faces" in that flash game "CUNT"

Nside

@3inst3in:

Although, it might not be worth the STDs.

BlackMage66652

I can totally see Lars talking shit for Sony.

Monstercloud

Wow he listens to HIS OWN band in his car...what a jackass

Tietsu

maybe he was listening to the album on his 8-track.

Jun581 won't give you tree fiddy!!

HEY HEY HEY PEOPLE!

Lay off the Metallica hate ah?

You may not like Lars for his outspoken comments, but no one can deny he's a bloody amazing drummer, and really gives a shit about his fans. After every gig Lars, James, Kirk and Rob spent at least 10 minutes or longer thanking people for turning out to see them, posing for photos and handing out guitar picks/drum sticks/etc. How many other bands do that after EVERY gig without fail?

As for the sound quality issues, the best version of any track from Death Magnetic is alway the Live version. Try listening to some live mp3s or check them out in concert sometime.

jwpunk

@[ZTF]: Gah, miss-post. Internet has back button. If you don't want to hear about something, browse elsewhere.

[ZTF]

@Jeff Paine: If you've ever heard a record produced/mastered by Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain, etc.), you'll learn a new definition of being flossed between the ears w/ barbed wire. Fucking great, loud-ass production at the expense of your hearing acuity LOL. The strange thing is that even this guy of mass underground fame owes a lot to those old Metallica albums, regardless of what douchebags its members can be.

jmsalal

Yeah he's an ass who talks too much but just think one second where music would be without Metallica. A lot of bands strive to be as good or better giving us better music overall. Just like console wars as a matter of fact....

lightweaponx

@Mit: Internet has back button.

[ZTF]

I'd love to see James Hetfield eating some bacon and eggs. Mmmhmm!

Perfec7

@macr0planet: I am a drum teacher, I've been playing drums for years and with many bands. Lars Ulrich is a good drummer in the style he plays, sometimes an ok drummer. Travis Barker is a good drummer too, but in comparison with other drummers that play the same style that he plays, he is an ok drummer. People seem to overrate Barker. Just go to Moderndrummer.com or Drummerworld.com and you will find amazing drummers that some of you don't even know. We drummers always make jokes about how young people think that Barker is the best drummer in the world, together with Joey Jordison. Just make a research, read about other drummers and watch videos about them. Check Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Billy Ward, Alex Acuña, Jojo Majer, Tony Royster Jr., Dennis Chambers, Thomas Lang, Aaron Spears, Marco Minnemann, Steve Smith, etc.

neoraul20

Two reasons why the CD sounds bad:

1. Different audio mixing in GH as opposed to CD.

2. Metallica just isn't good anymore. Their old stuff still kicks ass, but the new stuff is just not good.

Zero_Beat

could he and metallica be any bigger douche bags.

give it up you ancient money grubbing hacks.

dgd1542

Eff Metallica. It is sweet though that their tracks are optional (IIRC). Last thing I wanna do is support them. they've been Dbags for too many years now.

00000000

@3inst3in: Pretty much.

FightingChance

Sweet freakin' Christ, what. *shakes head*

Is there any doubt the guy's lost his marbles already? Jeez!

Kitsune Sniper

@3inst3in:
Couldn't have said it better my self.

WEGGLES90

I am a drum teacher, I've been playing drums for years and with many bands. Lars Ulrich is a good drummer in the style he plays, sometimes an ok drummer. Travis Barker is a good drummer too, but in comparison with other drummers that play the same style that he plays, he is an ok drummer. People seem to overrate Barker. Just go to Moderndrummer.com or Drummerworld.com and you will find amazing drummers that some of you don't even know. We drummers always make jokes about how young people think that Barker is the best drummer in the world, together with Joey Jordison. Just make a research, read about other drummers and watch videos about them. Check Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Billy Ward, Alex Acuña, Jojo Majer, Tony Royster Jr., Dennis Chambers, Thomas Lang, Aaron Spears, Marco Minnemann, Steve Smith, etc.

neoraul20

@3inst3in:

If that gets disemvoweled, I'm going on a hunger strike.

Perfect comment.

tzaketh

And that is why Metallica sucks.

chaos_isnt_here

@Cyco: Well it was noticeable enough that someone hacked the bass part out of Rock Band and remastered the album themselves

[digg.com]

Sathias

@etchasketchist: @AnEternalEnigma: Actually the real problem can happen after it is mixed. Likely why the GH version is better. The loudness wars problem comes from the record labels pushing the entire mixes volume up where the highs and lows get clipped. RRubin probably has nothing to do with it.

lunarcore

Nothing like a burned out, middle aged wannabe badass musician to annoy the crap out of me over the internet.

Lightman

ok...so how good is the stereo in his car...yeah probably sounds great on crappy stock speakers/head unit..

And why in this age of high def and high quality sound do we still have CD's...i know i still like records (those big black frizbies) but what about sacd..or encoding songs in master audio/TrueHD sound..its about time for an upgrade...

Although if its mastered wrong in the first place its still going to be crap...

oh and bbbooooo to lars and such...but i want his hat...and its rude to point prick...

Pumba512

"The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice."

That's the first time I've agreed with a Lars Ulrich quote in about a decade, sound quality discrepancy or not. I believe James backed him up by exclaiming "Yeah-HEAH!!" and hocking a loogey before aggressively assaulting the "D", "A", and low "E" strings on the nearest available "axe".

jollydwarf

@3inst3in:
He's not my type. Too greasy and male.

captainapplesauce

@hageshiku: I guess it's the principle of the thing. It's like spore DRM. Sure, I can download a crack for it with no risk to myself - hell, I can pirate the game completely. It doesn't make it right though.

With this issue, short of the masters being leaked (and hey, they may already have been) we aren't going to get better sounding music. And that's what it comes down to, people have paid for an album, only to have it be compressed to within an inch of its life.

shockwaver

@Talleh: It's Lars Ulrich, being an ass is all he knows how to do.

Sathias

From the mouth of Nicko McBrain himself:

What do you call somebody who hangs around with musicians?

A drummer.

Koztah

Just for that I'm going to pirate your new album, listen to the first 30 seconds of a song, complain on multiple forums that the sound quality is terrible, then archive it forever labeled as "METALLICA'S NEW ALBUM SUX".

J0hnny-Kickass

Most of what he says is true. Ignorance is bliss, most people don't notice clipping. The internet does allow the picky minority to rant louder. How ever I can't respect him as an "artiest" if he supports the loudness wars. These albums sound annoyingly bad on decent equipment.

lunarcore

@shockwaver: im sure they would, but it wont happen so happy downloading right? i just think its absurd people are complaining when chances are they never paid a dime for the music to begin with. download the better version, make metallica angry, everyones happy.

hageshiku

I just bought this album a couple of days ago, and to be honest, I don't have a problem with the sound quality. And the album itself don't sound too bad either. My problem is that IMO their last album didn't sound too bad also. Like the last album, there isn't anything particularly distinctive about Death Magnetic.

Sure, they've pulled away from the so-called "MetalliKorn" sound of St. Anger, but there are no "One"s. No "Whiplash", no "Battery" or "Damage, Inc", or hell, even "Creeping Death" or "Call of Kthulu".
All that great sound, and not a damn one of the songs has any distinctive qualities about them.

It's like they ran out of ideas after "The Memory Remains" or something (no, I don't blame Marianne Faithfull, either ^_^).

The song sez, "It's better to burn out than fade away"...well, to me, I can see right through them now.

relic1980

@Tietsu: I'm with a few other people here in that I pirate a metallica album every time they piss me off, however, If I was in a band, and I liked my music, I'd probably listen to it occasionally too.

"Hi, I'm Shockwaver, and I splice commas."

shockwaver

1. Lars Ulrich always has and always will be a whiny twat.
2. The CD version does sound like shit, to anyone who isn't three-quarters deaf.
3. Even if it were mastered properly, the album would be garbage.
4. Someone please euthanize Metallica.

Z4N5H1N

@MasterNinja: Or, more specifically, those websites which originate from Canada.

Gilbert

He improved the internet. If Napster hadn't have been attacked, where would bit torrent have come from?

VardonEnemaster

@hageshiku: Probably the fact that given half a chance, Metallica would still sue you for BILLIONS (said with a pinky to the lips) of dollars in lost revenue. You know, despite the fact you bought the album.

shockwaver

"Oh, doooooon't download this song
Even Lars Ulrich knows it's wrong"

:p

1Grand_Marquis

@OnLegendary86: So you've actually heard their click tracks in the recordings you've had access to? If so, I guess I should have bought those EC5's (at the time), rather than these measly EC4's.

Or are you just saying that since they're all more than likely playing to the same click track at different times while recording in the studio, when assembled it seems Lars is a bit off?

If the latter is the case, seriously, you're a human metronome.

Gilbert

People should buy records. They're better.

etchasketchist

I can't imagine how many people have already said "Lars Ulrich is a douchebag", but what the hell- Lars Ulrich is an enormous, idiotic, self-important douchebag from an overrated band.

I don't hate Metallica- I merely don't think they're as amazing as people say (but, of course, I don't like metal). Lars, on the other hand... how can you not hate him?

kicking222

@jwpunk: Lars Ulrich is not a good drummer at all, in fact when I heard "The day that never comes" off the new album, the first thing that I noticed was the horrible drumwork. It catches you and when you think about how a much better drummer could have done, you'll go crazy about the simplistic nature of Lars' beats... They're all very basics and are really borderline ok compared to the rest of the metal drum scene.

I'll admit he seemed better on earlier records but right now you'll have to look at people like Brann Dailor of Mastodon, Gene Hoglan from Strapping Young Lads for the best Metal Drummers. In other genre you'd have to take a look at Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree fame and of course Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater.

Speaking of which, a lot bands thank their fans after every gig without error and so during 10 minutes and sign autographs at every shows... Dream Theater is the best exemple here.

And finally, I heard "Cyanide" live from the new album and it sounded horrible...

Sorry man...

Malaky

@neoraul20: Buddy Rich is still God when it comes to drummers.

Zero_Beat

@jmsalal: I really haven't found any of Tägtgren's produced, mixed or mastered albums to be unlistenable or lacking definition.

In fact, Tägtgren and Swanö both favor very organic mixing and mastering unlike Zeuss or Sneap, yet all 4 manage to make their records intelligible and defined, something that seems to be missing from Death Magnetic.

Metallica was incredibly influential, I'll always give them that, but heck, you can only live off your past glorys for so long before you have to prove you're still relevant.

zoesch

@aKed: I just mean he's from the age where music wasn't so crystal clear as it has become in today's industry.

Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.

@lunarcore: Not really... heavy compressed material sounds horrible in most environments except one... AM Radio.

The problem with squashing dynamics is that you stop perceiving volume after a while since the ear adjusts to the constant sound pressure my lowering the perceived volume.

Unfortunately most car sound systems aren't exactly flat so you get a lot of hyping in certain frequencies which ends up exacerbating that "lack of volume" feeling, so it's loud but you can't make out much of it anyway.

zoesch

@Mit: You can leave. You can turn it off. You can't turn off people, not without jail-time anyway.

[ZTF]

@Strangelove: Agreed, 2 or 4 people or something died in that crash, don't be a cunt.

That was directed at Zenrick, not Strangelove.

LastFace

@DarthMetalHope: DAMMIT that wasnt meant to be a reply to your comment!

But yea i agree with you 100%....they need to like..lock him in a closet somewhere whenever ANYONE asks him a question. He'll just say dumb shit.

DarthMetalHope

@neoraul20: I LOVE Steve Smith, hes amazing. But dont forget Mike Mangini! He makes Lars look like a fuckin joke lol

DarthMetalHope

So says the sue happy drummer. This dude would blame the internet for everything that goes wrong in the world. If his dog was hit by a car it was the internet driving the car listening to a pirated copy of the latest metallica cd laughing the whole way.

TheNexusRebound

@ObZen: Those were the days

Altima NEO

To be fair... a car is the best enviroment for these loud compressed albums.

lunarcore

NAPSTER BAD!

Lol fucking Lars.

Altima NEO

And holy shit he stole my goddamn hat!

DarthMetalHope

@Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.:

you really dont have to be obsessed with quality to hear the obvious fuzz. The cd sounds terrible, its a distorted mess, it just doesn't make sense to me how they were capable of letting themselves releasing something that sounds like that.

aKed

@Doodah: The internet will never be ruined so long as there is free porn. To this very second, there is still a smorgasborg of free internet porn. Or so I've heard. >_>

Anyway, the point is, the internet is for porn.

Zero_Beat

@Gilbert:
He's not that bad. Or at least we wasn't in some of the older stuff. I think they are all old and somewhat tired, James especially. Lately, his live performances are pretty dicey. I seriously think his last good live gig was for S&M, at least from the 5 or 6 live gigs I've heard since then.

But Lars is still a good drummer. He's in the middle in terms of skill: not ridiculouswtfawesomesauce like Keith Moon or Neil Peart but certainly better/more interesting than the past 2 Megadeth drummers and Nick McBrain. He's not run-of-the-mill, but he's certainly old.

Benjammn

Why is it ALWAYS Lars who seems to do the complaining...or "explaining" in these situations? Ive never liked the guy, ive only ever had respect or love for James.

And James ALWAYS has awesome food for breakfast lol. Seriously Lars out of ALL the things you couldve made an example with....and you chose James having something for breakfast that could piss someone off.

What. the. heellll????

DarthMetalHope

@Pumba512: and funny enough, records STILL hold the best quality in sound.

IcerDragoon

A car is a terrible place to experience the sound quality of an album. Unless you're talking about a seriously expensive car with a commensurate sound system AND you're parked. The noise floor in a moving vehicle is way too high.

aka Bitter

@IcerDragoon:

whoops. didn't mean that apostrophe there. force of habbit I guess? anywho, my statement still stands regardless.

IcerDragoon

Lar's really needs to stop talking. Its bad for the band.

IcerDragoon

I feel like everyone in this band is an older person who doesnt understand the internet or somthing.

Bunch of idiots..
And another reason like many people above have said this is why I dont listen to there crap..
They could be the most talented band in the world and they still sound like shit to me because of the terrible attitude they have.

paulbrochill

@3inst3in: Im down.

DaFox

I'm sure someone's already pointed out the irony in this. Didn't they just recently have the 56th annual "Lars awards" for excellence in internet bedwetting?

futurebiblehero

Lars Ulrich strikes me as Metallica's equivalent of Phil Harrison- at least during Harrison's pre-PS3 launch period. He probably even disagreed with some of Kaz's breakfast choices too, but that's part of the ride I, guess.

ArabRabbi

@Menasor: oh man, how awesome would that have been. im not that big of a metallica fan overall, of course the old stuff is rad, but to still have cliff instead of lars....

come to think of it, he probably wouldve left the band and started doing things far better than metallica at some point anyways, so yeah.

@3inst3in: uhhh, yeah. word. please dont disemvowel that.

karl_hungus

Let's be reasonable. Everyone thinks an asshole is funny when you agree with him, but the second that person says something you don't agree with, you take exception. If Lars had just said "Dude, I think it's fucking gay what they did with that DRM shit in Spore. Hella fucking weak!" You'd all love it, and comment, "Yeah, Lars! Stick it to 'em!"

Truth is, I downloaded the Guitar Hero III rips of Death Magnetic, because I like go for as high of quality as possible, but the CD really isn't THAT bad.

paulofjustice

"The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice." Dude has a point.

SanwariZeiram

Death Magnetic sounds terrific from start to finish. I'm a die hard Metallica fan all the way and I love the new album.

Capp

@3inst3in:
Blunt but effective!
When he opens his mouth he fails.

fuchikoma

@MrPhil: lets see you drum faggot

Bootl3g

@DarthMetalHope: Lars is and has always been Metallica's unofficially official spokesperson. He's the most outgoing member of the band. He's also the most instrumental band member when it comes to producing their albums. Stories abound of him working 18 hour days during peak crunch times while Hetfield has to go home after 4 hours because he's an alcoholic...

dowingba

@3inst3in: too true. there was a band round my way a few years back. always springs to mind when i hear this knob jockey havin another stab at the internet. and their name?

"The bus should have fell on Lars" .....

Menasor

@neoraul20: And Mike Portnoy!

Chanthas

@Zero_Beat:

agreed :)

bobafett356

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. But Lars' opinion is wrong. The album sounds lousy.

dowingba

Huh? So does this mean that Lars is also one of those people using the Internet to complain about people using the internet to complain?

Did anyone actually see the documentary "Some Kind of Monster"? Metallica are the kings of whiny complainers.

And yeah, the sound quality on the new CD sucks. So Neener Neener Neener!!

TheTwizzler

@Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.: I ono I'm just trying to make sense of it lol.

Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.

@Altima NEO: They still are, apparently it's a crime to work hard on a record and expect to make money out of it...

zoesch

@Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.: "the man has been a drummer in a metal band for the past 27 years. I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe his hearing could be -that- accurate to begin with."

Heh, I didn't think of it that way but it's probably true. I remember on the Osbournes a few times that Ozzy said he didn't have the best hearing because he's been standing in front of giant speakers for most of his life.

Sam_Lowry

@DarthMetalHope: Add Cato Bekkevold, Sean Reinhart or Flo Mournier to the list as well...

zoesch

@zoesch: I'm with you on Tagtgren's and Swano's production (except Hypocrisy's "Into the Abyss" album, which had a little too thick a production imho...enough to easily blow speakers (or eardrums...lol).

Regarding Death Magnetic, I believe that album was meant to show fans that Metallica was still capable of pulling off musically what many older fans had come to doubt they could. Though they can't always rest on their laurels, as you mentioned, it still was nice to hear the band go back toward its roots.

jmsalal

@Spacehog85: that made me rofl.

hammerhand

@chip5541: Butthead always had better taste.

futurebiblehero

Yeah, those records had AMAZING sound quality, right? That's why they're re-releasing them with better...sound...quality...now?

Adamotron

@Jeff Paine: I can agree to an extent, as the snares aren't nearly as pronounced as on previous albums. It must just be years of listening to albums w/ raw production from developing bands.

jmsalal

Not just "the Internet" is complaining, ass.

hagridore

@Gilbert: You don't have to be a human metronome but it helps... Lars isn't the kind of drummer that has constant tempo, you hear that on his live recordings, some drummers play faster/slower but they do it constantly, he races the tempo and then drops back and does it constantly. Master of Puppets required lots of cuts and overdubs to get a consistent drum track.

You can hear they Beat Detective'd the drums on Death Magnetic yet still left the snare mostly unchanged and it's ahead of the beat.

@Benjammn: Decent, not good, decent... he's certainly competent but can't compare to a really great drummer like Manu Katche or Stewart Copeland.

zoesch

This is why AC/DC is a better band.

chip5541

Metallica sucks. End of story.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

@dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased: Agreed. Lars should have been slapped around by his friends for saying something incredibly stupid. The internet should have never given his petty ass a voice.

CannibalDan

fire, bad?

Cell9song

@neoraul20: I've read your comment 10 times now an I still see no mention of Neil Pert or Pete Sandoval....

CannibalDan

@aKed: Yeah thats true I dont have such a good ear yet I can still hear the difference when someone compares the songs, it sounds better on GH, nonetheless its still a good CD, great music but bad sound quality

HELLSRIDER

worst drummer ever

karaquazian

Lars Ulrich can suck a big fat dick. Just not mine.

ResetSmith

@paulbrochill: I think to ban someone's talent based on their personality is completely foolish. I'm sorry but I just had to share. Some of the greatest composers and painters were intolerable dick heads. You're really missing out if that's your policy.

And no, this isn't me defending Lars.

Sakilla

Metallica doesn't suck, Lars "is" kind of a dick, but when it's all said and done, the internet is filled with dickheads who can't play an instrument, cut an album or create a video game...and yet...they'll let the whole world know how important their teenie weenie lil' opinions weally are. Idiots.

Sakilla

I bet this guy can't hear over 16khz by now.

nikoss

@Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.:
You are right on the money. Ulrich has been treated for ear infections in his career due to the constant abuse. This is fact. I read it on my Metallica's biography book.

Zuiyo

even the sound engineer admitted the album sounds like shit. I wonder if he based his opinion on some internet forum.

coveredinblood

One of the articles I saw (probably here on kotaku) shows a track from death magnetic in an editing software and it visually had no dynamic range. Then it was compared to the same track from guitar hero and it had twice as much range on it in the track editor. So don't tell me there's nothing wrong with it. Even if you argue that you can't here the differnce (which you can). you can see the difference in the valleys and peaks in a track editor.

GrimaceXL

@TheNexusRebound: And twirling his mustache while doing it, too!

Kitsune Sniper

@ObZen: lulz. Know how I know you have hearing problems?

Superlocke

@3inst3in: agreed. Fuck metallica altogether, but Lars is espeically annoying.

Superlocke

@dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased:
So...what you're saying is that Lars should be able to get on the internet and find some people who will listen and agree with him instead? Because pretty much all I've heard is how scrapped-out the sound is on the CD. I don't care about their music, but I spent a long time tracking down everything I needed to do to get my entire iTunes music library set to the same average volume, and still have the line level be loud enough that it'd work through my iTrip. Wasn't easy, and I could quickly tell when I over-cranked the levels. But then again, I had better-than-average hearing for my age when I was tested a few years back. Comes from not being in a metal band, I guess.

Purple Dave

@Sakilla: You and Lars must be drinking the same bullshit-flavored Kool-Aid. It's that kind of short-sighted ignorance that makes people on your side of the line look even worse.

Internet usage is totally irrelevant. Trying to claim otherwise is total denial, not to mention asinine. It's just an empty excuse with zero merit.

It's like saying that your opinion as a gamer doesn't count because you post on Kotaku. Totally inaccurate.

People use the Internet these days because it's the most efficient way to inform people about an issue. Just because the Internet makes it faster for a problem to be stated and recognized by a group of people doesn't automatically mean it's any less-honorable than anything else. This is clear to those of us who aren't enveloped in ignorance.

A lot of Metallica fans who don't play instruments recognize this problem.

A lot of audiophiles who don't give a shit about the Internet recognize this problem.

Only those who suck down the fanboy juice not only refuse to recognize a problem, but choose to vilify those that do recognize the problem.

So go on, keep blaming the soulless Internet because someone doesn't know how to properly mix an album.

AnEternalEnigma

sigh.
yeah...so, uh, how's that ghostbusters game coming along?

TacoGrande

I agree Death Magnetic's sound quality is awful. But most popular music released in the past, say, ten years doesn't sound much better. Clipping and over-compression has been the trend for quite some time. I don't listen to a whole lot of modern music on a regular basis, but some examples include Mastodon's Blood Mountain (a great album with terrible sound quality), the Iron Maiden remasters, and the Mothership greatest hits album by Led Zeppelin(listen to the iTunes preview of the song Heartbreaker. Ouch!). By the way, Mothership was widely praised for its "improved" sound quality over the early 90s Zep remasters. So really, the real blame here is on people who have been fooled into thinking modern music (and remasters) have better sound quality than something from the 70s or 80s, when it's usually the other way around. Take an original CD of 80s Maiden and compare it to the remastered version (make sure to turn up the volume on the original or it'll be softer than the remaster). And that is my audiophile lesson for the day.

topraman517

@3inst3in: Is this the "louder voice" he's talking about?

but yeah, super agreed on this one

Dresan

Right with the release of St. Anger, they should have rammed that snare drum so far up Lars' ass that he'd now be glad to find someone on the internet who shares his opinion about shitty sound quality.

2more

Wait wait wait, is he actually staying that if the internet was out when And justice for all came out that it wouldn't be such a big album?? I think that's giving the net waaay too much credit.

Or realizing people with a voice influence each other. Either way he sounds as stupid as always.

MangaDragon56

I didn't read the entire green excerpt, but that guy looks like a total douche.

ChiChi_BBQ

Why is that homeless man pointing his finger at me?

lucifer_goosifer

@AnEternalEnigma: He's not complaining about the internet. He's just stating that it is, quite frankly, full of dickheads who feel the need to put their opinions out everywhere. It's not the internet that's the problem but the rather the dickheads who use it. And he's not saying that EVERYONE on the internet is a dickhead either - just that they're the problematic ones.

Gospel X

Ashcraft, what happened? You wrote, "Continuing, Lars continued:"... You're one of the better writers on this site. That sort of thing just nags at me...

Anyway, as for Lars, I think people give him a bad rap due to the Napster thing. Move on! So he thinks the CD sounds fine the way it is is? That's cool. Agree to disagree. That is, of course, if you've actually listened to the actual CD. Otherwise, sorry, your opinion doesn't really count.

Gospel X

@3inst3in: the sure be a counter on top of every site with a "fuck lars ulrich"...

this guy just hates internet users!

VakeroRokero

He never was that smart anyway, this just proves it.

Krumm

@Benjammn:

Lars has NEVER struck me as more interesting than Nicko McBrain.. Nicko is great with odd times, has a ridiculously syncopated right foot, does some nice and subtle hi-hat work, and actually plays nice melodic fills.

Lars chokes his cymbals and rat-a-tats the snare. Now, he's gotten a lot of mileage out of that, and I wouldn't say he's BAD, but I want to give Nicko some credit here.

(been playing over 2/3 my life and I'm in my late 20s)

bainelaker

Youve got to admit, he does have a point.

albums owns btw

Raikkenon

Um... Metallica is still musically relevant? This amazes me! :P

Sarcastic flamebaiting aside, Death Magnetic wasn't that good, regardless of whether the audio was coming from their CD or from Guitar Hero. It's certainly better than St. Anger, but in the words of Captain Price, "That's better, but it's not hard to improve on garbage."

Altersparck

@topraman517:

Yep. That's pyschoacoustics for you. At higher decibel volumes, you don't process the audio the same way you would at a lower level.. that's what the "loudness" control on stereos is trying to mimic. The tonal variance you get by playing music louder.

Sadly, the way to get louder is to lose dynamic range (over-limiting is the main problem). You can blame the Foo Fighters for this.. listen to their track "My Hero" .. that's where modern super-mastering came from. Ugh.

And on Maiden, anybody knows Maiden records sound best on Vinyl anyways. =)

bainelaker

Lars needs to go fly his anti-hating kite in a thunderstorm. im so fucking tired of him blaming technology for things. If you hate it that much, shut the fuck up and be Amish.

gnomegusta

Rot in yesterday, Mr Ulrich.

lumpi

@neoraul20: ... and Simon Phillips, Zoltan Csorsz and Jeff Porcaro...

Ulrich and Barker aren't even on the chart :)

haggis

@paulofjustice: But in this case we're just watching the point of the complaints go woosh right over his head. It's like saying

.