Metallica reject 'Death Magnetic' CD quality claims

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has rejected fans' claims that their new album 'Death Magnetic' is too loud, and that the version available via the 'Guitar Hero' video game is superior.

Thousands of fans have taken to the internet to complain, but Ulrich - the first member of Metallica to speak publicly on the issue - disagrees.

"Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality," he said. "It's 2008, and that's how we make records."

Speaking to Blender, Ulrich added: "(Producer) Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds fuckin' smokin'."

Ulrich also said he believes that the internet magnifies the voice of "complainers".

"Listen, what are you going to do?" he asked. "A lot of people say (the CD) sounds great, and a few people say it doesn't, and that's OK. You gotta remember, when we put out '...And Justice for All' (in 1988), people were going, 'What happened to these guys, this record? There's no bass on it. It sounds like it was recorded in a fuckin' garage on an eight-track.' And now ...'And Justice for All' is sort of the seminal Metallica record that supposedly influenced a whole generation of death-metal bands.

"The difference between back then and now is the internet," he added. "The internet gives everybody a voice, and the internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice."

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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