Metallica – “Helping Hands…Live & Acoustic At The Masonic”
4th April 2019 0 By Gavin GriffithsWhen it comes to long waiting periods for new albums, we all know GUNS âNâ ROSES took the crown (Or took the piss however you want to look at it) with their 15 year wait for âChinese DemocracyââŠwhichâŠreally wasnât even worth it in the end, letâs be fair. Coming up not far behind them now would be TOOL, who are 13 years and counting for their highly anticipated follow-up to â10,000 DaysââŠan ironically titled album if ever there was one. I hope itâs not a literal wait as itâs only been 4,720 days* since it was releasedâŠhell thatâs not even half way! Itâll be the 2030âs before we hear anything new! On a serious note though, one band who seem to leave fans feeling impatient regarding the wait for new material, would be METALLICA.
Itâs easy to see why I guessâŠcompared to their revered and more prolific early years, the last three studio albums to come from the thrash metal titans have been 2003âs âSt. AngerââŠ2008âs âDeath Magneticâ and then 2016âs âHardwiredâŠTo Self-Destructâ. Sure there have been a couple of live albums and one or two EPâs in between and, well, the less said about âLuluâ the better, but Metallica fans while loyal, do get frustrated and want papa Het to hit them with dem riffs! Well 2019 brings some good news and some bad news; the good news is there IS a new Metallica album! The bad news is itâs another live one. Recorded at the Masonic in San Francisco, itâs an acoustic collection of cuts from their back catalogue, in support of the All Within My Hands Foundation; a charity founded by the band themselves that supports a good cause, providing poorer communities with work programs and opportunities for people to get back on their feetâŠso with that said, itâs clearly got all of the good intentions so letâs not bash this TOO badly eh?
The glorified jam session kicks off with some eager crowd cheering, while James Hetfield jokes about nervousness, before we dive straight into a stripped back rendition of âDisposable HeroesââŠLars is still present on the drums and there are some subtle pedal steel guitar effects layered throughout, giving this an almost folk-inspired feel, so itâs not 100% strictly acoustic, but it makes for an interesting combination with Hetfieldâs trademark gruff vocals. Up next then is the first of four covers which take up a third of the albumâŠso technically itâs not even a full Metallica album, and get this, none of the covers are even âWhiskey In The Jarâ! Oh you guysâŠanyway here we get their take on the delightfully depressing âWhen A Blind Man Criesâ by DEEP PURPLE. While it does have certain rawness to it and it is done well, the acoustic delivery is almost optimistic in places and the song lacks some of its trademark melancholy, though it gets a warm reception from the crowd.
The other covers while weâre on the topic are âTurn The Pageâ which youâd already recognise from âGarage Inc.â but the more notable songs would be âPlease Donât Judas Meâ and âVeteran Of The Psychic Warsâ. The former, a track by NAZARETH is delivered with a slight, western country tone and its slow pacing allows for ample mood, aside from Hetfield tripping over his words introducing the trackâŠthe latter then, a track by BLUE OYSTER CULT, was chosen by Lars and thereâs banter on stage about having Lars sing it himself, to which he jokes that he would if they wanted the house cleared. Donât worry about singing Lars, focus on that snare. The psychedelic tendencies of BOC trickle through and thereâs an enjoyable little acoustic solo with Kirk Hammett taking up the 12-string guitar, but this is meant to be a Metallica album at the end of the day so letâs see what they themselves have to offer.
Surprisingly enough weâre given a track off of âSt. Angerâ as it happens which is rare given the albums meme status. âAll Within My Handsâ manages to actually sound like a finished song here instead of a demo, so credit where itâs due, this is automatically an album highlight. Being the name of the charity itself too, it’s ironic that something so positive could come from that album in any capacity!
There are three tracks taken off of the âBlack Albumâ which makes up the other bulk of the recordâŠnaturally âEnter Sandmanâ gets a solid crowd reaction when it kicks in, especially itâs lively crescendo, and it goes without saying that âNothing Else Mattersâ was tailor-made for this environment; the ballad done well again here and it canât help but be the standout performance of the night. We eventually round things up with an energetic performance of âHardwiredââŠit comes across as a bit too up-tempo at times, the riffs were designed to be shredded on an electric guitar and the acoustics donât really capture the song as it was intendedâŠitâs like they canât keep up with themselves at times, though itâs a fun finale.
Overall while it will likely disappoint a lot of Metallica fans who just want the band to focus on new material, and generally speaking, as a Metallica record itself itâs a bit lacking given the fact itâs 33% covers, but they get a pass on this one (ONLY JUST MIND YOU) as it IS for a charitable cause. Apparently according to bassist Robert Trujillo the next proper album will come around a lot sooner than weâd expect, but with their current track record, that remains to be seen. Until then, help yourself to âHelping handsâŠâ and support something charitable. Or donât, itâs entirely up to you.
Score: 5 / 10
Track List:
- “Disposable Heroes”
- “When A Blind Man Cries”
- “The Unforgiven”
- “Please Don’t Judas Me”
- “Turn The Page”
- “Bleeding Me”
- “Veterans Of The Psychic Wars”
- “Nothing Else Matters”
- “All Within My Hands”
- “Enter Sandman”
- “The Four Horsemen”
- “Hardwired”
Record Label:
Blackened Recordings
Release Date:
February 1st (Out Now)
For all things Metallica, click HERE. To purchase the album, click HERE
About the author
Gavin Griffiths AKA GavTheGothicChav 31 Based In South Wales Favourite Bands: HIM, The 69 Eyes, Paradise Lost, CKY, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Type-O-Negative, Turbonegro, Depeche Mode... Enjoys: Pizza, Jack Daniel's, Comedy Roasts, WWE, Horror Movies, Sloths, Panda's, Eurovision Dislikes: The Concept Of Being "Offended", Hype, Instrumental Tracks, Interludes, Overly Long Tracks