From left: Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo
Metallica's new album, death Magnetic, will have you chuckling in disbelief--a completely normal response to heavy metal. Even those of us who can't resist a good power chord have to concede that metal is a genre rarely burdened by self-awareness, which explains why Ozzy Osbourne will remain its spiritual leader for as long as he stumbles the earth. Spinal Tap is nearly 25 years old, yet bands keep naming themselves after torture techniques, and guitarists still wield their instruments like six-string phalluses. It's music that literally dares you not to mock it.
But title aside, Death Magnetic is no joke. Large...
