On the record

Some massive albums this week as rock behemoths Metallica release the long-awaited Death Magnetic, while Kings Of Leon offer their fourth long-player Only By The Night. Can Metallica make up the ground lost by their last album St Anger? And can KOL establish themselves as one of music's main players, as they so clearly want to?

Metallica - Death Magnetic: Metallica's last album, St Anger, arrived in 2003 after a six-year wait, rehab sessions and the loss of bassist Jason Newsted. Many fans, critics and even the band were disappointed with the results, leaving new offering Death Magnetic with something to prove. Are Metallica still a relevant force in music, the daddies of heavy rock, or are they simply past it?

With muscular riffing harking back to their heyday, it's delightful to report Metallica's place at the top of the rock pile remains unchallenged. It's like the San Franciscans, under the guidance of Rick Rubin, have remembered what made them so great in the first place.

Riffs, lots of riffs, James Hetfield's powerful growl and an indefinable menace lurk at every corner, with Broken, Beat And Scarred, All Nightmare Long and The Judas Kiss among the searing highlights. Quite simply, Death Magnetic is the band's best offering since 1991's 'Black Album'

Rating 9/10

Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night: Little more than a year after their marvellous third album Because Of The Times, Kings Of Leon bring us Only By The Night. Marking the end of a triumphant period that peaked with a headlining slot at Glastonbury, the Followill family now have to deliver on their boasts of wanting to become the biggest band in the world.

Whether they are now is debatable, but they've certainly become the most important. Gone are the southern-fried charms of their first two albums, and in come stadium-ready atmospherics and anthemic choruses - Sex On Fire's repeated refrain is just one of the lyrics begging to be chanted in arenas around the world.

For the first time in the band's history, it's easy to understand Caleb's singing too, pointing at a new ambition across the board. Sometimes that misfires - 17 and I Want You are inessential, for example - but those two aside, Kings Of Leon have made exactly the album they needed to.

Rating 8/10 (Review by Andy Welch)

Carole King - Tapestry (Legacy Edition): Few albums boast as many solid-gold hits as Carole King's Tapestry, first released in 1971. I Feel The Earth Move, It's Too Late, You've Got A Friend, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman are some of most-covered songs of all time, rightly regarded as some of the best songs ever written.

Now it's time for another look at Tapestry, complete with bonus CD which comprises previously unreleased live versions of the original album and a deluxe booklet. It's hard to match the sheer class of the studio version, but a heartbroken version of It's Too Late is worth picking up this double CD for alone. No record collection is complete with Tapestry in it.

Rating 9/10 (Review by Andy Welch)

Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling: Emotive instrumentalists Mogwai return after a two-year sojourn from the studio with their sixth album. While the Glaswegian post-rock outfit comprises five members, their sharp musical vision and love of synths render them far more than their sum of parts.

This album brings them back to their fine and familiar territory of melancholy musical landscapes, which show how a sonic picture can tell a thousand words. Stand-out tracks such as Danphe And The Brain display all the heart-wrenching beauty that fans have grown accustomed to, but the uncharacteristically pop-infused The Sun Smells Too Loud will keep them on their toes.

Rating 7/10 (Review by Lisa Williams)

Josh Rouse - The Best Of The Rykodisc Years: What a brilliant double album for Rhino to put together. While there are many male singer-songwriters, few can impress like Josh Rouse. His warming tones - half country, half alternative - have impressed on all of his previous five albums and two EPs.

Those who have heard just a snippet of his material and liked it will enjoy the first disc - it's hard to top songs such as Invisible, Love Vibration and Under Cold Blue Stars. The second CD is for confirmed fans: the first half is a Rouse EP, which initially received a very limited pressing; and the second features previously unreleased tracks.

Rating 8/10 (Review by Polly Weeks)

Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke: Pip Brown, the New Zealand singer, songwriter, guitarist and synth-loving performer, delivers her debut album. A waft of 1980s nostalgia drifts through the tracks so strongly as to become a bit of a stench, but embrace that and you're in for a treat.

With disco-pop flanging beats, super-anthemic keyboards and pop production tricks galore, it's the soundtrack to the sequel of Ferris Bueller's Day Off that never was. Almost every other track gives a musical flashback to the decade of the fluorescent, fingerless lace glove, with strong reminders of Gary Numan, Cyndi Lauper, Buggles and more. It's where pumping-fists disco kids meet lighters-aloft stadium-rock kids for a retro party: Rating 7/10 (Review by Delia Barnard)

David Gilmour - Live In Gdansk: Immaculately produced, superbly arranged and brilliantly played by David Gilmour and his old colleague from Pink Floyd, the recently departed Rick Wright, along with Phil Manzanera from Roxy Music, this CD and DVD set will not disappoint established Floyd or Gilmour fans. Consisting largely of live versions from his recent On An Island album together with the usual Pink Floyd favourites, it is hard to fault the track selections or the musicianship. However, while this is Gilmour's first live recording of many of these songs on CD, there is little here to surprise.

Stand-out tracks include a full 20-minute version of Echoes, which is particularly stunning on DVD with the full light show.

Rating 6/10 (Review by Lisa Williams)

Staind - The Illusion Of Progress: Although they enjoy the status of multi-million sellers across The Pond, in a relatively lengthy career Staind have yet to gain anything like a comparable level of acclaim in Britain. Indeed, their biggest UK hit, It's Been A While (included here as a live bonus track), came at the height of nu-metal, a '90s sub-genre from which few survivors still remain (Limp Bizkit, anyone?).

It would be a shame if Aaron Lewis's band couldn't capitalise on Nickelback's recent resurgence with The Illusion of Progress. Tracks like All I Want and the ballad Tangled Up In You are highly evocative of Chad Kroeger's Rockstar, but with added emotion.

Rating 6/10 (Review by Patrick Gates)

Foreigner - No End In Sight: The Very Best Of Foreigner: Not just a clever title, with 32 songs on this double album it really does feel like there is no end in sight. You'd expect to experience that feeling of 'I never realised they had so many hits' but after making your way through the album it's a case of 'I can't believe they only had two hits'.

They've cleverly put Cold As Ice and I Want To Know What Love Is on separate CDs. The rest of the album's material is remarkably boring. Had it featured half the tracks it would have better highlighted the more individual songs, but as it is, this album is an effort to listen to: Rating 2/10 (Reviewed by Polly Weeks)

Nelly - Brass Knuckles: If you're thinking of buying this album based on your interest in Nelly's previous releases then think again. Long gone are the commercial hits like Country Grammar, Dilemma and Hot In Herre. In their place are harder, edgier sounds from the St Louis rapper. It's also an album of collaborations.

Despite featuring high-profile guest artists including Usher, Fergie and Akon, there are surprisingly few potential singles, possibly due to the adult content of the lyrics. Long Night and Party People will be the leading tracks but the best song is easily the Gil Scott Heron-influenced Self-Esteem, which leaves behind the misogynistic and money-is-everything undertones and replaces them with strong production skills - possibly due to Chuck D's involvement.

Rating 4/10 (Review by Polly Weeks)

SINGLES By Andy Welch Guillemots

Kriss Kross/Clarion The best song from the band's second album, Kriss Kross starts out like the sort of R'n'B Rihanna does so well, and then turns on its head with a glorious, Abba-esque chorus. Fantastic stuff. The flipside Clarion's not too shabby either.

James Morrison - You Make It Real The husky troubadour is back with a new single, the first from his forthcoming album. If you didn't like his songs last time around, you're not going to be converted, but if you were a fan, you're in for a treat.

Avenue - Last Goodbye Bringing the boy-band format back to the masses, Avenue's debut single is dance-heavy, upbeat piece of pop, with a chorus guaranteed to have the ladies dancing round their handbags in no time.

LISTEN OUT FOR...

Razorlight - Slipaway Fires: OK, the lead singer may be one of the most reviled men in music, but that doesn't mean people won't buy the band's new album, due for release on November 3.

Sugababes - Catfights And Spotlights: Just a year after their last, slightly disappointing album, the trio are back with another album. Let's hope they've ramped up the upbeat numbers they do so brilliantly, and cut out the schmaltzy ballads.

ON THE ROAD UPCOMING TOURS

:: New Kids On The Block are back, and are hitting the road to celebrate. They start off in Manchester on January 16 next year and end up in Cardiff on January 29. For details, go to www.ticketmaster.co.uk :: Guillemots have announced a string of alternative dates for the autumn. They'll play a series of unusual venues kicking off in Birmingham's Custard Factory on November 7 and ending at London's Barbican on November 26. For info, go to www.guillemots.com