Metallica, 'Death Magnetic'

Backstory: Since debuting 25 years ago, Metallica has released a handful of landmark thrash albums, and 1991’s ubiquitous “Black Album” cemented the group’s status as one of the biggest bands in the world. Since then, Metallica’s star has been in steady decline; they still draw utterly massive crowds, but their last several albums have been flops. The riveting 2004 documentary “Some Kind of Monster” found the metal gods doing decidedly un-metal things like selling fine art and airing age-old resentments in therapy sessions.

Why you should care: Metallica has sold over 100 million albums and left permanent fingerprints on metal. The band’s place in the history books is secure, but its modern-day reputation has long been in peril. Pulling the phoenix act at this late stage—all members are dads in their mid-40s—would qualify as an unexpected triumph.

Verdict: Lo and behold, “Death Magnetic” is the best and most bruising Metallica album in a long while. Many songs stretch to the seven- or eight-minute mark, indulging in tight, muscular jams and again allowing guitar master Kirk Hammett to show off his soloing chops. The band swapped out longtime producer Bob Rock for bearded Zen master Rick Rubin, who helmed Slayer’s best records in the ‘80s. Nowadays Rubin’s signature is simply telling legends, “Hey, remember that sound that made people love you? Why don’t you try doing that again?” Sure enough, the 2008 Metallica sounds like it spent a lot of time listening to 1988 Metallica; sometimes the echoes of “Master of Puppets” and “…And Justice For All” are a little too overt, but after a long time lost in the wilderness, it’s good to come back home.

X-Factor: Hungry for extras? Try the deluxe coffin box edition of “Death Magnetic,” complete with demos, DVD footage, guitar picks and a T-shirt. Or download two versions of “Suicide & Redemption” recorded exclusively for “Guitar Hero,” complete with extended shredding from Hammett and James Hetfield.

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