James needs to stop trying to sing and go back to shouting, al la Master of Puppets.
Hard to believe it's the same band. I haven't liked a thing Metallica has done in the last 20 years or so. If the first 3 album's weren't so good, I'd write them of for good. There's always that glimmer of hope they may become a metal band again, as opposed to a shitty hard rock band.
To each their own, I like the Grateful Dead. Inprov with a swing and a clusterfuck of influences, I'd like that better than crunchy guitars and guys who only can play a certain way. But to each their own. I respect yours, but you respect no one.