The Metallica Thread v. Reloaded

[PixelDream]

i.e I'd rather listen to " Better Than You " than " Poor Twisted Me " any day.

Ha, that song was playing when I read your comment. Yeah, Load reaches a low somewhere around that point. It's a bit too goofy into the whole blues-rock thing. I still like it though.

[Kotowboy]

Reload sounds amazing.

Wild Things especially.

[PixelDream]

That's the 'problem' I have with recent Metallica. Even if that new song Hardwired sounds pretty good, it doesn't have a 'vibe' in my opinion. I'm a huge fan of TBA and the (Re)Load albums' sound. It sounds fat, but still open and deep enough. Great production work.

[Kotowboy]

I'm just glad Rick Ruin is not producing the new album.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Reload sounds amazing.

Wild Things especially.

If Load and ReLoad were just 1 album (with the best material of both, obviously), it would have been amazing.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Load and ReLoad are excellent albums.

I've always felt that ReLoad in particular is tragically underrated. So many great songs. And it pisses me off that they don't pay enough attention to it live.

[BlobVanDam]

If they'd cut Load/Reload down to one album, it would have been one of my favourite Metallica albums. Assuming they chose the good songs, of course. As they stand, there's far too much filler for them to be excellent, unfortunately. But the best material is definitely as good as anything else they've done.

Load & Reload are both great. I really don't know what people's problem with them are.

Oh sure you do.

[Adami]

I know people talk quite a bit about turning the Loads into one album, and I'm sure there'll be another list of tracklists again in a minute or two, but I haven't been able to put all of my favorites from the two of them into a single 80 minute disk. However, if they did what they did for Hardwired, two shorter disks, that would be pretty awesome.

[BlobVanDam]

If I put everything I listen to from the two albums together, it would be an even hour. Interestingly, nothing from the second half of either album, so it would be a nice clean cut too!

[Scorpion]

No Outlaw Torn or Fixxxer? Blasphemy.

Here's my Load/ReLoad tracklist, it's around 75 minutes, perfect for one disc.

1. Fuel
2. Until It Sleeps
3. The Unforgiven II
4. King Nothing
5. Bleeding Me
6. Where the Wild Things Are
7. Mama Said
8. The Memory Remains
9. Devil's Dance
10. Hero of the Day
11. Low Man's Lyric
12. Fixxxer
13. The Outlaw Torn

It this were an album, it'd definitely be in my Top 3, maybe even ahead of AJFA for me.

[BlobVanDam]

No Outlaw Torn or Fixxxer? Blasphemy.

Should I be at all surprised that on a prog forum you go right for the longest songs on the respective albums? I just find both of those songs overly drawn out and repetitive and plodding, and surprisingly similar sounding. They're not bad, they're just completely unremarkable imo.

Overall though, there's a high percentage of overlap between your tracklist and what mine would be. I'd exclude 5 that you've included and include 3 different ones, but none of those omissions are essential material, so I'd still consider your version stronger than the two individual discs. Your tracklist wouldn't have very good flow though for me with the placement of the skip tracks breaking it up too much.

[Scorpion]

Length isn't the main factor, it's how you use it. I find both songs use its length very well, especially Fixxxer, which I find to be one of Metallica's most underrated tracks.

Out of curiousity, how would your tracklist look?

[BlobVanDam]

I haven't given any thought to a track order, but in terms if what songs I'd include, it would be-

Ain't My Bitch
2x4
Until It Sleeps
King Nothing
Hero of the Day
Bleeding Me
Fuel
The Memory Remains
Devil's Dance
The Unforgiven II
Slither

As I said, the three I'd include that you didn't aren't close to essential or amazing, but I still dig them if I'm listening through the albums. 2x4 actually has a pretty cool Sabbath-y groove to it with that riff. Good call on keeping Fuel as an opener too. Such a high energy and straightforward way to kick off the album. I think having two such long songs at the end would be a slog though.

[Scorpion]

Not totally happy with Fixxxer and Outlaw closing the album, but both have the feel of a closer to me, so I'm not quite sure how they could be placed otherwise on an album with both of them on it.

2X4 is a good choice, I might just have to add that, it'd be under 80 minutes still. Never been a fan of Ain't My Bitch and I actively dislike Slither, so that's the furthest that we'll be able to coordinate our tracklists, I'm afraid.

[BlobVanDam]

Not totally happy with Fixxxer and Outlaw closing the album, but both have the feel of a closer to me, so I'm not quite sure how they could be placed otherwise on an album with both of them on it.

2X4 is a good choice, I might just have to add that, it'd be under 80 minutes still. Never been a fan of Ain't My Bitch and I actively dislike Slither, so that's the furthest that we'll be able to coordinate our tracklists, I'm afraid.

It's ok, Ain't My Bitch and Slither are right at the bottom of the tracks I listen to anyway, and it wouldn't be a huge loss if they didn't exist on the albums. I listen to them and enjoy them for what they are, but even on a single disc album I'd consider them the filler. And I must say, Ain't My Bitch was not a good way to start off Load with such a change in sound from TBA. Sticking to tracks off Load, I would have opened with King Nothing.

[Kotowboy]

Outlaw Torn on S&M is eargasms.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Fuel
Ain't My Bitch
Hero Of The Day
The House Jack Built
Devil's Dance
Until It Sleeps
Bleeding Me
The Memory Remains
2x4
Attitude
Cure
Where The Wild Things Are
Low Man's Lyric (with around 3 minutes cut out)
The Outlaw Torn

[twosuitsluke]

Outlaw Torn on S&M is eargasms.

Totally this.

I heard S&M before either Load/Reload so the S&M versions always own the original versions for me.

S&M in general just owns, the version of Call of Ktulu is one of my favourite things ever, especially because it comes after the amazing Ecstasy of Gold intro and leads perfectly into Master of Puppets!! Best live album ever!!

[TAC]

Oddly, I bought S&M when it came out, and honestly, I'm not sure I have ever listened to the whole thing.

[twosuitsluke]

Oddly, I bought S&M when it came out, and honestly, I'm not sure I have ever listened to the whole thing.

I mean I love orchestral music as it is anyway, especially orchestral versions of video game music. I think in some of the songs on the album the arrangements lend themselves perfectly. Some less so but still my favourite live album. It's Metallica but not like we know them. I'd love it if they did another live show like this but then again it is perfect because it's a one-off, maybe.

Dig it out and give it a listen, would be very surprised if you didn't find something in there that you liked. Even if it's just the two songs they wrote specifically for the show.

[cramx3]

Oddly, I bought S&M when it came out, and honestly, I'm not sure I have ever listened to the whole thing.

Strongly recommended

[TAC]

I guess I have a mental block of some sort.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Outlaw Torn on S&M is eargasms.

All 4 of the Load songs are superior on S&M IMO.

[kaos2900]

Outlaw Torn on S&M is eargasms.

All 4 of the Load songs are superior on S&M IMO.

I agree. Just recently went through their collection, Load did not age well for me and surprisingly Re-Load was better than I remember. Fixxer is fantastic. But, the Load songs on S&M are amazing. In fact I have always loved S&M and never understood the hate it gets.

[BlobVanDam]

I hate the S&M version of Hero of the Day. Sounds way too Disney and...... yeah. I don't like that version of Until it Sleeps either. The orchestra makes it busier without adding anything, and the song sounds lacking without all of the harmonies and at the faster tempo. I can't say I've ever listened to the other two Load songs on S&M, since I'm not big on them to begin with.
For the most part, S&M largely doesn't work for me. When it works, it's amazing, but there are so few songs where it actually does work.

[TheCountOfNYC]

My Load/ReLoad merger:

Fuel
Until it Sleeps
Devil's Dance
The Unforgiven II
King Nothing
Where the Wild Things Are
Bleeding Me
Low Man's Lyric
Fixxxer

That's really the only songs that I like from either album.

As far as S&M goes, Blob hit the nail right on the head. There's songs like The Call of Ktulu, Master of Puppets, and Nothing Else Matters that worked really well but then there's songs like Of Wolf and Man and Sad But True that just don't work. Even between the two originals, No Leaf Clover turned out great while -Human is mediocre. The album is very hit and miss with enough great stuff to make it worth listening to. It's just a shame that not everything worked with the orchestra otherwise this might have ended up being the greatest live album of all time. However, the S&M version of One is a masterpiece. I still get chills every time I hear it. The orchestra took an already incredible song and brought it to a whole other plane entirely.

[BlobVanDam]

The Call of Ktulu and One are incredible on S&M. The section in One just before the verse (and after the chorus) with the two clean guitar parts gives me chills every time with the orchestra.

[cramx3]

Until it Sleeps is one of my favorites from S&M.  Bleeding me is also fantastic, as well as Outlaw Torn.  I have no issues with the orchestration on this, in fact I think it's probably the most well done orchestration added to metal music (as in music that wasn't initially written with orchestration).

[fadetoblackdude7]

In comparison to the S&M version, the original Outlaw Torn sounds way too one-dimensional. The orchestra adds so much color to it.

[Adami]

Yea, the S&M versions of any song off Load/Reload (Fuel being debatable) I feel are better than the studio versions.

I don't think Battery worked or stuff like that, and I was really disappointed that the machine gun section in One (Darkness...etc) where the strings went super melodic and epic instead of following suit which would have added to that intensity.

[Kotowboy]

One of my favourite things on S&M is the first Orchestra descending scale after " Say Your Prayers Little One, Don't Forget My Son, To Include Every One " *orchestra scale*.

It only happens once and it sound f---ing amazing.

[ReaperKK]

I haven't given any thought to a track order, but in terms if what songs I'd include, it would be-

Ain't My Bitch
2x4
Until It Sleeps
King Nothing
Hero of the Day
Bleeding Me
Fuel
The Memory Remains
Devil's Dance
The Unforgiven II
Slither

As I said, the three I'd include that you didn't aren't close to essential or amazing, but I still dig them if I'm listening through the albums. 2x4 actually has a pretty cool Sabbath-y groove to it with that riff. Good call on keeping Fuel as an opener too. Such a high energy and straightforward way to kick off the album. I think having two such long songs at the end would be a slog though.

Those would be the exact songs I would include as well

[Adami]

Called it.


Eh, here's where I have a problem, like I said, with fitting all of the songs I want onto one album. (in no order other than what I'm remembering) Here is the songs I would want, which would fit better on two shorter albums than 2 longer albums or one long album.

1. Ain't My Bitch
2. The House Jack Built
3. Until it Sleeps
4. King Nothing
5. Bleeding Me
6. Mama Said
7. Thorn Within
8. The Outlaw Torn
9. Fuel
10. Memory Remains
11. Devil's Dance
12. Unforgiven II
13. Where the Wild Things Are
14. Low Man's Lyric
15. Fixxxer

[TAC]

Mine would be an EP

Ain't My Bitch
Wasting My Hate
Bleeding Me
Fuel
The Outlaw Torn.

[Anguyen92]

Don't know where else to put it, but former bassist Jason Newsted had made his presence felt again after he pretty much vanished (disbanded his solo band Newsted, deactivated his social media accounts, etc.) for like two years and did an interview with Eddie Trunk on what the heck happened to him in the last few years.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/newsted_why_i_disbanded_my_solo_band__withdrew_from_music.html