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Late last night Metallica posted a message to their website in an effort to quell the controversy that began a week ago when their management asked bloggers to pull all previews of the new Metallica album from their blogs. On its face it seems like Metallica were caught unaware and that a rogue member of their management, Q Prime, called for the reviews to be redacted.

We're not buying it.

The statement, which can be read in full here, looks like the handiwork of Metallica's petulant posterboy Lars Ulrich, right down to its passive-aggressive, 'who me?' tone. As anyone who's seen the Metallica documentary 'Some Kind of Monster' would know, the band became unsure of themselves and their new material quite some time ago, and would likely do anything they could to quash any doubt that their new album would be anything short of a return to form. That, or their management would seek to protect their fragile egos with a stunt like this.

Perhaps more importantly, why would any blog oblige them? Sure, a magazine like "Kerrang!" might be desperate for readership and the promise of a Metallica cover story (which may explain their cloying remarks about Metallica's new material), but a controversial story like this is blogosphere gold, particularly for a new site like The Quietus. If no non-disclosure agreement was signed, why cave in to Metallica's management? Moreover, why bother republishing the review? Critics owe Metallica no favors. Metallica may be the best-selling metal band of all time, but it doesn't make them the Internet's master of puppets.

That Metallica would deign to wade into the blogosphere like this and think that they can emerge unscathed shows that they're still fighting the Internet, and it's a losing battle.

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Message Edited by blindedbythehype on 06-12-2008 10:10 AM
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  • comment number 1
  • date 06-12-2008 10:19 AM
  • author Jimbo64 writes:
body I don't think anyone really cares much about the politics of Metallica anymore. I know I don't anyway.

When they started "Thinking" they knew how to make great music, is when it all went down the drain.

Quit trying to be ground breaking, and just make the music. Quit trying to police the internet like you can control your future through it.

You want to make a statement Lars? Write a song!
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  • comment number 2
  • date 06-12-2008 01:17 PM
  • author RANDELL writes:
body I stopped caring about this band a long time ago.

Man, there is so much great music out there you just have to look for it. Why concern myself with Lars and his band's bull**bleep**?

Blog on **bleep**.
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  • comment number 3
  • date 06-12-2008 02:06 PM
  • author Stellar writes:
body I agree with the 2 previous posters... If they have to go this low to get reviews on this new album then maybe they need to step up their musical game...
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  • comment number 4
  • date 06-12-2008 02:36 PM
  • author Berudandi writes:
body Lars is such an egomaniac. Like previous posters, I stopped caring about Metallica long ago. I mean really, Napster did them in, as well as their shoddy attempt at 'metal'.
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  • comment number 5
  • date 06-12-2008 03:28 PM
  • author cvpcs writes:
body
The Napster thing was bad, but the worst thing Metallica has ever done was "St. Anger". Arguably their only bad album, it is incredibly and insanely bad. Painful to listen to: the drumming is horrible, the vocals are crap, and there are zero guitar solos. The songwriting is pathetic:
half-baked, lazy, tuneless, vapid. The production "values" are retarded. We can blame the once-great Bob Rock for this, a producer whose claim to fame was making over-produced and over-the-top music actually sound good -- think early Van Halen -- who decided to "strip-down" Metallica's sound, and make an "honest" record. Honestly, it sucks out loud. Everyone who's heard it agrees: it's so bad it'll make you wince. Lars is a dope. He's alienated the web community (and his fans) consistently -- here he goes again. He'd do well to just shut up, and Metallica would do well to take a tip from a web-friendly band like Radiohead, and release some free stuff. They can afford it, despite the fact that thier careers have been in the toilet since St. Anger, they're all still multimillionaires.

Message Edited by cvpcs on 06-12-2008 03:31 PM
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  • comment number 6
  • date 06-12-2008 04:08 PM
  • author ritegirl3 writes:
body I agree with the posters above. I use to love the band and I followed them from town to town back when the black album first came out. Since Jason left the band and Lars has his, "I'm a rock god" attitude. I wouldn't walk across the street to see them.
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  • comment number 7
  • date 06-12-2008 04:11 PM
  • author daman1 writes:
body Wow, you people are a bit generous (about how long they stayed good). Lars said the new album is good and heavy. Didn't he say that about St. Anger? Metallica began to "tank" after "Master of Puppets", in my opinion. "Ride the Lightning" was their best, although "Garage, Inc." (all cover tunes) had some good songs. I liked them - over 20 years ago! Pantera kicked their a**, as did some of the material from Anthrax. Also, check out Corrosion of Conformity, Prong, Tool and Deftones. There are plenty of other choices to listen to. Metallica has long ago "cemeted" their reputation as a "has been".
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  • comment number 8
  • date 06-12-2008 04:43 PM
  • author penguin87 writes:
body I think you're a tool. Pantera couldn't do a show without their guitarist getting shot. Anthrax had one good album then they started to mix rap and metal (Junk) Bring the Noise? That's what it sounded like, noise. Just because every Metallica album sounds different that is bad? They grew and matured as musicians. That to me is good. If every album they put out sounded the same you people would be bitching about that. I have been a Metallica fan for many years. I can't wait for the fall to come and hear that new music. Go listen to your Corrosion of Conformity, I'm sure that they have sold more albums than Metallica.
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  • comment number 9
  • date 06-12-2008 04:47 PM
  • author jefffreycleo writes:
body Lars & Co can call the new release "And Dumbass For All..." Sad thing is Metallica quit being influential on the music scene well before the Black disc was produced. If you ask me, the magic died with Cliff...Lars appears to be very protective of the Brand and not the musical integrity of the Band...you know it's sad but true-wah!
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