Metallica: The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited (Review)

So I’m probably not the best person to review this considering I’ve never heard any of the original tunes, but I’ve never let that stop me in the past. New music is new music and I’m always happy to discover it. I’m just more prone to sharing that journey here. Anyway, onto the songs.

Helpless (Diamond Head)

I like this one. A solid, speedy riff and matching singing is usually enough to pique my interest, and this song kept it for the most part. The one-word chorus was a little meandering (yes, it’s possible), but it was also short so it wasn’t a huge deal. The ramp up to it is pretty good so it offsets it. And the riff/guitar solo combo was an absolute winner.

The Small Hours (Holocaust)

Slower, heavier and more sinister, it makes for good contrast. A bit repetitive but the six plus minutes don’t drag like you’d expect, especially as the tempo picks up around the two thirds mark for a bit. Smart songwriting there. Ok, so far we’re two for two. That’s pretty good actually.

The Wait (Killing Joke)

Some weird vocal effect messes with some fine riffing. A shame, really. There’s some really cool riffing in this one. The chorus is unaffected at least.

Crash Course In Brain Surgery (Budgie)

The riffs are four for four, the singing on this one doesn’t do it for me fully though. The verses go on a little long, but the melody’s pretty engaging at least. The solo is wicked as well, so that’s another plus.

Last Caress/Green Hell (Misfits)

“Last Caress” would be a fun, raucous uptempo way to end the disc, but it’s saddled with the drunken-bar singing of “Green Hell” as its caboose.

But that was still actually a lot more enjoyable than I expected, especially given that I knew none of the songs coming into it. While they aren’t my first picks for songs I’d want Metallica to cover, they were still (mostly) really enjoyable and I’m certainly going to listen to some of the originals.

The verdict- 3.5/5 stars