Opening to the sound of a beating heart and a Master-ful build up, Metallica's Rick Rubin-produced ninth full-length gives superfans and naysayers much to debate. From "That Was Just Your Life" to the "Blackened"-like shredder "My Apocalypse," Hammett's charging riffs and incendiary solos, Trujillo's badass basslines and Ulrich's rediscovered love for the double-bass make for a potent backdrop to Hetfield's almost re-ignited snarl. Death Magnetic still may not live up to their '80s heyday, but it finally comes impressively close.