St. Anger
by Metallica
  • Record Label: Elektra
  • Release Date: Jun 10, 2003
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 413 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 190 out of 413
  2. Mixed: 87 out of 413
  3. Negative: 136 out of 413

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  1. Glock_
    Oct 27, 2005
    9
    An album close to what Metallica wanted it to be: raw, savage, in-your-face, ugly, and intimate. An artistic masterpiece, by a band who has definitely grown up over the years to release its most disturbing effort ever.
  2. jackv
    Mar 16, 2005
    7
    i love metallica to death.. but mesa "so 80s" is where metallica came out of.. so dont dis the 80s. metallicas solos arent like steve vai, satriana etc they are deep and heartfelt, and they brought rhythem and balance to songs. thru all of this, watching some kind of monster truly helped to boost my opinion of the album, seeing where they are coming from. at least live they add in solos i love metallica to death.. but mesa "so 80s" is where metallica came out of.. so dont dis the 80s. metallicas solos arent like steve vai, satriana etc they are deep and heartfelt, and they brought rhythem and balance to songs. thru all of this, watching some kind of monster truly helped to boost my opinion of the album, seeing where they are coming from. at least live they add in solos and licks.. ROCK ON TALLICAAAA!… Expand
  3. JessicaK
    Mar 28, 2005
    1
    I was rooting for them. But this album sounds like a band trying to sound like Metallica. The singing is too emotional and the music is muddy and splattered. It was therapy for our boys and I am willing to forget this ever happened so long as they get it together and do better next time.
  4. carlyp
    May 10, 2005
    10
    love metallica! they absoutly rock! no one can beat them..Seen them live as well! oh yeah baby...rock on
  5. JamesD
    May 5, 2005
    0
    the flight of icarus describes this album so well!
  6. LouD
    Sep 21, 2005
    8
    Although a much different sound from their previous work, its vicious and powerful, and gets their point across very cleary. They aren't going anywhere.
  7. Brian
    Dec 20, 2006
    7
    Dude, Metallica Rocks, Master Of Puppets isn't on anybodys top 5 list of greatest rock albums of all time, and if it is, its a wank list. As for Black Album, it's meh.
  8. CrossieA
    Dec 29, 2006
    7
    1. Master Of Puppets 2. Ride The Lightning 3. Kill Em All 4. ...And Justice For All 5. St. Anger These 5 albums in this order so much better than anything else they have ever done. 'Black' ok but not for Metallica 'Load' and 'Reload' utter garbage St Anger best album since Justice
  9. Spawn
    Jul 31, 2006
    9
    Super Album have everithing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  10. JoshA
    Sep 14, 2006
    3
    This album may have had a few plusses but overall it well...sucked. They were obviously trying to recreate the past with this album yet they failed. First of all, if they wanted to recreate the past, then Kirk needs to stop playing rhythm guitar and become that lead man that made him 11th best all time in Rolling Stones top 100 guitarists. Second, Lar's drumset is a problem. It This album may have had a few plusses but overall it well...sucked. They were obviously trying to recreate the past with this album yet they failed. First of all, if they wanted to recreate the past, then Kirk needs to stop playing rhythm guitar and become that lead man that made him 11th best all time in Rolling Stones top 100 guitarists. Second, Lar's drumset is a problem. It literally sounded like he was building a shed. Either that or his neighbor woke up one morning to discover his trash can lids missing. I mean really! The last glitch to an ok album is James' voice. If he wasnt angry it sounded god awful. Sorry but it did. This album had a few good songs such as Sweet Amber and The Unnamed Feeling but I mean they could've done a better job and on future albums I hope they do.… Expand
  11. RicardoS
    Sep 9, 2006
    9
    It´s a really good album and a strong and "full of anger" comeback to Metallica!
  12. MattF
    Feb 11, 2007
    8
    First of all, if you post a comment about the whole downloading fiasco, your an idiot. i can sense some of you morons posting 0's simply b/c you didnt like what they did. This is about the music, so lets get to it. i like all of Metallica's music, except Reload, which sucked it hard. But this album i thought was hard and angry. i disliked only 3 songs, Sweet Amber, My World, and First of all, if you post a comment about the whole downloading fiasco, your an idiot. i can sense some of you morons posting 0's simply b/c you didnt like what they did. This is about the music, so lets get to it. i like all of Metallica's music, except Reload, which sucked it hard. But this album i thought was hard and angry. i disliked only 3 songs, Sweet Amber, My World, and Purify. Everything else i enjoyed. But this album isnt for everybody. And yes Ulrich's snare drum sounds retarded but i didnt mind it too much. Frantic St.Anger, Shoot Me Again, Invisible Kid, and The Unnamed Feeling, are my favs.… Expand
  13. redf
    Feb 16, 2007
    0
    complete and utter crap from a band that used to be ok
  14. Clay
    Mar 24, 2007
    9
    I'll probably get some flack here, but this is my favorite Metallica album.
  15. MichelleK
    Apr 13, 2007
    0
    Tripe, absolute...tripe. Its a shame Metallica have fallen from their former grace
  16. JohnS.
    May 20, 2007
    0
    Absolutely terrible. Metallica is dead.
  17. JoaoM.
    Jun 14, 2007
    3
    Well, it's pretty poor.
  18. Tic-tic-toc
    Jun 27, 2007
    0
    fukin crap. if u like this album u r a wanker
  19. Oliver
    Jul 5, 2007
    9
    A dense, raw, no compromise record that traduce a powerfull statement from the band! They have this genius to always push further and to destabilize their fans like only Legends can do...They will certainly loose fans with this album, but they will also have new ones: like it always been since debut album Kill'em all.
  20. Landon
    Feb 24, 2008
    5
    This shit ROCKS my socks, and that is what Metallica is supposed to do.
  21. Stormwatch
    Apr 3, 2008
    0
    I think Metallica got confused with the meanings of the word "drum", because the drums in St. Anger sound like metal barrels. The sound is insanely compressed, there are no dynamics, no music -- just a wall of noise. This is not only Metallica's worst album, but also one of the worst metal album ever.
  22. Janee
    May 11, 2008
    10
    If you feel what the band felt at the time they made the album, you'll realize: this is not about the great solos of the past, or something like this. this album is about releasing the anger from the pain and kickin' out of the crisis the band got through cause of James etc. each song has a meaning. u just don't realize it! haters suck, METALLICA FAN FOR LIFE!!!
  23. DaleK.
    Jun 17, 2008
    1
    A one because that's how much percent of integrity Lack-of-Metal-lica, has left. HAHAHA It's funny how SPIN magazine gave this garbled garbage 91/100, yet Mudvayne a 0. Sad that people would ever buy according to their reviews. probably the same critics who gave the so called movie "The Village" good ratings. Stupid religious garbage.
  24. ColinG.
    Jul 17, 2008
    8
    A strong set of songs.
  25. PauloG.
    Aug 16, 2008
    7
    Is a good disc, but a just don´t understand why it hasn't one little solo!
  26. BryanH
    Apr 8, 2009
    1
    This is by far the worst peice of crap metalliica ever produced. It's so bad I can't even believe it's a studio allbum. The recording quality? There isn't any. Distorted, choppy, and painful to listen to. Lars is so off beat on the drums, and for the love of god, loosen up the snair! It sounds like a tin can! James stop trying to sing so much dude, you don't have This is by far the worst peice of crap metalliica ever produced. It's so bad I can't even believe it's a studio allbum. The recording quality? There isn't any. Distorted, choppy, and painful to listen to. Lars is so off beat on the drums, and for the love of god, loosen up the snair! It sounds like a tin can! James stop trying to sing so much dude, you don't have good range. Not to mention you're way off key buddy. Lost your voice after the black album and sadly have never sounded like the hetfield of the old "badass". Hammett!!!! WTF are you doing here?!!! No leads, just riff after riff, with no "awe" in the middle. Tick, Tick, shut the hell up. What I don't understand is how people can hear this and go, this kicks ass! I don't think it is a matter of this pleasing their ears, it can't be. It's just simply that it is Metallica. So I guess it's "cool" to like whatever they produce. As an old school metallica fan I have to say it's embarassing to listen to. Because this used to be my favorite band in the world. Metallica was so lost on this album when newstead left that bob rock actually played bass in the studio. It's a joke, it's actually quite sad considering what metallica used to be. To those that favor this I say you are all musically impaired. Your like the people that like the C rate movies on the Sci Fi channel. St. Anger=St. We are so angry that we forgot how to make music.… Expand
  27. PetriU
    Nov 30, 2003
    9
    This record is that kind of CD that you just have to listen to it, and you are going to start to like it. I know i did :)
  28. LeandroB
    Oct 15, 2003
    9
    Pure , fast and clean , what the f.. else do you want ?
  29. Kenshiro
    Dec 9, 2003
    5
    Being the big Metallica fan that I am, I was one of the first to buy this album. If you go in expecting the old Metallica sound, you will be very disappointed. If you are a newer fan, you will probably enjoy this. I went in there expecting the old sound. And no, I'm not going to start talking about that whole suing business. I'm supposed to be talking about the music. Being the big Metallica fan that I am, I was one of the first to buy this album. If you go in expecting the old Metallica sound, you will be very disappointed. If you are a newer fan, you will probably enjoy this. I went in there expecting the old sound. And no, I'm not going to start talking about that whole suing business. I'm supposed to be talking about the music. That's what counts. I will admit that the boys have a renewed sense of energy that is refreshing to see after Load and Reload. However, all this energy is not being channeled properly, and comes out sounding like a mess. All this aggression, but nowhere to place it - - and so it is all over the place, with no aim or direction. At least Load (which I liked better) had more sense of melody than this. Despite a few good tracks (Frantic, St. Anger, All Within My Hands), this album goes nowhere with its new sound. A somewhat decent album, if it wasn't Metallica. It sounds more like Metallica doing Nu-Metal, which they shouldn't be trying at all. To see the boys at their finest, go and buy all their albums up to the Black Album, or see them live. This CD certainly does not do their reputation any justice.… Expand
  30. JeffL
    Jun 11, 2003
    4
    This album is rhythmically interesting in some sections. James singing is awful - lots of intonation problems. I'm not too thrilled with Lars' set on this album. Hammet's solos are non-existent. Very disappointing. St.Anger could lead Metallica to a new type of song writing, but this attempt is upsetting. The album just doesn't work.
  31. MatP
    Jun 12, 2003
    9
    Kevin L says it well. It's not Ride the Lightning and I miss the solos but the album gets my heart going and I'll never miss a chance to see them live because the energy they give out is like no other band out there.
  32. riska
    Jun 16, 2003
    10
    WOW! a drinalin rush from this band almost makes me want them to be as my leader in my life. the words, the music, his voice make this all come to gether in a beautiful peice of music. a lot of anger and emotion seemed to have gone into this so its over all a good cd cause of their dedication to the music. the feeling when i drive with the cd make me wanna just reve up and go through town WOW! a drinalin rush from this band almost makes me want them to be as my leader in my life. the words, the music, his voice make this all come to gether in a beautiful peice of music. a lot of anger and emotion seemed to have gone into this so its over all a good cd cause of their dedication to the music. the feeling when i drive with the cd make me wanna just reve up and go through town crazy like and paint the city red. … Expand
  33. RobertO
    Jun 16, 2003
    0
    This album is utter crap. Avoid at all costs.
  34. cmilne
    Jun 18, 2003
    9
    In the name of all that is sweet and merciful, IT"S ABOUT TIME!! To say that the heavy metal formula ( riff, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, verse, chorusx2) has been abandoned is to understate the obvious. It feels like they've decided that less is more. Play from the gut and commercial implications be damned. The Metallica fans who are familiar with Kill Em' All, both In the name of all that is sweet and merciful, IT"S ABOUT TIME!! To say that the heavy metal formula ( riff, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, verse, chorusx2) has been abandoned is to understate the obvious. It feels like they've decided that less is more. Play from the gut and commercial implications be damned. The Metallica fans who are familiar with Kill Em' All, both Garage Days and Ride the Lightning will appreciate the rawness that has been captured. This is Metallica sans apology and it is long overdue. The subject matter is at times extremely introspective, and the ferocity with which they play behind it really brings the angst to the forefront. If you like raw, loud, and agressive, this is your album. If you are a long time Metallica fan that remembers them before they made videos this is Nirvana. I gave it 9 out of 10 because I feel a 10 is only worthy if I feel the same 10 years down the road.… Expand
  35. CharlieP
    Jun 19, 2003
    2
    Regardless of what the diehards want you to believe - this Met Diehard speaks the truth - this album is NOT good - not by anyone's standards. I just cashed mine in today at CD Exchnage - so save some money and go there first if you really want this load of garbage.
  36. davec
    Jun 23, 2003
    2
    WEAK. Metal is already simple enough, basic cord structure, easy to solo on...and now metallica just turns out garbage like this that is akin to nu-metal...and what's added? Wow, it's faster and there's more aggressive drumming...great...there's tons of better bands out there, this is hardly a 6+ album.
  37. ryannp
    Jul 11, 2003
    10
    metallica roccs! they r so cool and no 1 can say shit about them, cuz i will kicc ur ass, i know i am a grl, but damn, they rocc, they know how to play some real music!!
  38. NiceIceDude
    Aug 15, 2003
    2
    I know that it's important for bands to evolve because we don't need to hear the same thing over and over again. The problem with Metallica is that they're not evolving...they're DEvolving! No, Lars, playing an out-of-tune drum does not make any sort of artistic statement; it just shows that you must be losing your hearing. There's nothing wrong with growing old I know that it's important for bands to evolve because we don't need to hear the same thing over and over again. The problem with Metallica is that they're not evolving...they're DEvolving! No, Lars, playing an out-of-tune drum does not make any sort of artistic statement; it just shows that you must be losing your hearing. There's nothing wrong with growing old as long as you know your place. This album shows that the only rocking that the guys in Metallica need to be doing is rocking in some rocking chairs.… Expand
  39. RobN
    Nov 9, 2004
    10
    Simply Amazing.
  40. tim
    Apr 28, 2004
    7
    this is a decent album. the lack of lightning guitar solos is a downer though. at first, st anger sounds like crap compaired to metallica's old stuff, and it is, but after a while youll really start to like it. its a good effort but i hope the next one is better
  41. Dave
    Dec 22, 2005
    0
    Complete and utter tripe. Used to love Metallica, but this album should never have been made.
  42. FrédérickL
    Feb 28, 2005
    6
    I miss the solo.
  43. GaborA
    Mar 16, 2005
    8
    Very different but as good as classic Metallica. The only thing this album could use is a little more diversity.
  44. robbiem
    Mar 16, 2005
    9
    lovely melodious beautiful best metal band ever
  45. oneilg
    Apr 14, 2005
    0
    Rolling Stone Magazine gave this 4 out of 5 stars. Are their heads wedged up their asses or what?! The mix sounds grotesque, like hacking a loogee in slow, slow motion. Absolutely unmusical. Unlistenable. The lyrics are hideous: "I'm madly in anger with you" "My lifestyle determines my death style." And watching the documentary "some kind of monster" made this abomination seem even Rolling Stone Magazine gave this 4 out of 5 stars. Are their heads wedged up their asses or what?! The mix sounds grotesque, like hacking a loogee in slow, slow motion. Absolutely unmusical. Unlistenable. The lyrics are hideous: "I'm madly in anger with you" "My lifestyle determines my death style." And watching the documentary "some kind of monster" made this abomination seem even more deplorable. These self absorbed multi millionares have little to complain about, but that's all you hear on this cd and throughout that tiresome documentary. I can't remember hearing a worse cd than this.… Expand
  46. fudgey
    Aug 25, 2005
    0
    this album sux. the drums sound like tin cans. i'm very disappointed in this effort
  47. MetallicaRocks
    Dec 6, 2006
    7
    Yes, while St. Anger sucks in comparison to the giant albums that metals most respected band has put out in the past, a la Master of Puppets, and Metallica (the black album), take a look at what you are comparing it to. Master of Puppets is on almost everyone's top five list of greatest rock albums of all time. Ride the Lightning or ...And Justice for All, ususally is in the top ten Yes, while St. Anger sucks in comparison to the giant albums that metals most respected band has put out in the past, a la Master of Puppets, and Metallica (the black album), take a look at what you are comparing it to. Master of Puppets is on almost everyone's top five list of greatest rock albums of all time. Ride the Lightning or ...And Justice for All, ususally is in the top ten as is the black album. You can't compare St. Anger to such monolithic masterpieces. As an intety by itself, St. Anger is a decent album. The sound quality isn't quite their, and the drums are definately lacking, but it is still better than half the crap put out by many of today's artists. It is by far not their best album, but it could be worse. Hopefully, now that Bob Rock is out of the picture, Rick Rubin can do what he did for Johnny Cash, revive Metallica's career. Let's stop bashing St. Anger, and hope to God that the next album is a lot better. Maybe they will come out with something worthy to wear the name Metallica. We all know that it can't get much worse.… Expand
  48. Eli
    Jul 15, 2006
    2
    I was shocked when I came to this page to see this album has a positive rating. This album has the effect/feeling of being raped in the ears repeatedly if there is such a feeling possible. Don't worry about people illegally downloading tunes from this one metallica. There might be some decent parts in a few songs but about 95$ of the album is quite honestly laugh out loud awful. I was shocked when I came to this page to see this album has a positive rating. This album has the effect/feeling of being raped in the ears repeatedly if there is such a feeling possible. Don't worry about people illegally downloading tunes from this one metallica. There might be some decent parts in a few songs but about 95$ of the album is quite honestly laugh out loud awful. Dreadful lyrics and painful vocals combined with mostly terrible instrumental sound makes for the worst Metallica album ever! To put it simply Metallica tried to create a straight up head banging album and failed miserably. Metallica had another album coming soon and I hope and pray they have learned from the shitstain of an album called Saint Anger.… Expand
  49. WillL
    Jul 23, 2006
    1
    Please Metallica. Spare us all, and leave while you still... kind of rock. Your juvenile attempt at creating another Kill Em All turned out to be worse than Kill Em All. Metallica, unless you want to go back to the 80's, and pull out your best efforts, DON'T RELEASE ANOTHER ALBUM.
  50. ChristopherS
    Jul 27, 2006
    8
    Yeah, the production is not 'slick' the way suburban teenagers and mallrats might expect. But this is heavy fucking metal! It's not about the production...it's about channeling anger through a drum beat and a guitar riff, and St. Anger succeeds admirably at that. Their best album since ...and Justitice for all.
  51. WilliamT.
    Nov 10, 2007
    7
    Definetly not the best album Metallica have released but not bad all the same.
  52. BrettS.
    Jun 25, 2007
    3
    Metallica still remain my favorite band, but this album sucks. The drums sound like trash cans which is just fuckin annoying. Why did they even release this album? Didnt they realize all the flaws in this album before they released it? the only reason why they made this album was for the money. hope the next album doesnt suck like this one. Do yourself a favor, stick to the first 5 albums.
  53. RyanD
    Jul 18, 2007
    7
    Certainly not there best album ever, but id definitely pick it in 3rd place, its not smart, progressive or inspiring, its just brutality and anger. I didn't really like the fact that lars sounded like he was pounding crowbars into steal garbage cans, the bass could have been done better too, but on the whole it was a pretty good album.
  54. James
    Aug 15, 2007
    6
    Not bad. But not as good as their older stuff.
  55. LuisA.
    Sep 15, 2008
    4
    This is Metallica's effort to show ewat they were feeling and the tension that was between them. That would be a good idea if it was released on an EP, or an internal disc not showed to anyones. But if you want to show that to a multitude of hungry fans who want good ol' Thrash Metal, that's not the way. Lars' Can Drums, James Hurting voice, Kirk's monotone This is Metallica's effort to show ewat they were feeling and the tension that was between them. That would be a good idea if it was released on an EP, or an internal disc not showed to anyones. But if you want to show that to a multitude of hungry fans who want good ol' Thrash Metal, that's not the way. Lars' Can Drums, James Hurting voice, Kirk's monotone solo-less songs. You see, RtL's "The Call of the Ktulu" lasts 8 minutes andit keeps you close to the music. St Anger's title track lasts 5, and on the 4th minute the song is so repetitive that you want to stop. But let's see it as an experimental an therapeutical album, at least, they did an effort.… Expand
  56. JackP.
    Nov 24, 2007
    8
    A very good album with some of Metallica's best songs. But not their best album.
  57. ErichV.
    Dec 21, 2008
    0
    Album is terrible and reminiscent of the Titanic sinking.
  58. Hrva1995
    Oct 11, 2010
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sounds strange and so not-Metallica.James has totaly lost his voice and he doesnt sound like the old him.This is not a thrash metal.Its more nu-metal or heavy metal.If i live in 1985 and hear this album my last guess would be that this music is made by metallica.All in all this album is not bad but not what i espect from metallica 7.0… Expand
  59. Palp
    May 26, 2012
    5
    This album could have been so much better had the band not opted to use drums that sound like trash can lids. They sound cheap and coarse, which I can understand was due to the band trying to go back to the "raw" feel of an album like Kill 'Em All, but it simply doesn't work on this record. While the songs are not ruined by the drum sound, a lot come close. The vocals are good, but some ofThis album could have been so much better had the band not opted to use drums that sound like trash can lids. They sound cheap and coarse, which I can understand was due to the band trying to go back to the "raw" feel of an album like Kill 'Em All, but it simply doesn't work on this record. While the songs are not ruined by the drum sound, a lot come close. The vocals are good, but some of the lyrics are extremely weak coming from a band like Metallica. Not an awful album, but poor for Metallica.… Expand
  60. SlasherVoorhees
    Aug 18, 2011
    6
    St.Anger in My Opinion was a Decent Album it is Not Metallica's Best work but i still think its worth checking out for die hard fans. This Album isnt for Everyone but with songs Like St.Anger, Frantic, and Some Kind of Monster it definatly Delivers and is Overall Something that isnt for everybody
  61. Metalnightmare
    May 14, 2012
    5
    This album is notorious for being complete **** It was released in 2003 and the band was having a lot of problems like their bassist of about 15 years Jason Newsted quit the band. Now the album itself I have mixed feelings about. Number one it's kind of long. This wouldn't be a problem if it didn't feel so long. Number two the drums sound horrible. Number three the songs tend to beThis album is notorious for being complete **** It was released in 2003 and the band was having a lot of problems like their bassist of about 15 years Jason Newsted quit the band. Now the album itself I have mixed feelings about. Number one it's kind of long. This wouldn't be a problem if it didn't feel so long. Number two the drums sound horrible. Number three the songs tend to be repetitive and boring. Number four there isn't a single guitar solo on the entire album. I don't care if there isn't one on a couple of songs but in this case it probably would have helped. There are several good things to this album. One the style improved a lot since Load/ Reload. They dropped the makeup, which back in the early days would ridicule bands that wore any makeup at all. Two the band was falling apart at this time so the release of the album helped prevent the band from disbanding. All in all, this album is okay.… Expand
  62. SlasherV
    Oct 27, 2012
    4
    This is a Mixed bag for me. I thought some songs were ok and others terrible.. To be honest the whole album is really nothing special. St.Anger and Frantic are the 2 Best Songs on the Album. Not an improvement of Load. Reload or any album prior. Hands Down the Worst Metallica Album Ever.
  63. FRG2
    May 24, 2016
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Oh boy... where to begin...

    Compared to Load and Reload, its far heavier, the raw effect is pretty good, and the lyrics are very good... perhaps one of the best of them.

    However, the new switch will not be for everyone. The heavy metal here is far more modernized and the some of the drumming is f**** terrible.

    Overall when you get down to it, a pretty good album, better than Load and Reload in some aspects, but still far behind Master of Puppets, Ride The Lightning, Kill Em' All, ...And Justice for All and the Black Album as far as i am concerned.

    Lyrics - 9/10
    Style - 8/10
    Sound - 8/10

    FINAL SCORE: 8/10    … Expand
  64. Xevon
    Feb 12, 2016
    5
    St. Anger is the album Metallica 'needed' to make at this point in time. Work on St. Anger began in 2001 at a decommissioned Army Hangar known as the Presidio. However, with the departure of Jason Newsted, James Hetfield's drug addiction spiraling out of control and both James and Lars undergoing a midlife crisis complete with a therapist and in-depth discussion about their feelings,St. Anger is the album Metallica 'needed' to make at this point in time. Work on St. Anger began in 2001 at a decommissioned Army Hangar known as the Presidio. However, with the departure of Jason Newsted, James Hetfield's drug addiction spiraling out of control and both James and Lars undergoing a midlife crisis complete with a therapist and in-depth discussion about their feelings, Metallica was for the first time (or maybe second, if you count the death of Cliff Burton in 1986) ever in genuine danger of splitting up with Kirk and Lars uncomfortably and uncertainly warming the bench. When James returned however, work on St. Anger continued and for the first time, all three members of Metallica held an equal role in writing the songs, rather than the previous combo of James and Lars on the songs, James on the lyrics. The results? Uneven, messy songwriting with often horrendous lyrics that do little to make the songs seem like less of a joke. For the recording of St. Anger, Metallica tuned their guitars down to C in a misguided attempt to become 'heavy' again while for the mixing they opted for a very raw, unprocessed sound. In addition, James Hetfield could only commit a few hours a day to the album due to his family commitments, which meant that rushed, rough vocal takes were used that weren't up to Metallicas usual level of polish. Worse yet, Lars opted to play the ENTIRE ALBUM with an unclipped snare resulting in the now infamous 'garbage can' drum sound St. Anger is known for. Despite that however, the raw vocals retain much of the punch and power in James' voice and the guitars sound thick and powerful, even if the overall mix is poor. Even more interestingly, St. Anger isn't full of abortion-tier songs. With the exception of Invisible Kid (which genuinely is abortion tier), most of the songs on St. Anger are generally somewhere between good and great, even if they're incredibly uneven efforts that frequently vary in quality as each track goes on. The majority of St. Anger is in fact very listenable and a few songs like The Unnamed Feeling, Sweet Amber and All Within My Hands are genuinely excellent songs brought down by the overall reception to the album they belong to (even if the latter two have comparable lyrics to dogsh*t). All in all? St. Anger is one for the fans. Chances are, if you don't care much for Metallica, St. Anger won't ring your bell. But for Metallica lifers, St. Anger is an interesting effort that certainly isn't without it's merits. Despite being reviled by the majority of listeners, most people just need to be honest with themselves: "It's no Master of Puppets, but it really isn't THAT bad"… Expand
  65. godwinkent888
    Mar 27, 2014
    6
    I liked it. But what keeps bothering me and probably people who have listened to this album too, is how it sounds very distant to its former style. It sounds good, but they're just not Metallica-sounding songs. The sound of the drums really annoyed me, too.
  66. Hank_Shrader
    Jan 12, 2016
    8
    St. Anger by Metallica. A german review.
    Schnell. Hart. Direkt. Dreckig. In die Fresse. Genau das was die Fans nach Load/Reload gebraucht haben.
    Anspieltipps sind Frantic, St. Anger, Dirty Window und Sweet Amber. Viele Leute mögen dieses Album nicht, obwohl es all das mitbringt worauf lange gewartet wurde. Schade eigentlich, meine Wertung: 8/10
  67. m0t0rbr3ath
    Feb 28, 2016
    5
    In my (and I'm not the only one) opinion, it's the worst Metallica album. Maybe two or three songs are listenable. The rest isn't thrash anymore, it's trash. However, if you are a nu-metal fan you might like it. If you love the classic sound of Metallica, don't even listen to it. You'll just waste your time.
  68. Nanogon
    Nov 18, 2016
    10
    This album is great. I'm not joking. It's not only just a "back to heavy" thing, it's also their last album to date where Metallica tried to add new directions into their style. Way better than overcompressed Death Magnetic.
  69. blarsenusc
    Jun 15, 2016
    2
    There are a lot of reasons this doesn't work, and most of them can be grouped under the umbrella of "This sound here and that sound there don't sound like they even belong in the same song." But mostly, it's Lars' terrible, terrible Frankendrum. This is the Will Ferrell SNL cowbell sketch extended to album length.
  70. TheEternalStar
    Mar 13, 2018
    6
    I'm Very Mixed... this album is... very mixed for me. Of course the snare drums are over used, there was no guitar solos, & James didn't sound like he had that power in his vocals as much as he use too. This album still had potential... the lyrics were good too... but honestly... St. Anger is something that I don't know if I love it.. or hate it, it's polarizing for me.
  71. LoletinAlexis
    Jun 5, 2019
    3
    St. Anger was a nonsense that even today continues to torment the fans of this legendary band.

    A horrible battery, some horrible lyrics (and even a bad voice in some songs), a nonexistent bass and a guitar in an ethyl coma make this record the worst slop Metallica threw until 2003.
  72. MysticManiac
    Mar 10, 2018
    1
    Honestly, this album is impossible for me to listen to in its entirety. The best tracks are probably the first two, but that might be because by the time I get to the third track, I already have a massive headache that every other track makes me want to die.
  73. nyarlath
    Jul 18, 2018
    0
    Utterly shocked to see the good reviews for this album. Obviously, thi is NOT Metallica. Everything sounds awful, especially the drums. Production is **** composition is **** This is barely listenable. Even Merzbow seems more melodic than this.
  74. humunguschungus
    Feb 25, 2019
    1
    This album is so horrendous that Lars Ulrich could conceivably be charged with crimes against humanity.
  75. shootingstars99
    May 15, 2019
    2
    I think they made the songs this bad on purpose so no one would want to illegally download them. They get a 2 just for that hahaha.
  76. Kadirov
    Mar 10, 2020
    10
    Great album, definitely better than their Master of Putters and Kill em all
  77. Codeling
    Aug 7, 2021
    5
    This is just average. Nothing special. It's my least favorite Metallica album.
    Best songs: Frantic, St. Anger, Some Kind of Monster
    Worst songs: My World, Purify
  78. PGSP7799
    Nov 22, 2020
    8
    St. Anger's raw and powerful energy makes this one of the most unique Metallica works, that may be hard to get into because of the bad production and, specially THAT snare. Anyways, once the songs grow in you, this album may become one of your favourites.
  79. thespicymemeboy
    Jul 4, 2021
    6
    Alright a St. Anger review in 2021. It has taken me a long time to actually listen to the album all the way through. The first thing that is obviously noticeable in the first song "Frantic" is the drum snare. Basically what Lars Ulrich did is he just released the wires from the snare drum. We all know about the drum snare though so i'm not going to talk about it much. One thing I had aAlright a St. Anger review in 2021. It has taken me a long time to actually listen to the album all the way through. The first thing that is obviously noticeable in the first song "Frantic" is the drum snare. Basically what Lars Ulrich did is he just released the wires from the snare drum. We all know about the drum snare though so i'm not going to talk about it much. One thing I had a problem with on this album is how long some of these songs are. Lets name a few. St. Anger is 7 mins 21 secs, Some Kind of Monster is 8 mins 25 secs, and All Within My Hands is 8 mins 45 secs. Total the entire album is 75 mins. But the reason I am not giving this album a terrible review is all the crap the band went through creating the album. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster is actually a great documentary if you are interested in seeing this stuff. The album originally started getting recorded in April 2001 but James Hetfield had started going into rehab. The recording did not resume until 2002. Also in 2001 when the band came into the studio they had nothing. In the documentary Some Kind of Monster, James talks about how he had lost his voice on the Black Album. You can hear this especially in the line "Frantic tick tick tick tick tick tock" in the song "Frantic". There were a few songs I actually sat through and sort of enjoyed. These were Frantic, St. Anger, Some Kind of Monster, and Invisible Kid. I don't totally hate this album, I just think it needed more time.… Expand
  80. Dekielek112
    Feb 20, 2023
    6
    It's not perfect, of course, but it showed that the band needed change in their music. Few songs are ear-piercing, but most are simply good and heavy songs. I believe that Hetfield's vocals on the album are very powerful and guitar work even if not so demanding, still makes a good job.
  81. Thai_sen
    Jan 19, 2022
    7
    Great example for the Spirit of the Age!
    Slightly too Late to jump on the nu-Metal Hype,Metallica created a Great alternative Metal gem,That shocked every thrash-elitist!
  82. tooboredto
    Jun 6, 2023
    0
    What a mess. While there is some guilty pleasure to be had, it's a disgrace to their discography.
  83. LittleRedYeti
    May 30, 2023
    0
    This album sucks. It doesn’t even feel like Metallica, it feels like I’m listening to a bunch of toddlers banging on tin cans with some lyrics written by a cliche highschooler who thinks that “live laugh love” is deep. It’s a joke. I choose to avoid this album for good reason, you should too.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Most Discussed Album of 2003
9
#9 Most Shared Album of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 20
  3. Negative: 5 out of 20
  1. Mojo
    80
    This is miffed and exemplary metal. [Jul 2003, p.108]
  2. Uncut
    80
    Against all odds, St. Anger constitutes the cutting edge of commercial yet aggressive heavy rock in 2003. [Aug 2003, p.106]
  3. CultureDose.net
    60
    The production on St. Anger is abysmal.
    Read full review
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