'St. Anger' vs. 'Death Magnetic'

We recently received a comment on Facebook from a fan that got us thinking about Metallica's post-"Black Album" studio records.

The comment came after we shared a positive story about St. Anger:

I just don't listen to anything [Metallica have] done since ...And Justice For All. It's not that I think they sold out or anything. They just became a different band after the "Black Album."

We respect this take, because like the fan said, "It's not that I think they sold out." We get it. Everyone has different tastes and Metallica's discography definitely appeals to a wide palate.

This consideration of Metallica's post-"Black Album" work comes after we also shared a Readers Poll on our socials that asked you to pick your favorite LP between Load and Reload; it garnered a lot of interaction. So, we figured we'd do another Poll along similar lines, this time looking at St. Anger and Death Magnetic.

From One Sound to Another

We've put a lot of time into celebrating—yes, celebrating—the one and only St. Anger. But we get it: It sounds different. The snare drums, the lack of guitar solos, the grittiness, it all comes together to create one of the most infamous rock albums of recent memory. Some fans love it and connect with the anger and ferocity. Some fans, well, it's safe to simply say that they don't love it.

We'll leave it at that.

Watch Metallica's Official Music Video For "Frantic"

Five years after St. Anger broke some brains, Metallica returned with Death Magnetic, an album that many fans felt brought the Bay Area boys back to their roots. But other fans still said it sounded a little different, this time their focus was on the production and mixing of the record; though, Lars Ulrich says there is nothing wrong with it: "It's just how we make records [in 2008]."

Watch Metallica's Official Music Video For "All Nightmare Long"

Which Album Is Your Favorite?

Yes, in 2009, Metallica released the official live album, Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México, which captured their shows in June 2009 at Foro Sol in Mexico City. But in the decade that the cool kids refer to as the "Aughts," Metallica only released two studio albums: St. Anger and Death Magnetic.

If you had to pick one studio effort from the 2000s, which one would it be? The forever-controversial St. Anger or the return-to-form Death Magnetic?

It's a tough decision, we know. One album has some absolute crushing tracks like "My World" and "Frantic" and the other has some memorable 'Tallica tunes like "The Day That Never Comes" and "Cyanide."

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Vote below and then message us in the official Ultimate Metallica app and let us know how you came to your decision.

Some of Our Favorite Live Photos of James Hetfield

Covering nearly 20 years of performances, the below photos display why James Hetfield is one of the best frontmen in rock and roll.

Each shot shows his raw energy, intensity and overall fun spirit at Metallica's live shows. If a photo is worth a thousand words, we know these shots are worth thousands of Hetfield's growls.

Some of Our Favorite Live Photos of Kirk Hammett

Kirk Hammett is a shredder, plain and simple. Or more specifically, he's a ripper. The Ripper.

Whether you're listening to him ripping or watching videos or staring at photos, one thing is obvious: this guy is a six-string master. While we could never create a collection that covers Hammett's entire history with Metallica, we've picked a handful of some of our favorite photos over the last 20 years showing the guitarist rocking out and having fun.