I've got zero beefs with Metallica, only respect.
They never wanted to be the best band, the best musicians, write the most original songs, none of that; they just wanted to be the biggest metal band in the world and they did that. Just that alone is such a massive feat that anyone saying that back then or now would get an eye roll and a "Good luck, buddy."
I'm thankful for how much of themselves they've put out there. The Year And A Half Of VHS tapes had a HUGE influence on me when I was a teen, with my use of the word "fuck" AND it's what made me interested in the studio aspect of things. I watched those tapes on repeat for probably 2-3 years until I got Pantera's Watch It Go....which influenced me in a different direction.
But even Some Kind Of Monster, while it may have made some people cringe and think less of them, I think it was a ballsy move to put their personal issues right up there for all to see. That doc actually helped my former band when it came out because there was some infighting going on and it hit the reset switch for us.
From what I remember reading, Kirk was bringing in MoP songs and Satch was helping him work out what to play over the changes. Makes sense to me, since that's some of Kirk's best work. (For the record, my favorite Metallica song AND Hammett solo is "The Outlaw Torn" from ::gasp:: LOAD!)
Those guys are surrounded by nothing but yes-men and have been for years. There is no one around them that's going to say, "Hey Kirk, you're really slipping, man." aside from James/Lars themselves. Or if Bob Rock were still around. Ever since Load, James has been saying that they just want to chill out and enjoy the success. I don't think money is the main motivator, I think they truly enjoy playing live and making people happy. While it seems everyone just bitches about them, they still sell out every show they play and make millions of people happy across the world at those shows. The only actual negativity comes from the internet.
That said, in the last few years it seems Kirk has gotten a little better at playing his older stuff. I agree about his intonation and he sounds often like I do when I'm playing a guitar with 9's and not a lot of tension; I can't keep the damn thing in tune. They've gotta dial in tones that are going to work in a stadium and while they were certainly going for specific amp sounds, they still have to dial those in differently live than they would in the studio (It'd be cool to hear a rundown of how that was approached
@Admin M@ , if that's possible. Not details, just a general, "Yeah, we had to add some more mids and cut back some of the gain" or whatever) and hearing those tones direct to a board, where who knows what kind of EQ/post processing is being done, we're not always hearing what Metallica would want us to hear, but the sound dude running the show of whatever appearance they're on.
Overall, I think they're main focus is just enjoying their success and touring. They stopped sweating the small stuff years ago. Everything they do now is still 110% successful, despite the internet hate. They've commented on negative internet comments and just laugh them off. They stopped trying to please the world years ago once they were on top of it.
And even still, there isn't a cooler looking silhouette of a metal frontman than Hetfield with an Explorer hanging to his knees, IMO. I haven't dug much of anything since Load (which was the first Metallica album I bought and then worked my way back....I consider myself lucky for that because I get to enjoy Load, which many others don't), but I respect the hell out of them, even if they don't do things the way
I want them done. It ain't my band and they've earned that right.
. This jp for example goes well with all the music I play . I bought a lot of boogies before finally own one that fit with everything
. When you listen to their live sound … far better than now . Their guitar were heavy, dirty , full … now …. 
