For Week Ending:
29 June 2024

Metallica - Live Shit, Binge & Purge (1993)

[Thrash Metal]

After touring for almost 2 years straight (from Augst 1991 to July 1993) with very little reprieve, two things were inevitable at that point for Metallica. 1) the band would leave the public eye for some well-deserved downtime for a little while, and 2) that a live album of the lengthy jaunt would appear on shelves at some point. When the album did appear (carefully timed for Christmas) it was bigger and better than even the most dedicated fan could have hoped for. The hefty boxed set not only contained a triple CD concert recorded in Mexico City over five nights in February / March of 1993, but also contained three VHS cassettes featuring between them a full concert from San Diego in January 1992 and (somewhat oddly) a concert shot in Seattle in August 1989 on the band's previous tour. All this was packaged in a replica (cardboard) equipment road case that also had a glossy booklet, a replica backstage pass and a 'scary guy' t-shirt stencil. The sheer quantity of music made the box a mammoth listen (and watch), but none of it would have been worth anything in the performance quality wasn't there - so luckily it was. By the time of the Mexico show the band was arguably on autopilot, but this certainly doesn't sound so on the recordings. The band is tight, and James' voice is in excellent form. He has found his comfy place as 'rock star James' at this point, moving to stadium sized crowds and learning show after show how to keep the crowd begging for more. Sure, every word he says is repeated night after night and carefully placed for maximum impact, but he says them with such conviction that it doesn't sound that way. Jason is now at peace with his place in the band, and his bass rings throughout, filling the shoes of Cliff Burton with ability and pride. There are no true highlight tracks here, as there a no songs they are new, but every song is perfectly performed. The San Diego footage reveals more once we see the band. James owning the stage, pacing back and forth like an angry redneck, swilling beer and spiting both spittle and vitriol. Kirk reminds the crowd with every solo why he was Guitar Player magazine's guitarist of the year. Jason - ever in a Metallica t-shirt - jumps around smiling from ear to ear. Lars not so much plays his drum kit, but becomes one with it through out - tongue poking from the side of his mouth. This is arguable the band at its absolute peak, even playing the songs from the self-titled Metallica album with such force and intensity that they can't be told apart from the earlier heavier songs. This was when Metalica transcended from staging concerts to staging an 'experience'. No one leaves disappointed. The odd choice was the inclusion of the Seattle '89 show, not just because it was from a previous tour, but because it has a very good crack at becoming the crown jewels of the box. The band isn't as tight, and the stage isn't as big, and the bombast of the next tour isn't there yet - but none of that matters, as this concert is sensational from start to finish. This is the Metallica that still belonged the metal community. The Metallica that hadn't yet 'sold out' to the rest of the world, and were still the best kept secret in music. They always knew this was a stepping stone (as is evidenced in the incredible professionalism of the performance), but the fans were still in denial of the band's future at this point. The box still holds up today, and many online communities rank the Mexico recordings as possibly one of the greatest live albums in metal history, and something even the band themselves has never been able to come close to matching ever again. There could not have been a more perfect close to the first decade of the band.

Arist Information
Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who formed Megadeth after being fired from Metallica, and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band. The band first found commercial success with the release of its third album, 'Master Of Puppets' (1986), which is cited as the band's best work. The band's fifth album, 'Metallica' (1991), was a turning point for the band that saw them transition from their thrash roots - it appealed to a more mainstream audience, achieving substantial commercial success and selling more than 16 million copies in the United States to date, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. After experimenting with different genres and directions in subsequent releases, Metallica returned to its thrash metal roots in 2008.

Release Information
'Live Shit: Binge & Purge' is the first live album by Metallica. The initial first pressings contained three CDs or cassette tapes, with songs from concerts in Mexico City on the Nowhere Else To Roam tour, as well as three VHS tapes while a newer version contains two DVDs from concerts in San Diego on the Wherever We May Roam Tour and Seattle on the Damaged Justice Tour. It was originally released as a cardboard box depicting the style of a typical tour equipment transport box.

Helmet - Meantime (1992)

[Alternative Rock]

Helmet, with a fresh major label signing made the most of their opportunity with a record that arguably holds more importance years beyond the release itself. Their 2nd release of their very early career, Meantime was released with little fan-fare and ended up being one of the most influential releases, along with the follow up Betty, to this day. Hailing from the other side of the country away from the Seattle & emerging Grunge scene, the title track opens up with a swirling of noise, followed by a simple drum beat before all hell breaks loose with a wall of guitars and a man that is very, very angry. 'Ironhead' and 'Give It' being next which is a more 'calmer' song and Hamilton not quite so angry. The next, 'Unsung', is the track of the record. Released as a single it bought them a lot of praise. Mr '6ft Hi-Hat' Stainer is the absolute star for the last minute or so of the song. Brilliant! It terms of influence, bands such as Deftones, SOAD and Korn to name a few, have all cited influences from the band. Didn't listen much to the band after Betty. They had 1 more release after a couple of band member left and went their own ways in 1997. During this time, amongst other things, Hamilton was guitarist for David Bowie when the band went on hiatus. Still enjoy going back and listening to Meantime.

Arist Information
Helmet is an American alternative rock band from New York City formed in 1989 by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton. Helmet has had numerous lineup changes with Hamilton as the only constant member. Since 2010, the band has consisted of Hamilton, drummer Kyle Stevenson, guitarist Dan Beeman and bassist Dave Case. The band broke up in 1998, but reformed in 2004.