Metallica's 9th studio album and a damn good example that they hadn't totally forgot where they came from. I was surprised at the thrash orientation in had, some thing that hadn't done since the 20 years span from "...And Justice For All". It mixed some stuff from the 90's
alternative rock and hard rock type of stuff (can't tell me the video for "The Memory Remains wasn't on some level maybe inspired by the
Smashing Pumpkins lol) with some of the good old 80's thrash metal brutality they started with.
A good mix of old and new to give a certain level of
satisfaction to multiple camps of fans of Metallica and metal music fans alike. Some of the lyrics admittedly are a bit below what the 80's era had given us, but let's admit to one undeniable truth. It's definitely an improvement and step in the right direction.