Shadows Follow absolutely blew me away, growing more and more favorable with each subsequent listen. I don't think my old scoring method works as well as it used to, but here's how I feel today: Composition: 4 Not only do they change it up from the norm (if only slightly) and add a little time signature change, but the true hero of this song is how well they've managed to make one riff/rhythmic idea into several minutes of interesting new directions. Memorability: 4 The short, succinct chorus makes it really easy to sing, and there is a lot of repetition throughout. There are references to past material, and the hooks are just catchy as hell. Emotional Response: 4 I loved it. I loved this whole record. It gets me every time, and I find myself picking up a guitar just to play the main riff. It's been in my head since April, and I don't see it going anywhere. Instrumentation: 4 This is related to composition, but the way that main riff comes in and out is really cool. Lars shows tremendous restraint on the drums, which gives the song room to breathe. We get a harmonized guitar solo, a lead that doesn't feel forced, awesome backing vocals, and plenty of build to make me happy. Lyrics: 3 The only thing I can possibly knock this song for is that James does fall into old patterns in the verses. Listing words with similar sounds and resorting to filler words sometimes takes the power out of an otherwise heavy subject. That said, mental health is important to me, so this gets a 3. SCORE: 19/20 Technically, this song ties with No Leaf Clover, Hero of the Day, and Broken, Beat & Scarred, but there was a tie-breaker round where Clover got 3rd Place overall, Hero got 4th, and BBS got 5th. I thought long and hard, and I've decided Shadows Follow would beat them all in a tie breaker for me (at least right now), so I'm putting it at #3 overall, just beneath Halo on Fire and One. Well done, Metallica. This is a banger!
One of the best on RUclips!? That’s really high praise, thank you. May I ask what makes these videos stick out so much to you? I’m always trying to refine my style.
@MidnightNotion I think it has to do with your personality and your attention to detail when reviewing songs. Also, your knowledge of the artists' discography makes the review much better, in my opinion, since you can compare parts of their music with one another. I look forward to the next review. 🤘
Listened to Load in it's entirety today and something 'caught my ear' - the verse riff in House That Jack Build sounds like the inspiration for the verse riff in Screaming Suicide
Nice editing job there, man! i love the acknowledgement of Bo Diddley, one of the OGs of rock n' roll... He tends to get left out of the narrative, when people talk about it. Also, thank you for acknowledging Lars' snare. i love this song... i can identify with it for sure. Then again, i love this whole album. This song has my second favorite ending on the album. The Judas Kiss reference/association is a great one, and one i didn't think about! That's my favorite song on DM, so i'm cool with that! James' vocals here are among his best as well. i see this song as either a sibling, companion or perhaps sequel to Thorn Within: "So point your fingers, point right at me/For I am shadows and will follow you, one and the same are we". At the very least, it's a reference. About the 'Battery' bridge- They do that part live now! It makes me really happy they put it back in.
I think this song was just a hair's breadth from being perfect. I really enjoyed the intro, main riff, James's singing, verses, and the bridge. I also like how James called back to the verses in the bridge. "Cut and run", "cover up", "like a wolf". Getting chased by your own regrets, like getting hunted by a pack of wolves, is a dark image, and James's voice is stellar. However, I personally think this song could have been condensed to around 5 minutes. Not entirely sure why it is over 6 minutes. Some riffs do repeat a bit, and I think the intro should have had each variation of the riff playing two times instead of four times before getting to the next part. I also think the transition from the bridge to the final pre-chorus was a bit clunky. But that's just my two cents. Overall, a pretty cool song. 15/20 By the way, take all the time you need with the reviews. They are always great, no matter when they come out. Much prefer this level of quality to constant, daily uploads. It has been really fascinating to learn about music theory, and my favourite band are just perfect subject material.
I couldn't wait to get Home from Work so i could Jam with ROCKER on Our METALLICA Latest Masterpiece! Loving this New METALLICA , been a Fan Since Jan 1985, from their Hometown of SAN FRANCISCO to the WORLD... Thrashing all around! with " Shadows Follow ", that Trauma that I gotta work with, such Personal METALLICA lyrics.
I'm not going to lie but initially when I started watching your videos i didn't use to like your content, now that it's been a while I feel perhaps your reviews have that technical touch to it which doesn't always seem the most obvious factor behind a band being legendary but now i understand how important it is to know how a song is structured, it shows two things, 1. THE BAND HAS PUT A LOT OF THINKING INTO DEVELOPING THE SONG. 2. THERE IS SOMEONE WHO CAN ACTUALLY LISTEN THROUGH THE NOTES AND EXPLAIN IT TO US IN VERY SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE WAY. I'm just glad that I came across this channel. Keep the good work going man! \m/
I’m really glad you stuck around. People often find this channel through my more divisive videos, so their first reaction to me is negative. But I’ve never claimed to be an expert or any sort of authority figure, I’m just a guy who is passionate about music, and I want to share what I know with everyone else. I’m grateful for people like you who can see the difference between criticism and analysis, and I’m really glad you’ve learned something along the way. That’s all I want, so you’ve made my day. You rock! 🤘
@@MidnightNotionMan trust me I'm a Sucker for these sort of videos it makes us go through a journey not just listening to the song but actually getting to know about the song. I'm gonna stick around and we'll see this channel grow to heights.
One of the songs that grabbed me initially with the awesome array of riffs and the pretty cool jam session type style of just playing out a bunch of riffs, but I definitely started to appreciate the some of the smaller things you pointed out here, like how they build on foundations they set earlier in the song so well. Definitely one of the best on the album for me, maybe THE best. Personally I'm not a HUGE fan of the chorus with the vocal harmonies and Lars just hitting the snare the whole time but it's not bad, and I think everything else is great.
Next reaction VOB "God allow me please to play music"VOB BAND ROCK TRIO HIJAB from 🇮🇩 VOB LIVE at WACKEN OPEN AIR (GERMAIN)2022👍 VOB AMAZING super talented ♥️🤟
Next reaction VOB "ENTER SANDMAN "Metalica cover VOB BAND ROCK TRIO HIJAB from 🇮🇩 VOB consert LIVE AT ( FRANCE) TRANS MUSICALES DE RENNES 2021👍 VOB AMAZING super talented ♥️🤟
Shadows Follow absolutely blew me away, growing more and more favorable with each subsequent listen. I don't think my old scoring method works as well as it used to, but here's how I feel today:
Composition: 4
Not only do they change it up from the norm (if only slightly) and add a little time signature change, but the true hero of this song is how well they've managed to make one riff/rhythmic idea into several minutes of interesting new directions.
Memorability: 4
The short, succinct chorus makes it really easy to sing, and there is a lot of repetition throughout. There are references to past material, and the hooks are just catchy as hell.
Emotional Response: 4
I loved it. I loved this whole record. It gets me every time, and I find myself picking up a guitar just to play the main riff. It's been in my head since April, and I don't see it going anywhere.
Instrumentation: 4
This is related to composition, but the way that main riff comes in and out is really cool. Lars shows tremendous restraint on the drums, which gives the song room to breathe. We get a harmonized guitar solo, a lead that doesn't feel forced, awesome backing vocals, and plenty of build to make me happy.
Lyrics: 3
The only thing I can possibly knock this song for is that James does fall into old patterns in the verses. Listing words with similar sounds and resorting to filler words sometimes takes the power out of an otherwise heavy subject. That said, mental health is important to me, so this gets a 3.
SCORE: 19/20
Technically, this song ties with No Leaf Clover, Hero of the Day, and Broken, Beat & Scarred, but there was a tie-breaker round where Clover got 3rd Place overall, Hero got 4th, and BBS got 5th. I thought long and hard, and I've decided Shadows Follow would beat them all in a tie breaker for me (at least right now), so I'm putting it at #3 overall, just beneath Halo on Fire and One.
Well done, Metallica. This is a banger!
Finally someone gave this song the credit it deserved. This. Is. F. Banger.
Man, I've been anticipating the continuation of these reveiws. You're definitely one of the best song reviewers on youtube.
One of the best on RUclips!? That’s really high praise, thank you. May I ask what makes these videos stick out so much to you? I’m always trying to refine my style.
@MidnightNotion I think it has to do with your personality and your attention to detail when reviewing songs. Also, your knowledge of the artists' discography makes the review much better, in my opinion, since you can compare parts of their music with one another. I look forward to the next review. 🤘
That means a lot to hear. Thank you for making my day. You rock!
So glad you’re reacting to the full album. Been looking forward to seeing how you rated this song. It’s definitely my favorite from this album.
LETS GOOO
Listened to Load in it's entirety today and something 'caught my ear' - the verse riff in House That Jack Build sounds like the inspiration for the verse riff in Screaming Suicide
YEAH! bring on the reviews! 😍🤘
Nice editing job there, man!
i love the acknowledgement of Bo Diddley, one of the OGs of rock n' roll... He tends to get left out of the narrative, when people talk about it. Also, thank you for acknowledging Lars' snare.
i love this song... i can identify with it for sure. Then again, i love this whole album. This song has my second favorite ending on the album. The Judas Kiss reference/association is a great one, and one i didn't think about! That's my favorite song on DM, so i'm cool with that! James' vocals here are among his best as well. i see this song as either a sibling, companion or perhaps sequel to Thorn Within: "So point your fingers, point right at me/For I am shadows and will follow you, one and the same are we". At the very least, it's a reference.
About the 'Battery' bridge- They do that part live now! It makes me really happy they put it back in.
They do the middle section again!? Hell yeah! Why did it ever go away?
I think this song was just a hair's breadth from being perfect. I really enjoyed the intro, main riff, James's singing, verses, and the bridge. I also like how James called back to the verses in the bridge. "Cut and run", "cover up", "like a wolf". Getting chased by your own regrets, like getting hunted by a pack of wolves, is a dark image, and James's voice is stellar.
However, I personally think this song could have been condensed to around 5 minutes. Not entirely sure why it is over 6 minutes. Some riffs do repeat a bit, and I think the intro should have had each variation of the riff playing two times instead of four times before getting to the next part. I also think the transition from the bridge to the final pre-chorus was a bit clunky. But that's just my two cents.
Overall, a pretty cool song. 15/20
By the way, take all the time you need with the reviews. They are always great, no matter when they come out. Much prefer this level of quality to constant, daily uploads. It has been really fascinating to learn about music theory, and my favourite band are just perfect subject material.
Wow,new video. Good to see you again!
It’s good to be back!
Yesss my favorite midnight notion member 😂
🤣🤣🤣
Let’s be honest: I’m the best one.
I couldn't wait to get Home from Work so i could Jam with ROCKER on Our METALLICA Latest Masterpiece! Loving this New METALLICA , been a Fan Since Jan 1985, from their Hometown of SAN FRANCISCO to the WORLD... Thrashing all around! with " Shadows Follow ", that Trauma that I gotta work with, such Personal METALLICA lyrics.
i really enjoy listening to this nice
18:42 - "I close my eyes, and try to force it all into place!"
Great album, exceed my expectations. Metallica still do what they do best!!!
It’s really incredible. I was worried it would match Hardwired and get worse in the second half, but the whole thing is ear worm after ear worm.
It’s much better lyrical and riffs and riffs, Metallica still making music that’s all that matters!!! I hope you do more reactions!!
I'm not going to lie but initially when I started watching your videos i didn't use to like your content, now that it's been a while I feel perhaps your reviews have that technical touch to it which doesn't always seem the most obvious factor behind a band being legendary but now i understand how important it is to know how a song is structured, it shows two things, 1. THE BAND HAS PUT A LOT OF THINKING INTO DEVELOPING THE SONG. 2. THERE IS SOMEONE WHO CAN ACTUALLY LISTEN THROUGH THE NOTES AND EXPLAIN IT TO US IN VERY SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE WAY.
I'm just glad that I came across this channel. Keep the good work going man! \m/
I’m really glad you stuck around. People often find this channel through my more divisive videos, so their first reaction to me is negative. But I’ve never claimed to be an expert or any sort of authority figure, I’m just a guy who is passionate about music, and I want to share what I know with everyone else.
I’m grateful for people like you who can see the difference between criticism and analysis, and I’m really glad you’ve learned something along the way. That’s all I want, so you’ve made my day. You rock! 🤘
@@MidnightNotionMan trust me I'm a Sucker for these sort of videos it makes us go through a journey not just listening to the song but actually getting to know about the song. I'm gonna stick around and we'll see this channel grow to heights.
This song is such a banger. When I'm playing Ps5 and this song hits i play so much better. It makes you want to kick some azz lol. Such a great song
Just to let you know, the riff at 11:37 in this video is referred to as the Batman riff by James and Kirk. Have a guess which Batman media it’s from.
My favourite song from 72 Seasons
3:52 - Do we also hold it dear, hold it suffocate?
#IYKYK
One of the songs that grabbed me initially with the awesome array of riffs and the pretty cool jam session type style of just playing out a bunch of riffs, but I definitely started to appreciate the some of the smaller things you pointed out here, like how they build on foundations they set earlier in the song so well. Definitely one of the best on the album for me, maybe THE best. Personally I'm not a HUGE fan of the chorus with the vocal harmonies and Lars just hitting the snare the whole time but it's not bad, and I think everything else is great.
11:18 - "St. Anger"...?
🫢
Next reaction VOB "God allow me please to play music"VOB BAND ROCK TRIO HIJAB from 🇮🇩 VOB LIVE at WACKEN OPEN AIR (GERMAIN)2022👍 VOB AMAZING super talented ♥️🤟
11:38 - BATMAAAAAAAN!
Next reaction VOB "ENTER SANDMAN "Metalica cover VOB BAND ROCK TRIO HIJAB from 🇮🇩 VOB consert LIVE AT ( FRANCE) TRANS MUSICALES DE RENNES 2021👍 VOB AMAZING super talented ♥️🤟
Best song on album.