Don't Rock Like I Used To

My local rock station debuted the new Metallica song the other day. It's crunchy guitars and manic drums; things that Metallica are known for. It runs about 6 minutes or so.

I used to be an enormous Metallica fan. Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, the Black album - I had them all and knew all the words. I got moshed when they played Camden (where was my For Whom the Bell Tolls, huh?), and I broke land-speed records when they did the free show in Philly. I purchased back issues of metal magazines so I could absorb every tiny bit of Metalli-trivia. I killed many, many brain cells head-banging. Oh yeah, I rocked hard.

I'm not a fan of the new single. I didn't like their last album, St. Anger. I don't know if it was the departure of bassist Jason Newstead, or if I wasn't all about the new, self-aware bent they had adopted. I mean, it's Metallica. I thought that I'd be with them until the end. I can only conclude that I don't rock like I used to.

I don't know if it's because I'm crawling up on 30, or if my musical tastes haven't evolved in the same direction that Metallica's sound has. I still like rock. I still like to blast the radio when Linkin Park or Breaking Benjamin comes on. I refuse to believe that I'm too old to rock, dammit!

Ultimately, it doesn't matter. It's OK that I'm not the Metallica fan that I used to be. I still like the old stuff and maybe I'll like some of the new stuff. Let a new generation of fans take up the hard-rockin' mantle. I'm looking for something new.