Metallica Preview New Album, Try To Wipe Internet Clear Of Reactions
The other day we mentioned Metallica's forthcoming Guitar Hero. Of course, they also have a forthcoming record. Dave Grohl wrote a non-letter about it. So, the band gave some London-area journalists the chance to listen to part of the new album recently, but as Blinded By The Hype discovered, they then tried to erase the responses from the Internet. The case they investigated is an expunged review by UK bloggers The Quietus. Remember, though, the Internet doesn't erase that easily.
Via Blinded By The Hype:
Yesterday UK bloggers The Quietus posted a preview of the new Metallica album after hearing it at an invite-only session in London. Their coverage -- which you can still find here -- is a relatively fair piece that discusses the hardship of being a Metallica fan some twenty odd years after their epic, And Justice for All....It came as something of a surprise then to find that the internet had been expunged of any coverage of the event. We emailed The Quietus editor Luke Turner about what happened. He gave this response:
The story behind the removal of the article runs as follows: Metallica held an album listening party for selected music journalists in London this Wednesday past. One of the writers was kind enough to write a piece about the album which, if you were lucky enough to read it before it was taken down, was full of praise about a return to form. At no point was the writer ask[ed] to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The Quietus and other websites ran pieces on the album, but were quickly contacted by Metallica's management via a third party and told to remove the articles. The Quietus kept our article up the longest and, as no non-disclosure agreement had been signed, [was] not prepared to remove it merely due to the demands of Metallica's management. We only eventually removed the article earlier today to protect the professional interests of the writer concerned (the piece was written anonymously). Seems Metallica's fear of the internet shows no sign of abating.
Good work. We know Metal Hammer also previewed the album, though we can't find their thoughts on it either. Oh, wait, here. And Rock Sound heard it, too, but that's also gone. Oh, no it's not. By the way, the word on the cache is that for this new album Metallica's evoking their more classic period, getting back to longer passages, etc. Whatever the case, I'm curious to hear it, which I haven't said about a Metallica album in a long time.
[Photo via Sound On Sound]
Posted at 12:21 PM by brandon
Tags: Metallica
my concern is that they're grabbing the stylistic traits of their older work but soullessly going through the motions. i'm excited by the thought that they are going back to longer songs with more complexity, but i'm also worried that it'll just be a bloated prog-metal wankfest. i also can't think of many artists who have been successful by consciously returning to a form they grew out of, so i tend not to greet reports about that kind of thing with enthusiasm.
i would be really pleased, though, if the new metallica album turned out to be as good as, say, the black album (i dare not imagine they could achieve the heights of a master of puppets or ... and justice for all).
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I think that what you're worried about with their return to form soullessly happened with their last album St. Anger. I remember all of this same talk about them getting back to their roots before the album came out and the album just pretty much was an unsuccessful effort of them trying to show that they could still kick ass. I think this album really will be incredible and I can't wait to be on a farm in the middle of Tennessee one week from today waiting to see them play Bonnaroo!!!
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freaking douche bags
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these guys' douchebaggery is exhausting
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the fact that those sites removed the articles proved that blogs have a long way to go. They have every right to post the preview. Metallica has no right to remove it. They gave in. Metallica won. Pathetic. Really pathetic.
How are blogs supposed to evolve into legitimate sources of news when they can be strong-armed into removing content bands, people and lawyers don't approve of. I realize UK libel and press protections are different than US law, but courts have generally held that blogs have the same rights as traditional newspapers.
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I wonder how many "tewtally"s Lars included in his letter to The Quietus. That is, and always will be, the more important issue at hand.
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Well, this is really Jenga. C'mon Metallica, just release the album already!
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That wasn't very "metal" of them. Why are so many former metal gods douchebags, nowadays?
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jagaer bombs!
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They can KMA. You hear me Lars!? K M A
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Seems like they've retracted http://boredofdictators.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/metallica-versus-bloggers-takes-a-new-twist/
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man i love absolutely everything about metallica. you internet blowhards need to settle down; reviews can wait until the release date.
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