Inamorata grew on me fast, and the most. There's just an authentic emotion to it, like My Friend of Misery, Outlaw Torn and Fixxxer shoved into a blender.

What I love about this album is a lot more people have different “best song of the album” unlike Hardwired being Spit Out the Bone. This album is really fun.

Haha it’s crazy how people’s opinions can differ so drastically. For me, room of mirror is possibly my favourite song on the album. From James’ melodic and catchy vocals to the epic guitar harmonies and Lars double bass, it really has it all for a Metallica song. I would also put 72 seasons, Lux aeterna, too far gone and inamorata up there too.

You must burn is #1 for me. The intro, the main riff, the chorus and the outro.. They all kick ass.

Room of Mirrors is definitely my favorite. Lars’s drumming was just on point in that song.

Every song is somebody's favorite. It's ridiculously consistent. Feels right at home between Justice and the Black album.

Inamorata and Room of Mirrors are by far my favorite on the album! I know a lot of people also love Too Far Gone so it's funny to see you rank them so low, but I think that's what's great about this album. There is something for everybody on it and almost everybody seems to have a different favorite.

"Its a Grower". Thats the overall vibe people have. I hope people give it the time it deserves. The initial issue with the album for me, theres too many riffs chuggin from F-E , and identical solos that, give the album a 'samey" vibe throughout. Id LOVE more of the harmonies from Room of Mirrors, the Shredding riff in Too Far Gone. Theres a lack of individuality sometimes in the songs cos of the familiar patterns and ideas, and lack of Dynamics. But - I like the songs more when I hear them outta the album on their own. Despite my own flaws with it, I think its a definite grower. Very good album in places.

At least half the album didn't impress me on first listen, then after a few tries and as I got the changes/melodies etc, I grew on them massively.

Would be interesting to see another ranking after you've heard the album more times. I was pretty down on it after my first listen, definitely grew on me. Room of Mirrors is one of my favorites along with Shadows follow, so interesting to see you have them so low. I wish they experimented a bit more, there are so many parts that sounds like other Metallica songs. Kirks solos are the low point for me. James vocals are the highlight, he sounds amazing.

James really needs to do an unplugged album

Funny how last three songs on the album are my 3 favs, they had something going with all the harmony parts which made it very memorable, its strange how they put them at the bottom of the album order. They also had that thing going with every song that after the 4-5 min mark of songs they bring in a completely new riff and groove thats mostly better than the “main riff”.. overall decent album

My #1 is Inamorata. Killer harmonies later in. Enjoyed your breakdown of the album. The boys really delivered!

Interesting. I pretty much literally would have ranked them the other way around probably lol. Too far Gone? and Room of Mirrors are my two absolute favorites followed by Inamorata. That's for sure.

Yess! I've been waiting for this 🙂 Congrats on 798k Subscribers! 🤘🏻🔥 It's so nice seeing the happiness in your face listening to these. James voice is just perfect now, it's matured so well, the low deep parts sound so rich and full and the high parts sound awesome too. Can totally hear the Struggle Within sound you mentioned and the Anthrax kinda vibe. I thought You Must Burn! sounded like Sad but True too as soon as I heard it, I knew you would too. At first most of these songs did sound very similar to me, when I thought back to each one I couldn't really differentiate between them aside from the 3 songs i'd already gotten to know pretty well, just like yourself. What did enhance the album for me was listening all the way through for the first time was seeing it at the global premiere event they did for it. The big screen really did amplify the sounds, just an incredible experience and having the videos for visual stimuli was awesome too. I know for sure that with further repeated listening i'll be able to pick out many more different things in all the songs. I've gotten to know Metallicas music and Sanctus music pretty well now, listened on repeat many a time, that I can hear parts of one in the other. I really dug 72 seasons when I first heard it and i know over time i'll love it more, I totally got that same surf rock Misirlou vibe. If Darkness had a Son I remember thinking that it wasn't that great first time I heard it but when it played in the theater I loved it, I think that just goes to show your mood etc at the time of listening can make a big difference. I really enjoyed Crown of Barbed Wire as well so i'm glad you did too.

Finally. Someon else recognizes Crown Of Barbwire as the best song on the album. For me, it's not that close either. It's the most catchy and heaviest riff. Boom!

Fantastic album, every song has gotten better for me since the first listen 🤘🏻

Man . This album will grow on you. Makes me so happy to see this level of music from the boys. Keeps me goin on the guitar and in life 😂💪🏼 I was the one you said “ stay tuned ;) “ to in the comments on your IG the other day 😂 awesome video and awesome playing as usual . Keep it up Mike 🍻

Funny how your first and last placement is reversed for me. But I still find something to like about every song on this album. And its the first metallica album that's felt this consistent to me in a long time.

I think that for many who say there are a lot of "forgettable" songs, they are not appreciating James' lyrics (and his vocals) on this album. How long-time Metallica fans can't be moved by the heart and emotion behind what James has written here is beyond me. I'd recommend listening more and paying attention to the lyrics as well

It’s great how you made it feel like a natural jam sesh,listening to a new record. With the various cuts to you playing the riffs about everywhere in the room.

We pretty much have the inverted ranking 😂 I love how opinions can differ so much, means that all songs are good, well done Metallica! 1. Room of Mirrors 2. Inamorata 3. Too Far Gone? 4. Screaming Sucicide 5. If Darkness Had a Son 6. Shadows Follow 7. Crown of Barbed Wire 8. Lux Aeterna 9. 72 Seasons 10. Chasing Light 11. Sleepwalk My Life Away 12. You Must Burn!

Awesome video!!! Great seeing You noodling and arching the riffs

It had potentially, but all the songs sounded too similar. They had unique parts absolutely, but it’s like how hardwired fits together almost like one song. That’s not personally my favorite, but I can understand how some people dig it.

You are under arrest for putting "Room of Mirrors and Too Far Gone?" so low

love your videos man thx for helping me!!!

Such a good review! I like this album as well. I'm a 90's kid so I have loved Metallica for nearly my whole life. You make great references to Lars groove, Kirk running out of licks, James voice, and the nostalgia of the riffs throughout. I'm always impressed by how you can play along to something after only a few seconds of listening. Your knowledge has helped me for years. This is the most chill, honest, and humble channel on KZfaq. Thanks for being here Mike! 🤘

Man your guitar sound here makes me want to learn these riffs more than the album does.

I wouldnt have minded an hour long video. That would be cool but this was great. Love the video and you man

Finallya video 'bout the new album. Thanks Mike! When will be the next Stream?

I had the same thing as with DM and Hardwired's non-singles At first I thought the album was ok but after few listens...I find myself humming different songs at different parts of the day No songs to skip here But as I always say, there isn't a favourite MetallicA album or song because it all depends on the mood, surroundings and the all around vibe.

Liking your reaction, and an interesting ranking too. Love this album 🤘🔥

Having very similar tastes and belonging to the same generation, this video feels like hanging out with a friend. Great content man.

These are my rankings: 12: Lux AEterna 11: Too Far Gone? 10: Screaming Suicide 9: Room Of Mirrors 8: Shadows Follow 7: Sleepwalk My Life Away 6: You Must Burn! 5: If Darkness Had A Son 4: 72 Seasons 3: Crown Of Barbed Wire 2: Chasing Light 1: Inamorata I really hope that people pay more attention to this album. The longer you listen, the more killer it is :).

Crown of Barbed Wire is my favourite track too! Glad to see I'm not alone lol

Inamorata not only is my favorite track on the album, but probably one of my favorite metallica songs in general. Take this with a grain of salt because I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on all metallica tracks, but it doesn’t take an expert to realize how beautiful it is

You are crazy bro! 😜 as many, Mirrors and Too Far Gone are probably my favs! Always enjoy watching your contents, cheers from Italy

My ranking(as of today) would go as followed, 1. Shadows Follow 2. Room of Mirrors 3. Too Far Gone 4. Inamorta 5. Screaming Suicide 6. Chasing Light 7. Lux Aeterna 8. 72 Seasons 9. Crown of Barbed Wire 10. Sleep walk 11. You Must Burn 12. If Darkness Had A Son (I could do w/o this song)

You Must Burn is definitely my favorite. I love the Sad But True vibe it gives like you said. It's heavy, the riff is just the right speed to not be boring but also slow enough to feel chunky, it's old school, literally everything about it makes me happy 😂🤘🏻

I LOVE YOUR METALLICA VIDEOS AND YOUR SUCH A GOOD GUITAR TEACHER ❤❤

Love this video. Great commentary, memes, comedy...fn awesome dude.

Would love to see your rankings six months from now. I love the album the more I listen to it. My favs so far are 72 Seasons, Inamorata, Room of Mirrors and If Darkness Has a Son.

My ranking list is more or less opposite of yours, lol This was fun and I enjoyed seeing how these riffs are played. Keep up the good work, man.

The drums on this album stood out to me the most. Very crisp sounding

would love to see an updated list now that you're more familiar with the songs!!

All of the F# songs sounded the same on the first listen, it really would've benefited them to trade one of those songs for a D standard one instead. Besides that, the album grows after a few listens

That's so interesting, "Sleepwalk my life away" and "Inamorata" are my #1 and 2. I love how the song modulates in "Sleepwalk my life away" in the verse and in "Inamorata" I love the chorus.

I love that your song reviews are like mini music lessons, so I can pick up some stuff and I don't feel weird walking to a guitar store with nothing to play. 😂

Your rankings backwards would pretty much be my rankings for the songs

Great video! Im suprised you were able to resist listening to this before now, and I liked the analysis you did for each song For me i think my favourite is Sleepwalk My Life Away, You Must Burn, or Inamorata Its hard to pick a favourite though, but in general I thought most of this album was good

The entire album is awesome. It's like a trip down metallica history but still being new and heavy!

I love that you picked Crown of Barbed Wire, that stuck out the first time i had listen in headphones, mainly the two riffs you pointed out. Inamorata may be my fav though, hard to say yet.

Thanks for sharing. It'll be interesting to see if your ranks change. The album's a grower.

I really like IDHAS. Its super catchy and the riffs sound nice and heavy. The riff before the solo especially is really good. Fun song fun album

I'm on a journey to learn all the songs on the album. So far I've learned the singles, Shadows Follow, You Must Burn! and Chasing Light. I think Room of Mirrors will be what I learn today.

Inamorata is probably one of my favorite Metallica songs period, I don't know why but I really love that song.

As much as this album has gotten crapped on, I really appreciate your positive outlook, I can tell this comes from a genuine fan

Crown is an awesome track. Thanks for encouraging me to give it another spin!

My list has changed almost daily so good luck! 😅

Your ranking is very unique 😮😮

It's very hard to rank these songs after just one listen (or a few in case of the singles), would be interesting to see you revisiting this initial ranking after one or two weeks. I think the would be quite some changes.

lol, Your list is almost my list backwards. Fascinating.

Kirk never planned on memorizing any of his solos on this album, it's just the way he rolls now and I get it

That’s crazy man room of mirrors and too far gone are my favorites Lmaoo. To each their own!

Lol that’s strange I put the last 3 songs in the top 4 along with the title track. But to each his own! Great video 👍

Bro I cannot wait for you to have TIME with this album! I BET… friendly bet… you’ll LOVE every track.. and 5 is ok too! CROWN IS SO HEAVY DUDE.. I saw you.. I saw the FIRE! I have spun that track a 1000 X

Dunno why I never thought to just try playing along w/an album I haven’t heard yet, seems fun :>

Need lessons on this album now 😅 ! Cheers from France 🇫🇷

No way! I'm kinda in the same position where it's a toss up between Screaming Suicide and Crown of Barbed Wire, but Crown is definitely my fav of the new songs I haven't heard. That pre-chorus is sooo sticky probably my favourite vocal melody on the album, the lyrics are really good, love how that main riff almost has what I can only describe in my best effort as a "three wise men" vibe, like a holy pilgrimage sound. But the way it all wraps back to the King Nothing riff in the bridge, so satisfying. And we also kinda agree on Room of Mirrors, I feel the only redeeming quality for me is how personal James is with his lyrics, but otherwise there's really no melody besides that harmony section, which I kinda wish was the main riff if I'm being honest. Otherwise it's just fast, not a lot of melody. Reminds me of Damage Inc, but I've had almost 40 years with Damage Inc now to be memorable, Room of Mirrors just came out. Overall, I'm not disappointed with the album but I'm not over the moon either, and I kinda feel I liked Hardwired more despite all the flaws I took with it. 72 Seasons is very consistent, but consistency does not lead to many peaks, and Hardwired has way more moments that stuck out to me. Feeling very middle of the road with this one. But I'm just happy they're still out here doing it!

Room of mirrors opening riff hooks you andJames crushes his vocals. I honestly didn’t listen to the album when it came out, but now I’m in love with it

I love the whole album. My top 3 songs are Crown of Barbed Wire, If Darkness Had a Son and 72 seasons. But the whole album is amazing, in my opinion.

Shadows Fall ... err... Shadows Follow... Hahaha so true I keep doing that too! Great album! Most consistent gang of songs since The Black Album, definitely. Great review!!! Love you riffing with the songs...

Lifelong Metallica fan, but your video has me excited to listen to it start to finish. You should do an Anthrax video maybe a top 10. My go to album right now is For All Kings.

When I first heard Too Far Gone it ranked lower for me as well but the more I hear it I keep loving it more and more

"turn on the bass, just kidding" that hit hard for jason

Interesting lineup. My top 5: 72 Seasons, Room of mirrors, Too Far Gone, If Darkness had a Son, and Inamorata. Inamorata, because the nostalgia, the harmonies, the melodic composition, the actual bass, and Rob singing. Oh, and it quasi-qualifies for the instrumental of the album. And it resonates with me, being disabled with constant pain, it is my friend of misery.... Top 6 Albums for me : Death Magnetic, Garage inc., 72 Seasons, Kill 'em All, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All.

YES crown of barbed wire is so sick! #1 for me followed by Inamorta. The rest of the album I'll need some more time to digest but those 2 def popped out for me

The last 3 are the consensus top 3 among fans. Crazy how different people hear things. I’d love to see another ranking a week from now because I’d be shocked if that list doesn’t change drastically lol

Wow, room of mirror is in my top 3 probably. Surprised to see you put it last

Thank you for the vid. I’m a M nay-sayer, so while I appreciate the overall positive tone of your remarks - and I *loved* the Anthrax references! - I gotta say you’ve just saved me some 62 minutes of my life. Which internet hardly ever does, so thanks again. :-)

12-Crown of Barbed Wire 11-If Darkness Had a Son 10-Inamorata 9-Sleepwalk My Life Away 8-You Must Burn 7-Screaming Suicide 6-Chasing Life 5-Lux AEterna 4-72 Seasons 3-Room of mirrors 2-Too Far Gone 1-Shadows Fallow

Our ranking list are so NOT similar. I kinda love that. Crown is probably the song I've listen to the least, whilst Room of mirrors and Too far gone I listen to all the time.

I like your listing, for the most part, actually. One of my top favorite songs is ”You Must Burn”, especially because it contains one of the best riffs. It comes in three times. Before and after the solo, and during the outro, when James repeats the line ”you must burn”. By the way, as a guitar player of 26 years, I’ve always been impressed by how quick you figure out riffs.

Wow! My two favorites last. That's a surprise.

Interesting to here other people’s takes on their favorite songs. Some song I didn’t care for as much you liked and vice versa. Cheers

Enjoyed! As always!🤘🏻 Album is also really great! I do not understand haters: yes, that is not a classical metallica, that we love, but come on, they can do what they want, if they enjoy it. Thank u for your work! Love u and metallica! ❤🤘🏻🏴‍☠️🎸 My personal favs: 1. Inamorata 2. Darkness 3. Barbed wire 5. Too far gone 6. Lux 7. Burn 8. Chasin light 9. 72 10. Mirrors 11. Shadows 12. Sleepwalk 13. Suicide

My favorite fact about this album is that most of the rifts are recycled from past songs of theirs but that still makes this album so unique

i'm glad someone else noticed the enter sandman-esque thing in Sleepwalk! Funny enough, the since both songs are about sleep to some extent lol It's a nice album, as you said, there's something familiar about it all yet different. I suppose if you've been turning out music for 40 years you're gonna have stuff that is reminiscent of other work

Your tone is great, what are you playing through?

Album is definitely growing on me.

I just bought the new album yesterday day at Walmart. And I can’t decide which one is my favorite

my fav is absolutely Shadows Follow. It’s sick and its breakdown is heavy af. Love that song

Such a great album, really overtaken both hardwired and death magnetic in my opinion.

Are you gonna do a video ranking all the riffs from the album?

For me personally If Darkness had A Son is my favorite. I know it wasnt a favorite for a lot of people, but on first listen I was hooked. Cannot wait to see them at US Bank in '24!!

Awesome, love your metallica stuff, would like to do that more with Megadeth. I just saw them on their tour here, was magical, crowd was super good. I woke up in the morning with zero voice, and my neck was sore as hell.

I'm absolutely obsessed with Inamorata

I completely agree with you on the fact that there's a lot of Anthrax vibes on this album. My favorite so far is Shadows Follow. And again. There are some parts on this song that reminds me of the song Who Cares Wins from the State of Euphoria album. Inamorata has a very Sabbath vibe that I really love.

I can agree with your 1st place. It sounds awesome and James vocal is amazing as well.

I did as well, before watching the video, rated and ranked. It does change a bit with every listen. The ranking part, I added the ranking from the video: Crown of Barbed Wire - 1 You Must Burn - 4 Shadows Follow - 8 Lux Eterna - 6 Sleepwalk my life - 10 If Darkness had a son - 3 72 Seasons - 2 Chasing Light - 5 Screaming Suicide - 7 Too Far Gone - 11 Inamorata - 9 Room for Mirrors - 12 Interesting! We got the number one and number 12 the same and I would say bottom 3 and top 2 are kind of similar. Biggest differences are 72 seasons, Shadows Follow and Sleepwalk my life. I would be interested to hear if there are any changes after a few more listens.