i've actually been listening to St.Anger! drum sound aside i think it's a great album, much more creative than Death Magnetic. the new one may be the album they should have released 18 years ago, but that's kinda the problem. while St. Anger moved them in a new direction Death Magnetic is a clear step backwards. and given what Kirk Hammet has come up with this time around, did anyone really miss his solos?
i think St. Anger has probably Hetfield's best, most emotional vocal performance. the songs are more mature, more personal. it's a bleak, confessional, often painful record. it didn't sound like people expected.