More Metallica mischief
- June 11, 2008 11:58 AM |
- By Pete Nowak
By Peter Nowak, CBCnews.ca
Oh, Metallica. Why must you insist on making it so hard for people to like you?
Everybody's favourite Napster-fighting metal band is at it again, this time objecting to bloggers who have been reviewing some tracks from their new album. The band recently invited music critics to London to hear six unfinished tracks, then got upset when those same journalists actually - gasp! - wrote about the experience.
Metallica's management contacted the bloggers and persuaded them into taking the previews down, despite the fact that no non-disclosure agreements had been signed. Worse still - as some sites have reported, the previews didn't exactly trash the new tracks. One site, The Quietus, even referred to the new songs as "a return to form."
So why is Metallica getting uppity with the internet again? As Ars Technica points out, it may be an attempt to generate some publicity or buzz about an album that many people had no idea was even in the works.
If that's the case, though, it's the worst kind of publicity a band could ask for, especially given Metallica's history and internet users' long memories. The band alienated a whole mess of fans through its vicious battle with Napster, many of whom punished the band by forgoing its 2003 studio album, St. Anger. Not surprisingly, that album proved to be Metallica's worst-selling release ever. With moves like these prompting one-time fans to declare "Metallica is dead to me," the new album's sales could be even worse.
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- Tara Kimura
is a multimedia producer for CBCNews.ca.
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Comments (17)
Oh James, you just proved that you can stick both feet in your mouth with your head up your (insert body part here!)
I wonder...another nu-metal album? Besides the music, No wonder no one likes you James. Grow up.
I imagine that St. Anger had such a poor sales record because it was absolutely awful. Hetfield was recently out of rehab, and the therapist they hired to help them all "mend their relationships" with one another decided it would be smart to let everyone take a crack at lyrics, some of them for the first time ever. If you've ever heard any music by first time song writers, you will know that it is usually terrible. No one is immune to the old adage of "practise makes perfect."
Basically, they deviated from their tried and true methods. Not to mention Hetfield was under strict orders to work no more than 4 hours a day... regardless of whether they were on a roll with something or not, he would take off as soon as the clock struck 4 (hours). I'm looking forward to this new album, it certainly couldn't be worse.
Yep, James needs to return to the bottle to get some angst back, and drop these touchy, feely, love your bamdmates like a family dribble that rock psychologist Bob Rock brainwashed him into believing...
Sadly, my love for Metallica died about half way through the "Black Album"
I have not bought a metalshoit album in yeas and most likely will never again. Too much money made and too arrogant and controlling. They are not gods..Kirk's solo's are the only real entertainment in the whole experience. The drumming stay's the same basic way..and the lyrics get cheesier and cheesier. Get Danny Carey from Tool....and Dave mustaine on Rythm and keep kirk and Rob and maybe let james sing....Now that's a band..Lar's can go do his basic's with a beatle's tribute band....LOL
Hrmm... New Metallica album?
...I think I'll download it just to spite them.
Why can't Metallica just stick to doing bad Anti Nowhere League and Misfits covers?
I used to like them alot bought the discs went to a concert etc.... Now when there stuff comes on the radio I change the station. I don't even want to listen to a second of it. Complete and utter boycott
File sharing has clearly hurt them financially. Lars Ulrich wanted to buy a gold-plated shark aquarium for his 4th floor bathroom. But now he has to wait an extra month before he can afford it. Do you see why they are so angry? Do you SEE??
According to www.metallica.com, it's Metallica's management (Q-Prime) that asked people to review the rough tracks and again it's Metallica's management that asked the same people not to post their own reviews...
It's a different story than yours. Anyways, some of those reviews now have a link on the official Metallica website.
All you 'tallica-haters out there are going to be awfully disappointed to hear that this isn't what it sounds like.. or, shall I say, what you are hoping it is..
Go have a look at 'tallica's official website and get the facts before blabbering on about something you so obviously don't know anything about.
So much for having any integrity. It always amuses me when nobody verifies their information and they can't help but sound off, get the masses all up in arms, and then can't be bothered to go "Oops.. didn't quite happen that way, sorry!" afterwards.
Remember a couple of years back when James looked like a terrorist and was detained at the airport prior to performing for charity? Yeah, uhh.. I'm sure it was nearly impossible to verify that story, too..
The media as a whole needs to stop acting like tabloid whores and regain at least a little bit of intellect before posting stuff like this and other 'who cares if it's true, people read this junk!' stories.
From Metallica's site:
Reviews . . .
6/11/2008 [ back ]
While we occasionally enjoy reading the various comments, rumors, speculation, reviews, gossip and all the good that the internet brings, rarely do we feel the desire/need to respond to the "blogosphere" . . . hey, everyone is entitled to have their thoughts and opinions, right? However, once we re-surfaced on Tuesday after a few weeks on tour in Europe, we were informed that someone at Q Prime (our managers) had made the error of asking a few publications to take down reviews of the rough mixes from the new record that were posted on their sites. Our response was "WHY?!!! Why take down mostly positive reviews of the new material and prevent people from getting psyched about the next record. . . that makes no sense to us!”" So after a few rounds of managerial ear spank and sentencing everyone at Q Prime to 20 push-ups each, we figured why not take matters into our own hands and just post the links here on our site. Kerrang, Metal Hammer, The Quietus.
You see, we have maintained an "in the press" section here on Metallica.com for many years now, posting links to reviews of shows, album and DVD releases, and various other tidbits we've come across while surfing around. Some good, some not so good, but we put 'em all up . . . sort of the same way we treat our message boards on this site . . . welcoming all feedback.
So in the spirit of keeping this section current, we've put as many of the reviews of the rough mixes of the new record up here as we could find. If we missed any, let us know . . . and in the meantime, we're always adding, so peruse at your leisure.
According to www.metallica.com, it's the band's management (Q-Prime) and not the band itself that asked people to reviews the rough tracks. And again, it's Q-Prime that asked the same people not to post their own reviews...
It's a differenmt story than yours. Regardless, some of those reviews now have a link on the offical Metallica website.
From Metallica's site yesterday:
While we occasionally enjoy reading the various comments, rumors, speculation, reviews, gossip and all the good that the internet brings, rarely do we feel the desire/need to respond to the "blogosphere" . . . hey, everyone is entitled to have their thoughts and opinions, right? However, once we re-surfaced on Tuesday after a few weeks on tour in Europe, we were informed that someone at Q Prime (our managers) had made the error of asking a few publications to take down reviews of the rough mixes from the new record that were posted on their sites. Our response was "WHY?!!! Why take down mostly positive reviews of the new material and prevent people from getting psyched about the next record. . . that makes no sense to us!”" So after a few rounds of managerial ear spank and sentencing everyone at Q Prime to 20 push-ups each, we figured why not take matters into our own hands and just post the links here on our site. Kerrang, Metal Hammer, The Quietus.
You see, we have maintained an "in the press" section here on Metallica.com for many years now, posting links to reviews of shows, album and DVD releases, and various other tidbits we've come across while surfing around. Some good, some not so good, but we put 'em all up . . . sort of the same way we treat our message boards on this site . . . welcoming all feedback.
So in the spirit of keeping this section current, we've put as many of the reviews of the rough mixes of the new record up here as we could find. If we missed any, let us know . . . and in the meantime, we're always adding, so peruse at your leisure.
99% of this story is false. A whopping couple of minutes looking this up elsewhere.. (*cough* Metallica's website, anyone? *cough*) ..shows as much.
When is the media as a whole going to stop being such tabloid whores and not publish articles based on a "People will read this, who cares if it's true or not!" mentality? Remember James being "detained" for "looking like a terrorist"?? Yeah, that had all kinds of merit, didn't it??
"Why can't Metallica just stick to doing bad Anti Nowhere League and Misfits covers?"
that would be out of their dietary options. Remembe, Metallica is TOO GOOD to do covers. They're Gods...*groans sarcastically*
Metallica needs to know WHEN to quit. They're starting to give a bad name to metal that so many had tried to improve, and everytime metallica release an album, they ruin it.Sorry James, but you guys aren't like the Beatles, your time was back in the early nineties and eighties. Please stay as a memory...
To all you losers out there complaining about metallica, shut up, quit listening to all the tabloid crap, wait for the album to come out and then judge for yourself. Who gives a s___ whats being said, its about the music and nothing else, you either love the music or hate it, quit "wasting your hate" on everything else and enjoy the music. By the way, the new album rocks.