Metallica has had a real roller coaster of a decade. They started off the new millennium terribly, suing Napster and losing bassist Jason Newstead in 2001. From there, it was a steep decline into mediocrity. St. Anger contained none of the band’s strengths and Some Kind Of Monster displayed all of their worst qualities. After infighting between James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich left Metallica’s future as questionable, they disappeared into the studio around 2006. Hiring Robert Trujillo, parting with producer Bob Rock for Rick Rubin, and a better band dynamic all helped the group create their best album in 20 years, Death Magnetic.

Metallica couldn’t stay in the studio for long though. Once a year from 2006 to 2008, the band hit the road for a few shows similarly to how they went on the Escape From The Studio Tour in 1995. One of the biggest shows of their 2008 dates was headlining the Rock Am Ring festival in Germany. Playing to over 150,000 people, the concert showed the band on the road to recovery from the early years of the 2000s.

From the first notes of “Creeping Death”, Metallica makes it clear that they’re back and just as kickass as they were in the ’80s. The band somehow seem to play the song faster than they do on the record. Everything is jelling. From Hetfield almost spitting the words out to Kirk Hammet’s lightning solo to the crowd chanting “Die!” along with Trujillo’s backing vocals, the performance is flawless. And that’s only the first song.

Over the next two hours, another appreciative change comes into focus: the almost non-existence of anything post-Black Album. One song from Load and Reload a piece and nothing from St. Anger? Looks like Metallica realized how bad those albums were. Instead, the set is chock full of songs from the band’s first decade. In fact, almost half the set is made up of material from their first two albums, Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning.

But the setlist only counts if the performance is good. So, is it? Hell yes it is. “Master of Puppets” is an intense scream-a-long, “Nothing Else Matters” is somber, “One” is explosive (literally), and “Whiplash” turns entire sections of the crowd into giant mosh pits. Even “Enter Sandman,” the second most overplayed track from the ’90s (“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is #1 if you’re wondering), is revived by the band’s energy and enthusiasm. One of the strongest numbers has to be their closer, “Seek & Destroy” just for those 10 seconds or so where Trujillo takes the spotlight for himself (check 4:25).

Rock Am Ring was just one more step on Metallica’s return to form. But what a step it was. The band reminded the audience of one hundred thousand why they became fans in the first place: to hear some of the best heavy metal ever recorded by one of the biggest bands on the planet.