What did you think of Load (Metallica) when it was released?

[Learning2Live]

I loved it. 

I got into Metallica with The Black Album in 92, so this was the first time I got to experience a new Metallica album coming out.  I was in high school, my favorite band was putting out a new record.  At the time, I was very loyal to the band and they meant a lot to me.  So I defended them and this album.  I still do, though now I can see why die-hard thrash and metal fans wouldn't like it.  To me, it's has always sounded like Metallica, even though it's not thrash.  Some great songs, incredible lyrics, and great memories of being so into them and excited about a new album coming out.

Pretty much sums up what I would have wrote. Now in hindsight, I wish they would have just took the best songs from Load and ReLoad and made one album out of it. I too now think there is plenty of filler across those 2 albums. But yea at the time, I was excited as hell and appreciated and respected the direction they went with Load.

[Stadler]

I don't know; for me, not being a thrash fan, the Black - Load - ReLoad - S&M run showed me that they were better than that.  That they had a depth that a lot of other bands either didn't have or didn't bother to show.   Personally, I love James when he sings, as opposed to that sound on MoP and RtL where he sounds like he's singing from the other end of a corrugated drainage pipe.   

I'm not sure about the "I wish they combined them into one" theory; I would have sought out the other songs anyways, so it's kind of moot.  I don't listen to all of both albums; I sort of prefer the more diverse songs (either Hero Of The Day or Bleeding Me is my favorite song from the two records) but I think they are what they are, a musical statement.

[Anxiety35]

I got it the day it came out. I was in college. I didn't like it because I was looking for something else from them musically. When you don't get what you expect, the first impulse is to dislike it.

For what it is musically, it's a very good hard rock album with some very good songs. Today in 2019, I like it.

[425]

I don't know; for me, not being a thrash fan, the Black - Load - ReLoad - S&M run showed me that they were better than that.  That they had a depth that a lot of other bands either didn't have or didn't bother to show.   Personally, I love James when he sings, as opposed to that sound on MoP and RtL where he sounds like he's singing from the other end of a corrugated drainage pipe.   

I'm not sure about the "I wish they combined them into one" theory; I would have sought out the other songs anyways, so it's kind of moot.  I don't listen to all of both albums; I sort of prefer the more diverse songs (either Hero Of The Day or Bleeding Me is my favorite song from the two records) but I think they are what they are, a musical statement.

I agree very strongly with this post. Especially the part about James's vocals, which I think sound very poor on RTL, MOP (and AJFA) in no small part due to whatever weird things they did during production to create that drainage pipe sound.

I also strongly relate to preferring the more diverse songs. My favorite would be one of Hero of the Day, The Outlaw Torn or Fixxxer. Probably Hero.

[DTA]

It's the best Metallica album imo.

I got into them around 1994 after seeing their Woodstock performance so Load was actually the first new album I heard after becoming a fan. I didn't care about genres back then (I was 11), I just knew it was Metallica and I loved it. Until It Sleeps is one of my favorite music videos of all time (along with 1979 by the Pumpkins) and The Outlaw Torn, House That Jack Built, Bleeding Me, and Until It Sleeps are amazing songs. Ain't My Bitch and 2x4 are awesome hard-rock songs too.

[Phoenix87x]

Load was the first Metallica album I got. My uncle gave it to me in 97 and I guess he didn't like it. So I had zero frame of reference to not like it, but I do remember thinking "this is the mighty Metallica?", "This is the band that people always talk about?".

I enjoyed load, but it wasn't until I finally got their first 4 albums that I became a huge Metallica fan.

That being said, Load does have some dark and moody pieces that I really dig.

[KevShmev]

I can certainly see why Until It Sleeps would have been a shock to the system for many - even coming off The Black Album, it is fairly mellow - but damn it if it isn't a really good song.  It's not one of my favorites, but it's got a killer vibe, one you really don't find on any other song they've done.  I will take stuff like that over most of the "we are trying to be metal again even though it's not really what we want to do anymore" material from the last few albums.

[425]

I absolutely love Until It Sleeps. I came to Load at a sort of pivotal time in my life, and I wound up making a pretty strong personal connection to a few of the songs, including that one (even though it wasn't based on the same sort of situation that James wrote the song about). I think there's a lot of raw emotion on it, which to me puts the lie to the notion that it was all about selling out for commercial success.

[mikeyd23]

I was a little too young when the album was released, when I discovered it in the early 2000's while checking out Metallica's back catalog, I loved it. It's aged really well for me too. I probably benefited from experiencing these records after the fact, so I had no expectations for the Loads to sound like previous work or not, I didn't have a good enough grasp of the catalog at that point.

[MirrorMask]

I can certainly see why Until It Sleeps would have been a shock to the system for many - even coming off The Black Album, it is fairly mellow - but damn it if it isn't a really good song.  It's not one of my favorites, but it's got a killer vibe, one you really don't find on any other song they've done. 

Ditto. Until it Sleeps is great. And the video was wickedly cool, the teenager in me found totally badass them starting to play their instruments towards the end of the song, when the last chorus kicks in. Of course back then all you could think of watching the video was "geez, they all have short hair now".

[Cruithne]

I remember them debuting 2x4 at a live gig that was broadcast somewhere, I'm assuming on the radio but memory fails me, and Hetfield ending the song with a proud "You like that!?" shout.

Uhm... no.

Still don't, it's bang average.

Between that reducing expectations and the various interviews and publicity efforts that went into the album letting us know roughly what was coming it turned out to be surprisingly good. Bloated with too much filler, but where it was good it was still really good and Hetfield's voice was the MVP of the album.

I wasn't overly chuffed about them letting Kirk play rhythm guitar on the album as it robbed us of the blueprint of a Metallica album up to that point - Hetfield's crushingly precise rhythm playing.

[Zantera]

The House Jack Built is an underrated song I never felt got enough love, some killer riffs in it and some really catchy hooks as well. Overall I think the first half of Load is really strong, second half is perhaps where you could point out the weaker tracks but you still have Mama Said which may not be very Metallica but still a good ballad IMO and ofc you're ending with one of their finest moments in The Outlaw Torn.

Reload definitely felt like it got the short straw out of the 2 albums for me. Fixxxer is indeed great and a very underrated tune in their discography but I always felt Fuel and The Memory Remains were a bit overhyped and I don't think either has anything against the "hits" from Load like Until it Sleeps or King Nothing. If i was to make a combined album of Load/Reload I think it would be 80% Load.

[MirrorMask]

I agree that The House Jack Built is awesome and underrated! I think they barely, if ever, played it live... it's worthy of the third, midtempo track slot of old.

[ytserush]

That it was a Load of course! I've since warmed to it a bit over the years.  I can at least listen to it now.

[TAC]

So now it's a warm Load?

[ytserush]

So now it's a warm Load?

Yes.

[KevShmev]

I've always liked The House That Jack Built a lot as well.

I was pretty high on Thorn Within at first, but while the riffing is still pretty killer, the vocal melodies seem just kind of weird now, and the song is now one I never turn on anymore.

[Adami]

I love Thorn Within. It’s unfortunate (for me) that most people dislike it 

Has the band ever played it live?

[Ruba]

I love Thorn Within.

Has the band ever played it live?

No.

I've heard it once on radio and it's one of my favourites on Load. But I doubt they'd ever play it.

[KevShmev]

Aren't there a lot of songs from Load that they never played?  The only time I saw Metallica was in 1998 and IIRC we only got a few songs each from both Load and ReLoad.  Granted, Bleeding Me was one of them, which kicked ass, but it seems like they sure didn't give a lot of love to those albums in the live sets.

[dparrott]

Eh, that solo in AMB threw me for a loop, Hero is weak, the rest of it's different but cool.  King Nothing should have been the first single. 

[MirrorMask]

I love Thorn Within. It’s unfortunate (for me) that most people dislike it 

Here's one of the few that likes it!

[soupytwist]

My initial reaction to the album was it was decent, some very good songs, some bad ones and several OK ones.   I hadn't listened to it for years (decades...) and have just given it a listen now.

So it's still a frustrating album.   A few bland songs, which while not outright bad don't really add much to the album aside from length.  'Wasting my Hate' is biggest example of that, totally forgettable.   There are a couple of complete duds '2 x 4' and 'Thorn Inside' just crap.  'King Nothing' and 'Hero of the Day' weren't as enjoyable as I hoped, I remember these too as highlights back in the day. 
On the positive 'Until it Sleeps' is still a classic and 'Bleeding Me' is one I'd mostly forgotten about and is great.  'The Outlaw Torn' is a great closer too.   'Mama' and 'Ronnie' are both enjoyable 'non' Metallica sounding songs and surprisingly 'Poor Twisted Me' was far better than I remembered.   And for a song I couldn't remember anything about 'Cure' was a solid entry.

I remember at the time I preferred ReLoad so I'm doing a re-listen to that later too.

[Podaar]

The first thing I heard (on the radio) from the album was King Nothing, and I hated it. A week or so later I heard Until it Sleeps and loved it. So, of course I bought the album.    I really liked most of it but the aforementioned KN and Mama Said were auto skips.

Over the years, it hasn't aged well for me. When I listen to it now, I generally start the album at Bleeding Me... so that's about five tracks I skip at the start. Mama Said isn't so bad to me anymore, but I tend to zone out when it's on.