By Leo Gomon
Western Sun staff writer
Earlier this year, Metallica and Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground announced an unexpected collaboration.
Both respective legendary artists come from polar opposites of the music spectrum, as “Heavy Metal” and “Art Rock” are about as different as they come, but Reed took it upon himself to call upon the metal titans to rework some of his old classics, revamping them with their newfound energy; however Reed decided that he wanted Metallica to arrange some of his unreleased material. The result was “Lulu”, an 87 minute, two-disc release, written by Reed, arranged by Metallica, inspired by German playwright Frank Wedekind that is painful, boring, and uninspired.
Here are a few red flags you might want to consider before flooding your ears with “Lulu.”
• Reed actually has some melody in his voice in “Iced Honey” making the song rather pop-inspired, compared to tracks like “Pumping Blood” or “Cheat on Me.”
• “Brandenburg Gate” is somewhat amusing, showing off front man James Hetfield in a slower, bluesy groove that is missing from most Metallica tracks, but then Reed starts singing and ruins any redeeming qualities.
• “Mistress Dread” shows Metallica trying to stamp their brand of generic thrash, but it really belongs in their demo stockpile.
• It’s hard to expect any remaining hunger and ambition from with these aging, millionaire, rockers.
