I agree with most posters here, CD songs are good, most not great. Some pretty far from it. I like the older leaks (Better, CD, TWAT, Blues) best. Not a huge fan of Maddy or IRS, they're ok. I only listened to the new songs once, but I was at work so I had it pretty low (no headphones). Can't say I'm a fan, myb they'll grow on me.. or not.

CD to me is on pace to being ok. I'll buy it, but the 15 year hype should try to be downplayed. Still think Better should be the first single.

If the guy can do good with Johnny Cash, Dixie Chicks & Neil Diamond.... I have pretty high hopes for Metallica. Here's the review I was referring to in the other thread:

Right from the off, it's a relief to hear that the utterly awful production of St. Anger is no more. Ulrich has replaced the old dustbin lid from that album with an actual snare drum, and the sound is fresh, clean and resonant (even though the songs are still only rough mixes at this stage). The first song, like the rest of the '˜epics', is between six and eight minutes long and begins with a bass intro from low-ender extraordinaire Robert Trujillo. Moving rapidly from riff to riff, the song bursts with energy and ideas: singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield barks 'Luck runs out!' repeatedly and throws in some twisty, semi-progressive riffs which could have been lifted directly from, their last truly good album, 1988's '¦And Justice For All. Guitarist Kirk Hammett, who was banned from soloing on St. Anguish for no adequately explored reason, is on fire, whipping out the melodic, rapid-fire shreds for which he is famous over an extended solo section - almost as if he's making up for lost time. This is Metallica's best song in ages, perhaps since the 1980s.

The next song has a working title of '˜Flamingo' and is going to be the first single. Now, Metallica's lead singles have been breathtakingly crap since 1995, so it was a relief to hear that '˜Flamingo' (as it almost definitely will not be called) is a modernised take on their amazing 1988 song One, all balladry at its front end before a speeded-up metalstorm at the back. Hetfield delivers a clean-picked intro which reminded me of the Beach Boys (I know'¦ but I only got to hear it once, all right?) before the body of the song, which is basically like '˜The Unforgiven' from 1991's '˜Black Album'. If you're familiar with the chord progression behind the solo in '˜Am I Evil?', the ancient Diamond Head song which Metallica made their own, you'll be able to picture the under-solo riffage in this song - all simple, effective major-interval jumps.

However, let us not forget that this is modern Metallica - and the next two songs are much less fun. The first, which may be called '˜We Die Hard' judging by the frequency with which Hetfield barks the phrase, starts boringly but accelerates halfway through and enters slightly proggy territory, all stop-start riff stabs and a clever time signature. The next song is very . . . And Justice . . ., a lengthy, unhurried workout which revolves around the line 'Bow down / Sell your soul to me / I will set you free', itself a 1988 line if I ever heard one. Apart from dexterous soloing from Hammett, it's not great.

So far, we've had two good songs and two dull ones - not a bad track record for new 'Tallica, believe me. However, track five is tedious, a combination of the aimless riffery of St. Anger and the pointless rock chorusing of Load, the album which almost finished Metallica in 1996. 'Crying, weeping, shedding strife!' sings Hetfield in that slick '˜Enter Sandman' manner, over an unthreatening clean midsection which would (and no doubt will) suit VH1 down to the ground.
At this point the Q-Prime geezer asks us if we want to hear more, and fortunately we say yes - because the final song (and indeed, it is '˜The Song', the little guy among the nine epics) is great, a genuine slice of thrash metal that starts fast and stays that way. Like a slower, less precise '˜Battery' (the opening track of 1986's flawless Master Of Puppets album), the song nips in and out, not outstaying its welcome and proving that on some level, Metallica still have the necessary vitriol to impress their older fans. OK, it reminded me a bit of '˜Dyer's Eve', the last song on Justice, which had a kind of 'I suppose we'd better do a fast one for the fans' feel about it - but in 2008, Hetfield and Ulrich delivering any form of thrash metal is not to be sneered at.

We file out of the listening room, not saying much. This album could be good, or it could be mediocre - too much depends on the other four songs to make a call at this point. I try not to agonise about it, but this matters, damn it. It really does.
I said it wasn't easy being a Metallica fan in 2008, didn't I?

LAS VEGAS (AP)'”Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker was found unconscious on a Las Vegas street Monday after apparently being the victim of a robbery.

Police spokesman Bill Cassell said in a statement that Walker was taken to a hospital with 'significant injuries' after being found early Monday on a street off the Las Vegas Strip.

Cassell said Walker remained in fair condition at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.

A Raiders spokesman said the team was 'in the process of gathering information' and had no further comment.

Walker signed a six-year, $55 million deal with the Raiders after being released by the Denver Broncos in February.

Walker injured his right knee for the second time in his career last season and was limited to eight games and 26 catches in 2007.

Walker was a first-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2001 and had a breakout season in 2004 with 89 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He tore a ligament in his right knee the next season and played only one game.

He was traded to Denver in 2006 and bounced back with 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns.

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Bizarre. You would think he's a pretty big guy & can fend for himself. Also I would've thought he'd have an entourage around him. Sounds shady & not very 'random'.

Well for the record I'm not a big fan of either band, I'm too old for anything new, I'm just pointing out that there is new music out there. I never heard of the Canadian bands you mentioned btw. I think a big part of why they & other bands didn't hit it is that younger audiences listen to ipods & myspace therefore rock radio does not parlor to them. WHich is why new music is Kid Rock, Foo, Weezer etc. I don't have a problem with them either. Just that for an 18-25 year old, I would think they would expect new bands to bee played for them, like GnR, Nirvana and Soundgarden were for me. But since younger people don't listen to the radio as much, and find new music on their own & create their own Ipod mixes I would guess rock radio's playlist caters more towards an older age group, therefore the older bands are still being played.

It's just my guess, which was touched upon by the OP's article.

Yeah what an ass!!

Odd that PJ went a full HOUR long in their set. I get the feeling things weren't all that 'ok' with Kanye deciding to be the closing act instead of going on at 8pm. I can't blame them, festivals shows are tough to pull off with so many bands & ego's & all. Sometimes you just gotta follow the rules & go with the flow. What if everyone else wanted to play at night also??

Pearl Jam opens for no one.