Satanic Cuckoo clock!!!

(Sorry about that, got carried away a bit... If you haven't seen this documentary, then you won't know what the hell I'm talking about. And now.....)


A Film by Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky

"Some kind of monster" is a very honest and sometimes quite disturbing glimpse into life in Metallica during probably the most turbulent time in the band's long career. From 2001 till 2003 Metallica went through major changes as Jason Newsted left the band, James entered rehab and Lars got unpopular because of the Napster case, all the while trying to record their new album. Not to mention having a $40,000-a-month therapist hanging around digging into the soul of each member.

It is impossible to get into all the details of what happened in more than 600 days within 2 hours and 20 minutes. Yet this documentary does a remarkable job, making me feel like I was the invisible guy sitting around watching in disbelief while one of my favorite bands bitch and bicker among themselves like spoiled teenagers, as the band lingers on the verge of collapse. It goes beyond the usual style of a band documentary, showing the situations as they happen instead of being told them afterwards and this gives the whole thing a great tension. Just don't expect lots of musical performances as these are few and far apart. Instead you will witness many intimate moments off the stage between the band members, their families and old "friends".

The bad vibes are there from the start. Moving on from ReLoad and with Jason having recently left the band Lars, James and Kirk enter their new studio to start writing and recording their new album in a kind of improvised writing mode. Along comes long time collaborator Bob Rock as well as a newly hired therapist who starts of on some serious soul searching. The band may have gotten more than they bargained for and soon the emotions start running high as pride and egos clash. Things culminate when James leaves the band for over half a year to go to rehab. Probably the best thing he ever did. While he is gone the rest of the guys are wondering what the hell happened and if he will ever be back. Sometimes it feels like Kirk-"the fly caught between two egos" is the glue that keeps the band together and without him the whole thing would crumble. But James returns as a reborn man with a newfound respect for everything. He really comes into his own during the touching prison scene.

One of my favorite scenes is the one where Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) confronts Lars Ulrich about the past and it is a shame that it is only this one scene, but while it is just one scene it reveals a lot of things. I wonder if Dave and James ever talked after he got out of rehab.

When Robert Trujillo joins the band towards the end the atmosphere reaches an all time high (Just watching the joy on his face is energizing as is the sweet look into his one-room apartment). The band seems to have finally crawled out of their self-absorbed dwelling and are ready to take on the world. If they were to start writing their album at this point I wonder how different it would have been from St. Anger. My guess is a lot!

I am a great Metallica fan, I mean the black album was my first step into Heavy Metal music! However Load, ReLoad and St. Anger have been big disappointments to me. I found it interesting to hear how the band now looks back on the Load and Reload records. I wonder how they will look back on St. Anger in ten years.

While it is easy to be judgemental when watching this documentary and I'm sure it will stir up many different emotions among the fans, I will give my big kudos to Metallica for giving people this kind of insight into their lives. It is a very brave move and I walked away from the theater with a deeper understanding and respect of the human beings behind the music. I also tell myself that I now understand more clearly why St. Anger feels so unfocused and uninspired. It reflects the turbulence and confusion that went on in the band at the time.

Overall this is an extraordinary and very powerful documentary that I will recommend even to non-Metallica fans because the focus is on the people, not the music. Metallica made it through their dark years. I hope their revival will be the turning point towards a more inspired, focused and above all creative band.

Written by Steen
Thursday, April 15, 2004