Metallica’s 12th album, Death Magnetic, has received most of its hype from the fact that Rick Rubin produced it, but did it earn the hype?

The answer is yes and no. After Metallica lost much of its fan base with the release of St. Anger, they have made an attempt to return to their roots with the much-anticipated Death Magnetic.

Unfortunately, they have opened the album with “That Was Just Your Life,” the type of song that ran away many of their fans after St. Anger.

With this potentially dangerous move aside, “The Day That Never Comes” showcases Metallica’s dark balladry and anguished lyricism. It sticks to the catchy formula that made the self-titled Metallica (also known as The Black Album) and several singles like “One” and “Fade to Black” so popular.

Another high point on the album is “The Judas Kiss,” which feels lyrically like a continuation of international mega-hit “Enter Sandman.” It also carries a level of heaviness that went missing from Metallica in the late 90s, and still fuses it with the jazz and blues based rhythms of the Load and Reload albums.

“The End of the Line,” is a recreation of the Master of Puppets type songwriting. It begins heavy, works its way into a slower pace, makes a key change and finally gears up for a beat down to the end. The lyrics also reference the Master of Puppets album as singer James Hetfield sings, “As we gather here today we bid farewell…the slave becomes the master.” It is also a reference to Hetfield’s personal trials as he publicly battled alcoholism.

The final track, “My Apocalypse,” is the shortest track on the album, clocking in at just over five minutes. It demands immediacy with a quick guitar solo, driving drum parts and a show-stopper style ending.

The most dynamic track on the album is “The Unforgiven III.” It begins with an intro in the style of the S&M album, with piano, violin and other orchestral parts. It is then broken by guitar parts, which have no resemblance to “The Unforgiven” and “The Unforgiven II.”

Overall, the album is not a complete return to the original sound, but it is a step in the correct direction for Metallica.

It would be better to buy individual tracks from iTunes rather than the whole album to save the listeners and fans from severe disappointment.