Maps of Music

St. Anger (2003)

Where the lyrics of St. Anger take you, and where it was really made.

Its snare drum sound was widely criticized, yet drummer Lars Ulrich said he stood behind it 100% years later.

Key places

The Presidio barracks studio (2003)

Recording site Presidio of San Francisco — Metallica rented an old US Army barracks on the Presidio of San Francisco in January 2001 and converted it into a makeshift studio. The planned sessions were postponed after Newsted left the band, and the band later abandoned this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

HQ studio in San Rafael (2003)

Recording site Metallica HQ — After leaving the Presidio, Metallica recorded the album at a new studio in San Rafael, California, known as HQ, from May 2002 until April 2003. The point is placed at the city centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• St. Anger: eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica
• Released 5 June 2003 through Elektra Records in the US and Vertigo Records elsewhere
• The last Metallica album released through Elektra
• Final collaboration with producer Bob Rock, who had worked with the band since 1990
• The only Metallica album without an official bassist
• Bob Rock played bass in place of Jason Newsted, who left before the recording sessions
• Robert Trujillo joined after the album was completed; listed in the liner notes and shown in booklet photos, but does not play on the album

Background

• Recording was planned for January 2001 in a former US Army barracks on the Presidio of San Francisco, converted into a makeshift studio
• Newsted left the band on 17 January 2001, and the sessions were postponed
• Recording began in April 2001 but halted in July 2001 when James Hetfield entered rehab for alcoholism and other addictions
• Hetfield returned in December 2001, and the band resumed recording on 12 April 2002
• The band hired a personal enhancement coach, Phil Towle
• The recording process was documented in the 2004 film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
• From May 2002 to April 2003 the band recorded at a new studio in San Rafael, California, known as HQ
• 15 tracks from the Presidio sessions were ultimately unused

Recording

• The band wanted a raw sound and Rock did not polish the mix
• Rock called it his first all-digital project, though analogue was used for mastering
• Guitars were recorded in Drop C tuning
• The album departs from the band's usual style, with no guitar solos, and is described as alternative metal and nu metal
• Ulrich recorded his drums with the snare turned off, giving the drum tone more ring than is common in rock
• Rock said the group spent only 15 minutes on the drum sound

Cover

• Brian Schroeder designed the album cover and interior artwork, his first studio album cover for the band
• Four limited color variations of the cover were originally planned but scrapped
• The introduction credits Pushead with the artwork, while the personnel list credits Pushead for the cover illustration and Anton Corbijn for photography

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, later based in San Francisco for most of its career.
• Founded as one of the "big four" of thrash metal alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer.

Members

• Current lineup: Hetfield, Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo.
• Former members include Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton, Jason Newsted and Dave Mustaine.

Career

• Commercial breakthrough with Master of Puppets (1986), often cited as one of the best metal albums of all time.
• The self-titled 1991 album moved the band toward a more mainstream audience and became its best-selling record.
• Returned to thrash roots with Death Magnetic (2008) and released 72 Seasons in 2023.
• Led the lawsuit against Napster in 2000.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
• Sold more than 163 million albums worldwide as of 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: 65 out of 100 from 20 reviews, polarized reviews overall
• PopMatters (Adrien Begrand): noted both positive and negative aspects, saying the band played with passion for the first time in years
• Blender (Greg Kot): said it may be too late to rehabilitate Metallica's image, but the music is still about bringing carnage
• NME (Ian Watson): described the songs as stripped-back, brutal and focused, with no solos or downtuned bass tricks
• AllMusic (Johnny Loftus): praised it as a punishing, unflinching document of internal struggle
• Rolling Stone (Barry Walter): praised the authenticity of the fury and noted the absence of radio-size rock, pop choruses and ballads
• Pitchfork (Brent DiCrescenzo): criticized Ulrich's drum kit and the guitar processing, and called the song lengths boring
• Houston Press (Phil Freeman): criticized stolen Helmet riffs and lyrics
• Playlouder (William Luff): said the 75-minute length and dense sound made it hard to enjoy
• PopMatters (Michael Christopher): said the album tried to recall the Kill 'Em All era and that all attempts failed

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone ranked it 43rd on its 2023 list of 50 horrible albums by brilliant artists, calling it a deeply disappointing album
• Flavorwire (Tom Hawking) included it in its 2014 list of the 50 worst albums ever made
• Ulrich stood behind the snare sound 100% in July 2020, calling the criticism closed-minded
• Hetfield said in 2017 that St. Anger could use less tin snare drum, but such things make the records part of the band's history

Records

• Debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200 and at the top of sales charts in other countries
• First-week sales of 417,000 copies
• RIAA double platinum for shipments of two million copies in the US
• Nearly six million copies sold worldwide
• Won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the title track
• US Mainstream Rock chart positions for the four singles: number 2, 21, 28 and 19

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Ulrich recorded his drums with the snare turned off, which he said he liked during playback because of its different ambience.
• The album was originally due on 10 June 2003, but was released five days earlier because of concerns about peer-to-peer file sharing.
• Trujillo appears in the studio rehearsal footage included on the DVD in the album package, though he does not play on the record.
• The documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, released in 2004, covers the making of the album.
• Four singles were released from the album, and promotional videos for all four are on the DVD The Videos 1989-2004.
• Hetfield's recording time was limited to 12 noon to 4 PM after he returned in December 2001.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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