Death Magnetic

It reached number one in 34 countries, with about 490,000 copies sold in its first three days in the United States. The mastering drew criticism for its loudness, and some listeners found the Guitar Hero version sounded better. Pitchfork gave it 4.9 out of 10, while the Guardian called it the strongest material the band had written in 20 years.

Rubin wanted the songs to be close to finished before recording, so that the sessions felt like playing a gig. The band recorded at Sound City in Van Nuys, Shangri La in Malibu and its own HQ in San Rafael. Ted Jensen mastered it at Sterling Sound and Greg Fidelman mixed it. Hammett brought a photograph of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley to the studio, and it helped inspire the title. My Apocalypse won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance. The Beyond Magnetic EP, with four more tracks from the sessions, followed in December 2011.