Lars Ulrich Responds To Death Magnetic Mixing Criticism
By Eliot Van Buskirk EmailSeptember 29, 2008 | 2:07:20 PMCategories: People
Maybe Metallica really is DethKlok. Like that semi-fictional band, Metallica has its every action scrutinized to an extent other bands can only dream of, as if one misstep by the group were capable of causing a worldwide economic meltdown. For all we can tell, the ongoing banking crisis has its roots in the mixdown of the latest Metallica album, which critics derided as clipped, distorted and overcompressed. In fact, the Guitar Hero mix of Death Magnetic is said to sound much better than the album version.
The band's loquacious drummer Lars Ulrich says fans need to quit bellyaching, accept that the released version of the album and stop signing an over 12,000 names-strong petition to have the album re-mixed and re-released.
Ulrich told Blender, "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality. It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [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'."
He said that in the online world, negative comments reverberate stronger than positive ones. "The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice. Listen, I can't keep up with this shit. Part of being in Metallica is that there's always somebody who's got a problem with something that you're doing: 'James Hetfield had something for breakfast that I don't like.' That's part of the ride."
The drummer pointed out that fans' reaction to the album have been overall quite positive, then pins the blame for any complaints about the album's sound quality ever so gently on legendary producer Rick Rubin, saying says he and bandmate James Hetfield "made a deal that we would hang back a little and not get in the way of whatever Rick's vision was. That's not to put it on him - it's our record, I'll take the hit, but we wanted to roll with Rick's vision of how Metallica would sound."