Experts don’t think Metallica’s Sounds Like Mude track is technical error
August 29, 2008
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Asbjørn Slettemark of the Norwegian music industry magazine Faro Journalen reports that METALLICA’s record label, Universal Music Norway, has confirmed that it has received several complaints over the sound quality of the new METALLICA single “The Day That Never Comes”, which was released via the iTunes store late last week. “There will be a new version of the song on iTunes in a short while,” Eivind Slotsvik, senior product manager at Universal Music Norway, told Faro Journalen.
Slotsvik claims, however, that the “The Day That Never Comes” audio file that was serviced to Norwegian radio and press is not distorted like the track that was being sold via iTunes. “What we know is that there is something wrong with the version sent to iTunes,” he said. “The version we have received does not contain similar errors.”
Faro Journalen downloaded one of the versions Universal Music released to the press via its digital promotional database. The magazine then sent the file to Lasse Svendsen, editor of Norway’s hi-fi magazine Lyd & Bilde (Sound & Vision). Svendsen was shocked by what he heard.
“Oh my God, this is unfortunately a classic example of how bad things get when studio technicians and musicians gets to play with expensive compressors and limiters,” he said. “The file is a 313 kbps AAC sound file, which isn’t necessarily that bad, but someone has chosen to maximize the volume with a compressor, so much so that the whole sound file just sounds like mud. The cymbals sound like broken glass, the drums like trees cracking, and the guitars — which are mixed equally loudly — sound like someone shoved a screwdriver into my ears.”
Kjartan Overby is responsible for the music archives at the Norwegian national radio station at NRK. “The Day That Never Comes” was one of this week’s most played tracks on NRK’s youth channel P3, and Overby told Faro Journalen he reacted immediately to the sound level on the song.
“I have never heard anything like this on songs we have added to the archive. It is probably not a technical error. The file was like that when we received it from Universal Music,” he said.
Lyd & Bilde editor Svendsen has low expectations for the “Death Magnetic” full-length album, which is scheduled to hit stores worldwide on September 12. “We can only hope that the CD won’t sound this bad, but I don’t have high hopes that this will happen,” he said.
A representative for METALLICA’s Mission: Metallica web site — the online experience related to the group’s forthcoming album, “Death Magnetic” — sent out an e-mail message to the site’s registered members last week claiming that the sound quality problems on “The Day That Never Comes” were related to “the creation of the track from master,” before reassuring fans that “this is not how it will sound on the album.” He then added, “We’ve identified the source of the problem to prevent it in any subsequent singles released in advance of September 12.”
Although the band itself has not yet addressed the issue directly, it is believed that the source of the problem lies in the actual mix and not the mastering. With only three weeks left before “Death Magnetic”’s scheduled release, it is highly unlikely that any changes will be made to the album’s final mix, a scenario which is almost certain to disappoint may of METALLICA’s most loyal fans who have been voicing their displeasure over the new single’s production on the band’s official message board.
“The Day That Never Comes” audio (entire song):
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=103625
Metallica tour visit to play London’s O2 for a fiver!
August 21, 2008
Yes, really - rock fans are being given a chance to see thrash-legends Metallica playing London’s O2 for just £5 a ticket.To be in with a chance of nabbing a place at the September 15th gig, you must be a member of missionmetallica.com or metclub.com. Tickets are limited to 2 per person.
The band have said, “Because this is a celebration, tickets prices will be, shall we say, ‘retro?’ Only five pounds in London! And the best part is that all the proceeds from the sale of tickets will be donated to local charities.”
Metallica’s new album ‘Death Magnetic‘ will be released just before, on 12th September. The band plays Berlin on the same day for just 10 Euros.
Ex-Guns N Roses Drummer Steven Adler Pleads Not Guilty To Drug Charges, Will Remain
August 21, 2008
Fidgeting, sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes, Steven Adler, who was Guns N’ Roses’ drummer for five years before being fired in 1990, pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning to drug charges. He was ordered by a judge to remain in drug rehabilitation at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California, for at least the next month.
According to The Associated Press, Adler went before a judge in Los Angeles Superior Court with a friend and therapist by his side. The judge instructed the rocker to continue with his rehab as he awaits a preliminary hearing on a felony drug-possession count and a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of drugs. Adler was arrested last month after police were called to a Los Angeles home, which Adler allegedly refused to leave and was creating a disturbance. He was released after posting $10,000 bail.
The 43-year-old musician, who was reportedly set to star in a spin-off of VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab” called “Sober Living” after finishing his stint on the just-wrapped second season of “Rehab,” was also arrested on an outstanding warrant dating back to 2005, when he was charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance and driving on a suspended license. The warrant was issued because he allegedly didn’t show up for an April 2006 court date on the case.
AP reported that Adler’s attorney claimed his continued recovery is being monitored by celebrity rehab specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky.
Adler, who was a childhood friend of ex-GNR guitarist Slash, was an original member of the iconic hard-rock outfit and appeared on the band’s first three releases, including their breakthrough LP, 1987’s Appetite for Destruction. He was fired from the group in 1990 due to his ongoing struggle with drug addiction, and suffered a stroke in 1996 after ingesting drugs. He suffered a second stroke a short while later, and was left with impaired speech.
http://www.gossipcheck.com/music/5670-ex-guns-n-roses-drummer-steven-adler-pleads-not-guilty-drug-charges-will-remain-i.html
Blabbermouth once posted the TRUE artwork of Chinese Democracy from Guns N Roses
August 21, 2008
COMMENT | Cool artwork……….
weather its real or not who knows. But damn cool.
Once again the last round of leak song where confirmed as not being finalized songs. Which anyone with any music knowledge what so ever didn’t for one second think they where final versions. Songs where very flat and no depth to any of them.
BUT It was p
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=103223
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=103223
Interview: James Hetfield says he and Robert Trujillo wrote the most for Metallica’s new album Death Magnetic
July 18, 2008
Interview: James Hetfield says he and Robert Trujillo wrote the most for Metallica’s new album Death Magnetic
A five-minute interview with METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield conducted yesterday (Wednesday, July 16) by VG TV at the opening show of the second leg of the band’s European summer tour in Bergen, Norway can be viewed below. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.
On the title of METALLICA’s new album, "Death Magnetic":
James Hetfield: "‘Death Magnetic’, at least the title, to me, it’s… It had something to do with… It started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like Layne Staley [ALICE IN CHAINS] and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. And then it kind of grew from there. Thinking about death… some people are drawn towards it, and just like a magnet, some people are drawn towards it, [and] other people are afraid of it and push away. And the concept that we’re all gonna die sometimes is over-talked about and then a lot of times never talked about — no one wants to bring it up; it’s the big white elephant in the living room. But we all have to deal with it at some point. So that’s kind of the subject matter."
On bassist Robert Trujillo’s contributions to the new record and the band’s overall sound:
James Hetfield: "I don’t really have to say it, but I will — he’s an amazing bass player; very competent. He can play pretty much anything we throw at him. Not only that, but obviously [Robert] playing with his fingers brings a fuller sound. He — and no disrespect to Jason [Newsted, Rob’s predecessor in METALLICA] — but Rob has already written more on this album than Jason had in his whole 14 years. A lot of that had to do with us not being willing, and I totally understand that, but just his material seemed to gel better. It feels as though we’ve known him forever, basically, is what it feels like. And there’s still times when I see him in pictures with us, and I go, ‘Oh, yeah! He’s in our band. Dude, we kick ass even more now.’ It’s a good feeling."
METALLICA has announced that every song on its upcoming album, "Death Magnetic", will be available to download for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on the same date that the record arrives in stores, reports The Pulse of Radio. A post at the band’s official web site stated, "It’s a first in both music and gaming…The same day that ‘Death Magnetic’ hits the streets, you’ll be able to download every song from the album for Guitar Hero III! We are so psyched that we’ll be the first out of the gate with this simultaneous release…Who knows?! Maybe a few years from now this will be the norm when your favorite band’s new record comes out."
The post added that "Death Magnetic" will also be available for the new World Tour edition of Guitar Hero, which is due out this fall.
Rumors of an all-METALLICA edition of Guitar Hero have been making the rounds recently, but the game’s publishers have not confirmed this.
"Death Magnetic" is due out in September and was produced by METALLICA and Rick Rubin.
A deluxe box set edition of the album will be available in the U.S. The coffin box package will contain one CD featuring the album, another containing demos, a behind-the-scenes DVD, an exclusive T-shirt, a METALLICA flag, a collection of guitar picks, codes for a special live download and a poster.
The coffin box will only be available through Metallica.com, MetClub.com, and MissionMetallica.com.
Several other editions of "Death Magnetic" will also be offered for sale through the Mission: Metallica site, including an all-digital version and a high-end edition featuring five vinyl LPs and a lithograph.
METALLICA’s next U.S. date is the one-day Ozzfest on August 9 in Dallas, with a full North American tour slated to begin in October.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=101057
