Metal Box [Super Deluxe Edition]
by Public Image Ltd.
Metascore
99

Universal acclaim - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. The Quietus
    Dec 8, 2016
    100
    Here augmented by three additional CDs of b-sides, Peel Sessions, alternate mixes and a live recording from Manchester’s Russell Club, the original album still sounds like nothing else from the time, as if a line is drawn on the sand and the full potential of what punk had to offer is finally realized. Indeed, Metal Box is still so far ahead of the curve that if it was getting its inaugural release now and it’d still be daring other bands to catch up.
  2. Q Magazine
    Dec 7, 2016
    100
    Reissued with a raft of extras, it remains a masterpiece of uneasy listening. [Dec 2016, p.117]
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  3. Pitchfork
    Dec 7, 2016
    100
    Metal Box stands up. It stands for all time.
  5. The Line of Best Fit
    Dec 7, 2016
    100
    Jah Wobble’s reggae influenced sub-bass lines were the perfect foil to the ice cold (let’s not say angular) riffs of Keith Levene, which gave rhythm to Lydon’s musings of death and boredom perfectly, making Metal Box a true a milestone in British rock music.
  6. Uncut
    Dec 7, 2016
    90
    Unreleased mixes, instrumentals and PiL's semi-legendary 1979 concert at Manchester's Factory are worthy additions, stretching the dense, dubby miasma out for four hypnotic hours. [Dec 2016, p.51]
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  7. Classic Rock Magazine
    Dec 7, 2016
    90
    An excellent remaster accentuates the nuances and stresses the space in a mix that’s by turns claustrophobic and widescreen, crisps hi-hats, sharpens ice-pick guitar shards and further fattens bass subsonics. There are extra tracks, B-sides, Peel sessions, a live ‘rehearsal’ set from Manchester’s Factory, and it’s only a joy.
  8. PopMatters
    Jan 26, 2017
    80
    While it’s nice to have the original albums properly contextualized, the impact of a stand-alone live release would have been just that much more impactful. As it stands, these mammoth four-disc sets offer just about all the PiL you could ever hope for from two very different eras and incarnations of the band.

User Reviews

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User Score
4.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 39
  3. Negative: 20 out of 39
  1. JudgementalDude
    Dec 20, 2016
    0
    They ruined it. They made this sound too **** much now. Really disappointing. Hopefully they never do this again. Because they is the new lowThey ruined it. They made this sound too **** much now. Really disappointing. Hopefully they never do this again. Because they is the new low for them.… Full Review »
  2. tthehoe
    Apr 8, 2017
    9
    A trip through post-punk hell. The song structures and music becomes formless and ethereal, there's no chorus to hang back on and noA trip through post-punk hell. The song structures and music becomes formless and ethereal, there's no chorus to hang back on and no accessibility. Even snippets of traditional musicality (Swan Lake comes to mind) become nightmare inducing and creeping.… Full Review »
  3. lovro4501
    Mar 20, 2021
    10
    Fantastic box set of this masterpiece of album! Great extra songs and remaster.
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