Control Geek

OK, it's for a recording, but I never thought I would read these sentences from Brian Hiatt at Rolling Stone:

For the first time ever, Metallica fans are asking the band to turn the volume down

and

In the case of Metallica, some fans are taking action: 11,000 people have signed a petition asking for a remix and remaster of Death Magnetic

He goes on to explain:

The Metallica dispute is the latest battle in the so-called loudness war, in which bands use dynamic compression — a studio effect that minimizes the difference between loud and soft parts of a song — to make their music louder and louder as they compete for listeners' attention

Here's a pretty good explanation of that issue:

But I mean, in the end, Metallica fans are complaining about distortion?  Maybe there is hope for good sound!