AC/DC ('It's a Long Way to The Top (If you wanna rock n' roll') and Ennio Morricone ('The Ecstasy of Gold') serve as a warning signal for them to come out of the closet Metallica. And let the legendary trash metal band take over a 360° stage, with the special inner circle occupied by the privileged of the 'Snake Pit' area. Prices between 79 and 248 euros.
Eight poles with three screens surround the circle that serves as a stage, with more than 8 microphones that James Hetfield sets out comfortably and at his leisure.
They sound with overwhelming power from the first chord. This is waste metalthere is no room for nonsense. They convince the respectable audience with two classics as 'Harvester of Sorrow' (from 'And Justice for All', 1988) and 'Creeping Death' ('Ride the Lighting', 1984).
Battery replacement and its location coming forward, through a hidden driveway. Small intro so that '72 Seasons' from their latest album from 2023 can be heard. And hey, they sound thunderous, their metal rock is overwhelming, without contemplation. With Metallica, rock wins the battle of attitude, boredom does not exist: the thing is emphatic.
Hetfield uses chops, a 'prompter', that screen (used on television) that blows at him and sends his letters, with strong wording.
The audience knows the good instrumental chicha of the Angelenos, which points and bounces back in all those solos, transitions and changes.
After a tender greeting, the rhythm is like a steamroller. The quartet sounds quite impeccable (for the Civitas Metropolitano with all its rebound effects) and downright overwhelming. What an axe Lars Ulrich on the drumsticks. Or the relentless Robert Trujillo on bass, who performs in English and Spanish and offers an instrumental premiere number 'Sangria Brains' along with Kirk Hammett's powerful guitar.
Melodic moment at the beginning of 'The day that never comes' recorded in 'Death Magnetic' (2008), to quickly move up in the chorus, or take a break and speed up in the 'Metallica' manner, and Hammett shows off every conceivable power, scale and riff. Just kidding.
An almost visionary 'Orion' (from “Master of Puppets” 1986). And one of those devastating ballads that go straight into the depths 'Nothing else matters'. And also from the eponymous black album (1991) they attack 'Sad But True', again a priceless download.
Hetfield praises the Madrid crowd. “Those who are seeing us for the first time are already part of the Metallica family, those who have seen us before, welcome back.” And he announces that it's going to be 'heavy' here, it's shrapnel (and shrapnel).
A Spanish flag announces the healthy combustion of 'Battery'. Like that battery that La Roja gives off. Flames on the screens accompany machines, cylinders in full action, and Metallica loudly lets out 'Seek and Destroy' from their debut album 'Kill Em All' (1983).
From their albums aimed at a wider audience, 'Load' (1996) and 'Reload' (1997), they play 'King Nothing' and 'Fuel'which respectively sound radiant. And although there are signs of conquest, this is not the 'mainstream'. Pictures of all the tickets for all the concerts they have given in Madrid accompany their anger.
The thing ends with a 'Puppeteer' full of everything that is great in such a display of heavy power. Because they are the kings of metal, something that cannot be denied.
Then we wait for an encore that never comes. And there is a long goodbye of unconditional love for Madrid and the fans. And they hand out picks and drumsticks everywhere, with Hetfield encouraging the crowd and making them sing. Images of the Royal Palace and other emblematic buildings of Madrid serve as a farewell, together with the setup of the stage in the Civitas Metropolitano.
I have to admit that two unstoppable hours leave you exhausted. Because it is a storm, a musical tsunami, an unparalleled milestone.
A public bath in which Metallica treats itself like a shark in the ocean. The world with them would go like a motorcycle, oiled and with a beautiful speed.
It was a metal lesson, the demonstration of Metallica's unfailing power as a musical icon of the 20th and 21st centuries. Metal was always there, soothing, overwhelming, pure musical reed.