The most influential band in heavy metal history commence the European leg of their WorldWired tour.
It’s been over 35 years since a quartet of young, volatile, new wave of
British heavy metal fanatics (NWOBHM for short) played their first ever
show supporting denim and leather traditionalists Saxon at the Whiskey A
Go Go in Hollywood. The four youthful, perma-drunk reprobates were paid
a mere $16 for that first show and it’s fair to say that the pay cheque
is not the only thing to have changed considerably in the intervening
years. From modest beginnings, Metallica went on to conquer the world,
achieving bona-fide status as the quintessential household heavy metal
band (at time of writing, their 1991 self-titled fifth album,
affectionately known as The Black Album, has sold almost 34 million copies worldwide, with sales achieving a healthy plateau of approximately 10,000 a week).
Despite the 21st century being home to the majority of the
band’s missteps (the Napster debacle, the Lou Reed collaboration, the 3D
concert film) the power of Metallica as a live entity has remained
consistently strong over time. Earlier this year, the band revealed
their intention to slow down as they near the twilight of their career and play fewer shows,
so any opportunity to see them live, particularly in an arena, should
be grasped fervently with both hands. Tonight is the third night of the
first leg of their European tour in support of last year's long-awaited
tenth studio album, Hardwired... To Self-Destruct.
On this run, Norwegian black n’ rollers Kvelertak have the
unenviable task of opening up for the elder statesmen of thrash. The
initial surprise that came from the sextet’s revelatory mix of black
metal, punk and classic rock is beginning to fade with familiarity,
although when they pull out the likes of “Mjod”, “Blodtorst” and
“Manelyst”, it’s a formula that still proves to be intoxicating. They
are inventive and experimental too; “1985”, the lead single from last
year’s Nattesferd album, sounds like fellow nordmenn Satyricon covering Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Whether the world needs such an amalgam is up for debate, but it’s certainly an unusual and innovative blend.
Unfortunately a sound mix that’s muddier than the grounds of
your average British music festival waters down the adroit concoction
of 1970s rock pomp and metallic blast beats that make the band stand out
amongst their contemporaries and as a result, their idiosyncrasies are
lost on the majority of this audience. It really is a shame; Kvelertak,
more than most, deserve to be given this platform but when hindered
with sound as poor as this, nobody new to the band would be able to
distinguish them from the reams of identikit bands that pollute daytime
rock radio on a daily basis.
To the initiated, it’s clear Kvelertak deserve more than
this but credit where it’s due, they perform with incredible relish and
vitality, barely pausing for breath between songs; if sound gremlins are
bothering the band, they show no sign of it whatsoever. The fact that a
band as uncompromising and atypical as Kvelertak are able to support a
behemoth like Metallica is something to celebrate. If you want to see
them at full power however, go to one of the many headline dates that they have sandwiched in between these shows.
There’s nothing quite as invigorating as hearing the roar that erupts when Ennio Morricone’s The Ecstasy of Gold ushers in the beginning of a Metallica show. The composition, part of the Italian composer’s score for epic spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,
has been used as the band’s intro music since 1983. As the lights dim
and hairs stand on end, the four horseman file onto the central stage
and thunder straight into the title track from last year’s Hardwired... To Self-Destruct, a no-nonsense, three-minute, white-knuckle-tight barnstormer that sounds much more ferocious live than its studio counterpart.
“Atlas, Rise!” follows, with its dual guitar motifs that
give the track a distinctly Iron Maiden-esque flavour, but it’s third
song “Seek & Destroy”, an old-school riff-spectacular traditionally
held back until the end of Metallica’s sets, that makes the entire
audience collectively crap their pants with unmitigated joy. Heads
continue to bang as the band pile drive into the lumbering, mid-paced
and seldom-played “Leper Messiah”, the first of three cuts this evening
from their undisputed classic 1986 album Master of Puppets. Despite
the fact that the record is 31-years old and roughly two-thirds the age
of heavy metal itself, the songs from it sound as if they could have
been written yesterday.
There are several things that impress about Metallica’s
stage show on this tour. First, and most obvious, is the central
staging, whereby the band performs on a raised stage situated on the
arena floor with the audience arranged in a 360-degree configuration
around them. Arena rock behemoths such as U2, Prince and Muse have all
used the in-the-round approach in recent years, but fans of those acts
may be surprised to learn that Metallica have been using such a setup
since the early 1990s. (Within live music, Def Leppard are generally
considered the first band to use an in the round setup for a full tour).
Such staging affords everybody in this vast 17,000 capacity arena a
decent view and one can’t help thinking that such a setup should one day
become the norm as opposed to the exception.
Pyromaniacs may be despondent at the lack of fire and
explosions compared to Metallica concerts of the past but they still
make appearances during key moments (“Fuel”, “Enter Sandman”) and it
doesn’t affect the quality of the show in a drastically negative way. In
fact, it’s the subtler moments that prove most successful, including a
truly dazzling and hypnotising display that utilises drones during “Moth
into Flame”. The group drumming that’s been shoehorned into “Now That
We’re Dead” looks more like one of Phil Towle’s
unorthodox approaches to psychotherapy than the percussive Stomp-style
spectacular one suspects the band are attempting to emulate, but at
least it gives the metal legends some room to have fun with something
previously unseen at a Metallica show.
Overall, gripes are minimal, but it would be remiss not to air them; describing the material from last year’s Hardwired... To Self-Destruct as poor would be a huge disservice but you would have to be a very generous
Metallica fan to sincerely hope that the likes of “Confusion” or “Halo
on Fire” will replace set staples such as “Creeping Death” or “Battery”
in the long term. That said, there is a balance to be struck; for a band
who have railed consistently against becoming a nostalgia act, their
set list has seen few major changes in the past 15 years or so. Certain
fans will scoff, but it would be nice to hear more cuts from the
oft-maligned “hard rock, cropped hair” era. Songs such as “Bleeding Me”,
“Hero of the Day”, “The Unforgiven II”, “No Leaf Clover” and “The
Outlaw Torn” barely get a look in, despite being vital parts of the
Metallica story.
Despite those niggles, Metallica in 2017 are still one of
the most thrilling heavy metal spectacles in the world. That the band
still manages to perform with extraordinary passion and zeal whilst all
approaching their mid-fifties is truly inspiring. Internet trolls who
bemoan the fact that they don’t perform with the ferocity or accuracy of
their former selves are missing the point; you can’t argue with a band
who are able to toss out a holy triage of metal as damn near perfect as
“One”, “Master of Puppets” and “Damage Inc” in quick succession (as they
do tonight over 21 glorious minutes). Realistically, Metallica will
remain a touring unit for the next 10, maybe 15 years maximum. Based on
tonight’s performance, people should be grasping every available
opportunity to see them before they are no more.
