Track 1: That Was Just Your Life - 7:05 - A very strong opener to the album. Fast, good guitar solos, upbeat. Makes you want to listen to the next song. A good riff, catchy but not lame. I immediately like this song. I think this should have been the first release.
Track 2: The End of the Line – 7:52 - This song is broken up into two parts. The first part is another strong, upbeat song. Good riff, different enough from track 1 to hold its own. Good strong chorus. Nice symmetry in the guitar work. Could do without the distortion. The second part is interesting and then breaks back into the first part like a coda.
Track 3: Broken, Beat & Scarred – 6:25 - What don't kill ya will make you more strong? Isn't that a line from an Usher song? Not really crazy about this song. Too much Lars.
Track 4: The Day That Never Comes – 7:56 - This was the first release from the album. I've heard it a lot on the radio. I like it but it feels confused to me, like the band doesn't really know who they are yet.
Track 5: All Nightmare Long – 7:57 - Reminiscent of some of the songs on Master. Very good. Hetfield's voice sounds great, especially on "luck runs out-ah." I love that. Nice guitar, not overdone, although sounds a little like video game music at one point. Fast.
Track 6: Cyanide – 6:39 - Catchy. Possibly the next release. Not a big fan. Not very cohesive. The middle drums try for some sort of transition. A little confusing - not in a good way. Pretty much all over the place.
Track 7: The Unforgiven III - 7:46 - I was wary of this song from the just the title. As it starts out though, I am afraid I may have judged a book by its cover. Another poor transition from the intro to the beginning of the song. The intro is beautiful. Strings are a nice addition. Nice bass work by
Track 8: The Judas Kiss - 8:00 - I listened to this song yesterday and liked it the best of those I had heard so far. Nice intro. The instruments work well together unlike in some of the other songs where it sounds like they are fighting each other. Great chorus. A good song for a live video. Nice dual guitar work, solo sounds a little like it should be in the Twilight Zone and then Hammett ramps it up into overdrive.
Track 9: Suicide & Redemption - 9:57 - Great intro. Not old school though. Really great. Only orchestral track on the CD. Tempo changes keep it interesting. Fantastic despite another weak ending.
Track 10: My Apocalypse - 5:01 – The only song that mentions the title of the album. A strong song. Nice and fast. How does Hammett play like that? Strong ending to the album.
These are my 1st impressions of the album. I think I will go out and get it (yes, I still buy CDs). Hetfield's voice sounds great on all the tracks where he sings and overall the band sounds good. They still don't sound completely cohesive despite having been the same line up now for about 5 years. Some of the tracks sound weary of the listeners, with the feeling of "ooh, I hope they like this," causing confusion and lack of confidence in the song. All in all, Rick Rubin has yet again, helped create a great album.
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