Around Junior year of High School, another friend told me about a band called Megadeth.....long story short, they are now my favorite band. Metallica got pushed back further and further from my top band list after St. Anger. I just don't feel that they are "metal" like they used to be. I would be the guy right next to them defending them against people who would say that, but I kind of understand better now. Their songs now seem "simpler" and more Hard Rock than Heavy Metal. Their older albums are still some of my favorite, but after the Black Album, they became "different". Once I found Megadeth, I just started expanding my views on Heavy Metal and discovered that there are a lot of bands that are better (in their own ways).
So basically, I like old Metallica, not new Metallica.