Metallica re-energized on new CD

Believe it or not, Metallica is very far from dead.

Chipping its teeth on the punishing thrash it helped give birth to, Metallica regresses in the best way on the highly anticipated "Death Magnetic."

Following 2003's painfully weak "St. Anger" and a self-obsessed documentary ("Some Kind of Monster") which alienated longtime fans, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Co. are more metal here than they've been since 1988's "And Justice For All."

Parting ways with longtime producer Bob Rock, who took them mainstream, helps. Rick Rubin, who revitalized several veteran acts, from Neil Diamond to Johnny Cash to the Dixie Chicks, has stepped in and breathed new life into the band.

Is "Death Magnetic" on par with Metallica's classics? No, but this is as close as they'll ever come to the epic songs they once churned out with ease -- only two of the ten tracks on "Death Magnetic" clock in at under seven minutes.

Disc opener "That Was Just Your Life" kicks off softly with shades of "(Welcome Home) Sanitarium" before exploding with a trademark Hetfield staccato riff.

From there the thrash and complex arrangements just keep coming in waves.

"The End of The Line" is a bit political ("No consequence machine/Burn through all your gasoline") but blisters the ears throughout. Same goes for "Broken, Beat & Scarred," ''Cyanide," ''The Judas Kiss" and "All Nightmare Long."

They showcase their 1990s persona with "The Unforgiven III" and "The Day That Never Comes" and overpower with a nearly 10-minute instrumental, "Suicide & Redemption."

After keeping Kirk Hammett's lead guitar on the shelf for "St. Anger" (how could they NOT use him?) his shredding, dynamic solos remain otherworldly. And then there's Ulrich, whose drums are once again thunderous, and Trujillo's bombing bass holds it all together.

The lyrical scope attempts a backward leap to Hetfield's cryptic 1980s approach, but it meanders a bit and doesn't contain one truly soaring moment. However, with an assault unlike any they've offered in 20 years, complaining about that seems like crying over spilled milk.

Is this a brief eruption in what has been a 15-year downward trajectory?

Perhaps, but the fiery signs of life on "Death Magnetic" could go a long way to helping Metallica reclaim its rightful place among the metal elite.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: For the shortest snapshot of Metallica's rebirth -- at a breezy five minutes -- disc closer "My Apocalypse" evokes memories of classics such as "Blackened" and "Damage Inc."