Death Magnetic...first impression

I'd say the three singles that were floating around were a pretty good sign of how this album ended up sounding like. OK, maybe I should listen to the whole thing a couple more times before jumping to any conclusions......too late...so here goes...Lars is definitely back with his double stroke beats and the crushing rolls. I'd even say the solos from Kirk are also "Metallica" material, and actually his love for the phrygian scale is still dominant. The riffs from James kick ass - some are actually faster and more intelligent than ever before. His vocal though, is a little disappointing. I don't know man...he's still somewhat stuck in the nineties, sounding like I disappear and fuel.The riffs in the End of the Line and the Day that Never Comes are so much like those in creeping death and master and actually, I felt subtle touches of seek and destroy in the the end's chorus punch. I could still hear the load/re-load grunges coming out from time to time like in the beginning of the Day. But hey...that doesn't sound bad. And Trujillo...he brought back fingerstyle, just like Cliff and unlike Jason - which sounds awesome in Cyanide and All Nightmare Long, which btw I think has the fastest playing riff in recent times. I also love the fact that they're back with the interludes with riffs mixed with solos coming in and out. Speaking about things coming back...all hail Suicide - which is an awesome instrumental. Another comeback - the Unforgive III, however, was unncessary and doesn't go with the rest of the album at all. Getting rid of Bob Rock was definitely a great first move on the road to salvation...hell yea! And Rick Rubin did an awesome job...but you know what - they should give production another shot...after all, the best songs out of Metallica are those that they produced themselves.But hey, this is definitely an album that I'll be banging my head to for a long time to come…