Deadeye Deep Dives: Metallica (Chapter 13: 72 Seasons)

[axeman90210]

Master of Puppets- Maybe the most important album in the history of heavy metal. Metallica took what they did on Ride the Lightning and refined it further, and the result is a murderer's row of metal classics. Battery is a bone-crushing opener, and it's followed by maybe the quintessential Metallica song in the title track. Thing is easily the low spot on the album for me (and I'd take every song on RtL over it too), but Sanitarium is another iconic track. It's telling that two songs as strong as Leper Messiah and Disposable Heroes are reduced to deep cut status. Orion is Cliff at his finest

[Deadeye21]

Metallica (The Black Album) - 1991
Tracklisting: 1. Enter Sandman. 2. Sad But True. 3. Holier Than Thou. 4. The Unforgiven. 5. Wherever I May Roam. 6. Don’t Tread On Me. 7. Through the Never. 8. Nothing Else Matters. 9. Of Wolf and Man. 10. The God That Failed. 11. My Friend of Misery. 12. The Struggle Within.

https://open.spotify.com/album/3dck2tBxGfxj9m3CguDgjb?si=mzbyN5ekTuSJQ565u7gTsw

The Damaged Justice Tour saw Metallica out on the road from September 1988 until October 1989. It was the band’s most successful at the time and boasted an awesome setlist which could easily be described as the best of for the 80s. While we can get into their legendary performance in Seattle a bit more next week in our second bonus content round, it’s safe to say that this was something Metallica could truly be proud of. It was no secret that they were becoming a force to be reckoned with live and this just cemented it further.

During the process of making their fifth album, Metallica’s management contacted Bob Rock to mix the album. He had become notable for producing Motley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood album amongst some other huge records, but had also been in attendance for Metallica’s show in Vancouver on the Justice cycle. He accepted the job but stated “I don’t just want to mix it, I want to produce it”. In his first meeting with the band, he laid it all out on the line. “I’ve seen you play live, I’ve listened to all the records, and I don’t feel like you’ve really captured what you do live in a record yet”. This piqued Metallica’s interest, especially to James and Lars who had always been the captains at the helm, deciding where and how everything should go. This time, they felt they had a fifth member who was there to get the best out of them.

So, they got together and somewhere between October of 1990 and June of 1991, Metallica and Bob Rock made history. Many changes were implemented from how …And Justice For All was done. For one, the plan was to write a much more straight-forward and cohesive album as a response to the progressive overload. Jason’s bass was something that was hugely readdressed after it’s notable absence. They were no longer recording separately either, with a lot of the bed tracks for the album being recorded live.

Demos of the songs were completed in September of 1990. Enter Sandman would be the first song written, but the last to receive lyrics. Bob Rock had expected this to be an easy production, but instead it was a nightmare for the band and him alike. Bob often changed the schedules and routines, to the point that Metallica swore never to work with him again after this production was over, which is definitely not how it ended up but again we’ll get there. Kirk, Lars and Jason all also went through divorces at the time, which Kirk feels influenced their performance as they “tried to take the feelings of guilt and failure and channel them into the music to  get something positive out of them”.   
The album was recorded at One on One Studios in LA, though a week of overdub work also happened at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver. It was re-mixed 3 times and cost over a million dollars.

Five singles were released from the album between July 1991 and February of 1993. Enter Metallica, more commonly referred to as The Black Album. The album sold 650,000 copies in it’s release weekend and was certified platinum within a few weeks. The Black Album topped the charts in Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Germany and New Zealand. It also reached numbers four and five in Finland and Austria. By 1997, the album had been certified diamond. The Australian Recording Industry Awards shows the album has been certified platinum 11 times and the American records show that 15,776,000 copies have been sold to date. Even more recently, Sandman has cracked 1,000,000,000+ streams.

So, the music behind that amazing black cover, is it worth all these accolades? Take my hand, we’re off to Black Album land.

We open with Metallica’s most overplayed song of all time, Enter Sandman. It’s weird, I am so over this song but every time I listen to it, I still have a great time. I think this works well as the start of the album as it still offers a great build into the main riff as we’ve had on previous albums, though it also shows off the more simple approach that this album will be taking throughout it’s runtime. The lyrics deal with nightmares, though original ideas for the lyrics featured crib death and a dysfunctional family. I think this song displays some of the best guitar tones in Metallica’s entire catalog  especially in that main distorted tone. Mixed in with massive drums and great bass, straight off the bat this sounds like one of the best produced albums they’d done to date. I wish Kirk would put those little fills from the ending back in though,  those lines sound great.

Up next is Sad But True, our first downtuned song since The Thing That Should Not Be. This song is really heavy, even if it’s easy to feel like it’s not quite as metal as songs on the previous albums. Lars keeps to the standard rock beat for most of this one which, coupled with the main riff, gives this song a very bouncy feel. This song is about people and their inner demons that eventually completely take over their lives. This is one of my favourite main riffs on the album, but it’s another song that has been massively overplayed over the years. This song also feels like a great example of how strong James’ vocals are on this album. That signature Hetfield growl is on fine display here, especially in those “hey”s. I feel like the structure of the solo section also took a page out of the book of The Shortest Straw but spent a bit of extra time on making it perfect, with the guitar solo, vocal bridge (that’s actually part of the chorus revisited) and then second guitar solo back into the third verse. The difference here is that the chorus reprisal is handled differently, taking three main lines and adding some vocal harmonies in the background that I really love, and also making it connect to the closing verse a lot better.

Holier Than Thou, the third track on the album actually has the most interesting history for any track in the record. In Rock’s original vision as the album was beginning to take shape, this song was not only the lead single from the album but also the album opener. It was something of mass debate between the band and Bob Rock. I feel that ultimately the right call was made, as it’s pretty perfect in the third slot. This intro is one of  the closest riffs to 80s Metallica on display here, though it’s not quite reaching the pace that they would’ve had it at on Master or Justice. I love the use of the talkbox effect that brings in the riff before the whole band gets in on it. There’s actually a lot to love in this song, from the vocal harmonies and guitar fills in the second verse to a great solo from Kirk and that rebuild after it. However, my favourite part of the song is actually the harmony right before the solo, it’s such a great section. The lyrics here are, as the name suggests, the “holier than thou” attitude that people seem to exhibit. Apparently, Bob Rock thought the lyrics were directed at him, though Hetfield penned them more generally at people in the music industry who are always quick to point the finger. There’s an absolutely lethal bite to this song and I absolutely love it.

Uo next, our traditional track 4 ballad, The Unforgiven. Opening with a reversed sample from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (I’ve heard some people suggest it’s directly from The Ecstasy of Gold, Metallica’s intro tape) before coming into a riff that very much gives me “cowboy western” feels. The Unforgiven actually flips the formula from previous ballads on it’s head by opting for a heavy verse/soft chorus approach, which I feel is a great idea to play around with. I’ve heard several different meanings surrounding this one, one of which turns this into the first of two pseudo-sequels to Dyers Eve by being about Hetfield’s childhood and feelings of maybe having lost a lot of himself through the Christian beliefs that his mother’s side of the family held and his father leaving at a young age. I love the more sensitive side of James’ voice that comes out in this song. I also think this solo really is one of Kirk’s best, even if this was completely different to what he had planned to do and this was really an outburst after having to replay the solo so many times. I have to say as a brief aside, sometimes yields the best results, seeing as it’s what brought about Bruce Dickinson’s Number of the Beast scream. (Maybe I should do Iron Maiden next?). Anyway, this is a song that I have never found a perfect live version of. In my opinion, this is a song that is very much amplified by the studio tricks like the extra harmony layers throughout the ending. It’s such a great song though, it might even be my favourite of the five singles from the album.                         


Uo next, Wherever I May Roam. This one starts with something I really want to talk about in general from the Black Album, which is the use of different instrumentation. This song starts with the most obvious example of it being there, with sitars and a 12-string bass providing that low cracking sound, but there are so many great examples of it on the record.
Roam starts off properly with exploding snare drums straight into the main riff and man, what a great riff it is! This song is about life on the road, and it seems so appropriate to have that eastern feeling to it all to almost symbolically show off that “well-travelled” feeling. It’s an absolute banger of a track too with a few great instrumental sections as well. The pre-chorus is one of my favourite sections here, the “anywhere” vocal line just has so much cool emphasis, but that last chorus has such a great feeling to it too. I especially love the final line before the title line playoff, “carved upon my stone: my body lies but still I roam”. The harmony on this song is really cool, but this is definitely Kirk’s best soloing on the album for my mind. The real question is wether the first or second solo is better. I’m a first solo kinda guy, but there’s plenty of second solo people out there.

Opening up a run of deeper cuts, we have Don’t Tread On Me, which is kinda the closest thing to a title track that this album has due to the album cover. See, the don’t tread on me moniker is taken from a flag that dates back to the American Revolution in 1775. Also on that flag is a coiled timber rattlesnake on a field of yellow (which looking at it now gives me 72 Seasons vibes, they should bring this song back on M72!). The same snake was then featured on the cover of the Black Album, so for me, this song is pretty much the closest thing we get to a title track.
We open with a rhythmic pattern before Kirk adds the chorus of America from West Side Story to the mix. We then get our main riff before James comes in with a powerful vocal. I feel this song is about pride in America and defending liberties at home, but written in context of the snake itself being the main subject. I love the chorus here, it’s probably my favourite chorus on the album. It’s another song that’s got a real edge to it. I love the slightly swung hi-hat groove from Lars, I think the riff is killer. The solo is pretty great, but there’s a really cool variation on the main riff right after it that really brings it home for me. For a song that the band seem to deride as the filler track, I think this is an absolute banger. And that in itself should speak to how great this album is.

Here we have a rarity that I’ve gotten to see live at both of my Metallica shows so far and one of my favourites from the album, Through The Never. This song is pretty direct about what it’s all about in it’s first verse. “Questions pending the limitation of human understanding”. It’s about the exploration of the universe and how many of the questions we may have will never be answered as the limits of human understanding may never actually allow us to understand what we do find. The main riff here is super simple, but it’s a killer riff. Kirk’s soloing here is another really cool one, which definitely ranks highly in his solos of the 90s for me. This bridge also has that Master of Puppets effect for me, where it is easily the highlight of the whole song for me. The bridge riff alone is probably the second best riff on the entire album and the panning “on through the never” is just an awesome sounding effect. It’s one of my absolute favourite tracks from the Black Album and I get really pumped up every time I hear it.

Then we get to the longest song of the album. Nothing Else Matters. I feel like we’ve all heard this a million times. It’s a great song, but man, is there anything left to even say about it? This song features a tambourine in the intro, as well as some twelve-string guitars and an orchestra. I think that’s probably the most important thing to ask about in this song for a historical context. The score for the orchestra in this song was written by a man named Michael Kamen, who was primarily a film composer known for having worked on Highlander, Die Hard and the James Bond film Licence to Kill, but he had also worked with Aerosmith, Pink Floyd and Queen on massive songs and albums of theirs. He came into the fold through Metallica’s management and during a meeting with the band mentioned that “it would be kinda great to maybe do a live show with your songs and a symphony”.
Another interesting thing to note is that this song does not contain any tracks recorded by Kirk Hammett. James had written this song privately and had never intended for it to be a Metallica song until Lars pushed him for it. Kirk didn’t learn it until the touring cycle for the album was about to begin and it actually didn’t emerge onto the setlists until March of 1992 while the tour had started properly back in October of 1991. I think it was actually the last song from the album to be introduced that was played in the Wherever We May Roam cycle of 91-93. The song is about the feeling of missing home and loved ones while out on tour. I think it’s a great ballad, I play it live in my own solo sets sometimes, but this doesn’t reach the heights of Fade, Sanitarium or even The Unforgiven in my book.

Of Wolf and Man is up next, boasting the best main riff of the album. Admittedly, taken at face value, the lyrics for this one can seem pretty silly and straightforward as being just about a wolf or a werewolf. I’m fine with this personally, it’s good to have something a little more lighthearted given what the song following this one will be about, but I know some people don’t like it and have come up with their own interpretations. My favourite of which is that the wolf here is a metaphor for someone being intoxicated. The intro slaps hard and I really like the way that the main riff takes a minute to come n at full force. James’ vocals are great on this one and the chorus is kinda great here.  I love the solo and I think this one offers another great bridge, which you all know I love. Of Wolf and Man is a great song, but I think most of it is said best just by hearing it. The chorus has a really cool clean guitar passage under the vocals at points, just to bring up more interesting tidbits.

Next, we have a very dark song and the first time we will hear Metallica tune down to what would become their standard live tuning of Eb, The God That Failed. What makes this song so dark is that it’s all based in a true story  The song is based around looking to God to heal the world, but finding no such relief. The God That Failed came from James’ experience with Christian Science, which holds that God will heal you if you are to be healed and bars consulting doctors or other 'unnatural' assistance when sick because "your body is just a shell". Both of Hetfield's parents died of cancer and James felt that God didn't intervene to save them as their faith made them believe.  "The healing hand held back by the deepened nail, follow the God that failed".
It’s kinda great to hear a drum and bass intro after everything else that has come up over the course of this album. I love the panned start on the intro riff, which also contains the sound of James cocking his lever action shotgun beneath it. I can really feel James giving this lyric his all. I think this is my favourite solo from Kirk on the whole of the Black Album, the whole song ranks up there as one of my favourites from the album as well.

We have arrived at likely the deepest cut from the album, the second of three songs to have a Jason Newsted writing credit (probably the one most associated with him), My Friend of Misery. My take on the lyrics here is that it’s abkut someone trying to help everyone around them but keeps making problems for themselves in doing so. I personally feel like the verses are a bit boring, but the chorus is absolutely awesome. Still, for a song that Jason submitted as being an idea for the instrumental of the album, it’s no surprise that the instrumental middle section of this song is an absolute highlight. The bass riff with the volume swells is awesome, so is the clean section that leads into a really cool harmony solo. Kirk is in fine form for two blistering solos on this one. I really love that chorus riff, making for another of my favourite riffs on the album. Probably my second most favourite non-main riff, actually.

At last, we come to the closer of the album. The Struggle Within. The intro for this song is just amazing, I can kinda hear it as being a call to arms, kinda like the last minutes before a war in a movie. These lyrics were written and performed on the last day of recording. James had run out of steam for writing lyrics, which is totally fair given there are 12 songs on the album, and he has since admitted that the titular “struggle within” is the trouble that he had coming up with lyrics for this song. I think it’s a fantastic closer. The pace harkens back to something that could’ve been on Master with the vocal aggression of Justice. The solo is a belter, and my absolute favourite riff on the album is played straight after it for pretty much only one go around. The other thing I find really cool is that this song could also have been a pretty great album opener if they had extended out the intro, as Metallica showed off in 2012 when performing the Black Album in it’s entirety but back-to-front live for it’s 20th anniversary. Check it out here, I think you’ll agree.  (https://youtu.be/9vCJDxsKvEM , starts at around 16:21)

[Deadeye21]

And that is the Black Album. Yeah, this thing goes hard! I think it deserves every bit of praise it gets. I know that some fans think it’s a total betrayal, but I see it more as an evolution. There was only so far they could go with the sound that they had in the 80s, which was brought to its pinnacle on …And Justice For All. While they likely could have had another album of long, progressive songs under their belt, I feel that this was the right path to go down. I actually think it’s a more cohesive album than Justice ever was. I give it a 10, even if there are songs that are massively overplayed because they’re overplayed for a reason. My one word summation for this album would probably be Supremacy given how long this stayed at number one and how much of an impact it still holds for them today.

Coming up next week, Metallica’s first live release, Live Shit: Binge and Purge. This will see us going back in time to the 1989, but also features two full shows from the Wherever We May Roam tour. Catch ya on tour next Friday. 

(Apparently, there’s a character limit, so I may have to cut things into two posts going forward)

[axeman90210]

The Black Album was foundational for me getting into music in the first place. Growing up I never really was at all. As I got into middle school (~200-2001) I gradually started getting into some rock music, both recent past (Nirvana, early Green Day) and at the time current (Disturbed, Linkin Park). A couple of my friends cobbled together a band and played the school talent show and a couple graduation parties. The lead guitar player was pretty decent and had a gorgeous Steve Vai signature guitar, and when they added Enter Sandman to their repertoire I remember watching him play that solo and thinking it was just about the coolest thing ever. I bought myself The Black Album on CD and it didn't leave my portable player for the whole summer. Eventually a coworker heard about my new favorite album and gave me Master and Justice and I was off to the races. I understand being a metal head at the time and feeling betrayed by the shift in style, but I still think this album is great. Are the hits played to death... absolutely, but only because they're great songs. And a lot of the deep cuts are at least good, if not better. I'm particularly fond of The God That Failed and My Friend of Misery.

Because I became such a Metallica fan, I spent the early part of my high school years frequenting the official Metallica forums. At some point there was a "Recommend other bands for Metallica fans" thread and someone was effusive in their praise of this song The Glass Prison by a band called Dream Theater. That's how I first heard about and decided to check out DT, which eventually led me to the forums on dt.net, and 20 years later here I am

[Grappler]

At last, we come to the closer of the album. The Struggle Within. The intro for this song is just amazing, I can kinda hear it as being a call to arms, kinda like the last minutes before a war in a movie. These lyrics were written and performed on the last day of recording. James had run out of steam for writing lyrics, which is totally fair given there are 12 songs on the album, and he has since admitted that the titular “struggle within” is the trouble that he had coming up with lyrics for this song. I think it’s a fantastic closer. The pace harkens back to something that could’ve been on Master with the vocal aggression of Justice. The solo is a belter, and my absolute favourite riff on the album is played straight after it for pretty much only one go around. The other thing I find really cool is that this song could also have been a pretty great album opener if they had extended out the intro, as Metallica showed off in 2012 when performing the Black Album in it’s entirety but back-to-front live for it’s 20th anniversary. Check it out here, I think you’ll agree.  (https://youtu.be/9vCJDxsKvEM , starts at around 16:21)

I LOVE that riff after the solo, just like you do and always forget that it's there. 

The Black Album is what got me into heavy metal.  A friend told me I had to hear this new song, and played me the live version of Enter Sandman from Tushino Airfield.  The power of that song, the sound of the electric guitars - it truly changed my life.  I got a cassette of this album afterwards and listened to nothing else for a year.  And I'm serious about that - it was the only music I wanted to hear when I was 12 years old, listening over and over and over again.  I remember having a bunch of shirts from this era as well as I got into the band.

It's still a very heavy album, even if it's not thrashy.  There's a few faster paced songs and tons of monster riffs throughout the record.  I can't add much after your giant review. 

[Deadeye21]

I LOVE that riff after the solo, just like you do and always forget that it's there. 

It's still a very heavy album, even if it's not thrashy.  There's a few faster paced songs and tons of monster riffs throughout the record.  I can't add much after your giant review.

I love the version on the end of Metallica’s official live videos in 2021. Jump to about 6:39 in this video and tell me why the hell they couldn’t have just done this on the album? https://youtu.be/hQMUEYahBy8

Agreed. It’s a massive album. I think it’s at this point they started to realise they could make heavy songs and slow down a bit. They didn’t have to be at 250 BPM the whole time to make a good song.

[twosuitsluke]

This album is and was everything. It has got to be the album I have listened to most in my life. It changed everything for me, and without it who knows if I'd be posting here on DTF. I mean probably, but still.

I can't think of an album that has been a better gateway drug into the world of metal that any other. So many millions of my generation and younger generations were drawn in by this perfect album. From my experience, the experience of countless friends over the years, and so many musicians I've read interviews with, it all started here for so many. For most it was Enter Sandman that started insatiable lust for a style of music that made them feel THIS WAY. It was like a drug. Music had never made me feel this way before. I miss the days when I would just have an album on repeat for days/weeks/months, and this was the ultimate.

I can't imagine another metal album ever crossing over into the mainstream like this juggernaut did.

Before we even touch on the iconic songs, the production on this album is just off the charts. It's perfection and I'm savouring the thought of buying it on vinyl and playing it loud for the first time. Everything just sounds suitably huge on this record, the perfect back drop for the world domination that was to come. It astounds me to thos day that it sounds as good as it does. I've also come to appreciate how vital Bob Rock was to all of it. He really pushed the band in a way they weren't used to (and hated) but the results speak for themselves. Rock had a vision and deserves more credit than he gets.

But the songs. Fuck! The songs. I can tell you that I love each and every one of these fuckers and they all need to be played over and over, to every new generation. I can't pick a favourite because they are essentially all my favourite, even if I've heard them too many times.

These songs were also the first time music painted a visual picture in my minds eye. I can see a dusty cowboy roaming, an old man who has endured so much, a man with primal urges of a wolf etc. James' lyrics and vocal delivery took me on a journey, the drums pounded my heart and the guitars fuelled my soul. The first side of the album is just loaded and Sad But True, The Unforgiven and Wherever I May Roam hold a special place. Back in the day I found The God that Failed and My Friend of Misery to be the duds, but I love them now. The Struggle Within was alwaysca song that only I felt I truly loved. Its the perfect 'sprint to the finish' to end the album. That solo that hits after James says "STRUGGLE" is just so damn good.

I suppose if I had to rank it'd probably be...

Wherever I May Roam
The Unforgiven
My Friend of Misery
Sad But True
The God That Failed
The Struggle Within
Nothing Else Matters
Of Wolf and Man
Don't Tread On Me
Through the Never
Holier Than Thou
Enter Sandman

[nobloodyname]

Here's my dilemma with the black album: I don't like it. But what a great list of tunes that is, twosuitsluke, eh?

The black album was the first to come out after I'd become a fan. I vividly remember listening to it for the first time, and I remember the utter befuddlement I felt at James's singing on Nothing and Unforgiven.

I also remember how disappointed I was when I saw them live for the first time (1992: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/1992/nec-arena-birmingham-england-1bd6ed2c.html). It was all so removed from the dangerous and edgy performances I'd seen of the Justice and Puppets tours. And the 20 minute version of Seek and Destroy? Just awful. I've only seen Metallica in the flesh three times to this day, despite them being one of my favourite bands, and I don't think I've ever felt a real connection to them live although that says more about me than them, of course.

[nobloodyname]

Also, this EP was out of print between 89 and 2018, so that’s why you could never find it.

Although it was available in this set, released in 1990: https://www.discogs.com/release/1116190-Metallica-The-Good-The-Bad-The-Live-The-6%C2%BD-Year-Anniversary-12-Collection

I actually still have the set although I think I'm missing the poster. Edit: nope, no poster. And wow, the records smell like I just got them from a second hand record shop

[billboy73]

The Black Album alienated a lot of old fans, but also brought a ton of new fans to the table.  They toured for so long behind this album.  For me, it is a well-produced and well-crafted album.  I don't think it is as dumbed-down as many people make it out to be.  A few of the songs still have quite a few parts.  There is not a ton of speed here though, and James as a lyricist and vocalist makes a huge leap on this album.

Enter Sandman - Take a main riff and build the song all around that.  The intro works very well.  Obviously this song has been
                          played to death, but it is iconic.

Sad But True - This song sounds huge with the production on the album, and it gets into a nice groove. 

Holier Than Thou - Pretty cool main riff and the harmony part leading into the solo is nice.  I like the just drums and bass
                            section before the main riff comes back in too.

The Unforgiven - This song has an epic feel, and Bob and Lars pushed Kirk, and he came up with a really solid lead section.

Wherever I May Roam - My favorite song on the record.  Love the main riff and the middle eastern feel.  The tom and snare
                                   groove of the verses is really cool.  The harmony section is awesome too.  The outro, especially live is
                                   great too.

Don't Tread On Me - Never been a huge fan of this song, but it's not terrible.  The verses are cool, but the chorus is a little
                              clunky for me.

Through the Never - Solid main riff and I love the "on through the never" section.  Great solo from Kirk.  Probably my 2nd
                              favorite song on the album.

Nothing Else Matters - Love the intro that builds from the open string pattern.  Definitely the biggest leap for James vocally. 
                                 The vocal harmonies sound really nice.  James' outro solo brings the feels too.

Of Wolf and Man - Another song that builds off of one main riff.  The "I feel a change" section is really cool.

The God That Failed - Another great heavy, groovy song here.  Has a nice chorus and James sounds great on these lyrics
                                relating to his childhood.

My Friend of Misery - Epic song built around Jason's dark bass riff.  The middle section is really good.  The chorus is really
                               interesting with the way it fits in with the rest of the song.  It's in F# while the rest of the song is in Am. 
                               I could do without the cowbell on the chorus though.  I love the way Lars picks it up in the outro to end
                               out the song.

The Struggle Within - Sweet intro that goes into a solid closer that picks up the tempo a bit.

Overall, it's a solid record that made Metallica a household name. 

[Dream Team]

So, the Black Album. I realize how many people love it, and it DOES have good catchy song-writing, but it was the most disappointing album of my life up until that point.

The thing that bothers me most I guess is that every song has the same drum beat, and to a lesser extent the same guitar solo (with some notable exceptions). James overdoes the "Yeah"s and  the way he ends each vocal line was meme-worthy at that point. But I don't begrudge the success they achieved by going this route, it sure as hell beats having a bunch of cringey glam bands as the leaders of "metal".

My Friend of Misery
Wherever I May Roam
Through the Never
Sad But True
Of Wolf and Man
Enter Sandman
Holier Than Thou
Struggle Within
Don't Tread on Me
The Unforgiven
Nothing Else Matters
The God that Failed

And for Justice:
Dyer's Eve
One
Blackened
The Frayed Ends of Sanity
The Shortest Straw
Eye of the Beholder
And Justice for All
To Live is to Die
Harvester of Sorrow

[Stadler]

it's interesting about "points of view".  I was familiar with Master and ...And Justice at that point, and liked it not loved it. I thought that Justice had promise, but that Metallica was a one-trick pony and I wasn't a huge fan of that trick (thrash in general is not my thing).  I recognize TBA for what it is in terms of their career, but I also viewed it as an example of how great that band could be.  That album showed me they were the real deal (at least Hetfield and Ulrich).  I still want the next step:  I want to hear either the band, or James solo (preferable), do an album that is in the vein of, say, the live "Tuesday's Gone" from the Garage, Inc. set.   Acoustic/electric, more lyrical... 

But this record really opened the door for me for Metallica.  Except for St. Anger, I prefer everything from TBA to after over that which came before, but it really explained to me why Metallica is as big as they are. 

[Deadeye21]

Except for St. Anger, I prefer everything from TBA to after over that which came before, but it really explained to me why Metallica is as big as they are.

We shall certainly get there soon enough mate. We haven’t yet hit my favourite album and we won’t for some time yet.

[DoctorAction]

Liked it a lot when it came out. The stretch into more melodic areas didn't bother me at all, while it did a lot of my mates. They deserve the success they got with it. Totally did what they set out to.

I still think some of the parts are great (the Through the Never riffs are just perfect) but my enjoyment of it wore off a long time ago. These days I find it dull as ditch water. I don't even like the sound.

If I were to play a song from it, I'd choose Struggle Within or Sad But True.

[DTA]

it's interesting about "points of view".  I was familiar with Master and ...And Justice at that point, and liked it not loved it. I thought that Justice had promise, but that Metallica was a one-trick pony and I wasn't a huge fan of that trick (thrash in general is not my thing).  I recognize TBA for what it is in terms of their career, but I also viewed it as an example of how great that band could be.  That album showed me they were the real deal (at least Hetfield and Ulrich).  I still want the next step:  I want to hear either the band, or James solo (preferable), do an album that is in the vein of, say, the live "Tuesday's Gone" from the Garage, Inc. set.   Acoustic/electric, more lyrical... 

But this record really opened the door for me for Metallica.  Except for St. Anger, I prefer everything from TBA to after over that which came before, but it really explained to me why Metallica is as big as they are.

I absolutely believe this is going to happen at some point. He's already shown that he appreciates and works well in that vein, so I think it's just a matter of time. Probably after the 72 Seasons tour

[The Realm]

Sorry a bit behind.

Justice - this was a first day buy for me (on cassette). I worshiped James Hetfield after this album came out, he was a metal god to me. I was playing lots of guitar at this time and I used to spend hours upon hours in my bedroom learning all his rhythm parts then I would play along to the album pretending I was James....great times and memories..

The Black Album - on release day this was a huge let down. But it was Metallica so I persisted and continued to listen to it but some of it has never really clicked. The production and sound was awesome, probably the best sounding album of the time. The improvement in James vocals was the next biggest thing, he does sound massive on this album and other albums going forward from here. Overall though the songs were just too samey and one dimentional compared to what came before.

[Deadeye21]

Live Sh*t: Binge and Purge - 1993
Setlists:
Mexico ‘93:
Enter Sandman, Creeping Death, Harvester of Sorrow, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Sad But True, Of Wolf and Man, The Unforgiven, Justice Medley, Bass/Guitar Solos, Through the Never, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets, Seek and Destroy, Whiplash, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam, Am I Evil?, Last Caress, One, So What/Battery, The Four Horsemen, Motorbreath, Stone Cold Crazy.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6TXWP5SAhTB9P0GN4tOT0B?si=kI2mo0zIQbeoXoVvxzqoAw

San Diego ‘92:
Enter Sandman, Creeping Death, Harvester of Sorrow, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Sad But True, Wherever I May Roam, Bass Solo/Orion Jam, Through the Never, The Unforgiven, Justice Medley, Drum Solo/Battle, Guitar Solo, The Four Horsemen, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Fade to Black, Whiplash, Master of Puppets, Seek and Destroy, One, Last Caress, Am I Evil?, Battery, Stone Cold Crazy.

Seattle ‘89:
Blackened, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Harvester of Sorrow, The Thing That Should Not Be, Bass Solo/To Live Is To Die Jam, Master of Puppets, Fade to Black, Seek and Destroy, …And Justice For All, One, Creeping Death, Guitar Solo/Little Wing, Battery, Frayed Ends Jam/Last Caress, Am I Evil?, Whiplash, Breadfan. 

If there’s a band that best thrives on the road, it’s Metallica. These days, it seems that hardly a year goes by without Metallica being on tour. It seems that these days, we’re never too far away from the next live album or livestream from the band thanks to the wonders of modern day technology. Hell, thanks to the nugs.net service, we have great sounding audio from just about every show from 2004 onwards. But, back in the day, we weren’t quite so lucky. Such an event was few and far between for most bands and became something of a special event. For bands like Rush, live albums at this point could have been used to bookmark different eras in the band’s history.

For Metallica, our first live release was nothing short of special. Packaged as a miniature road case and including a recreation of the snake pit pass, a photo booklet of tour photos, a stencil of the new “Scary Guy” logo and 3CDs and 3 VHS tapes of live footage, Metallica unleashed Live Sh*t: Binge and Purge on November 23rd, 1993. The CDs contained audio of their shows in Mexico City, recorded over five nights between February 25th and March 2nd, 1993. VHS tapes 1 and 2 contained footage from Sam Diego on January 13th and 14th, 1992, while the third tape was recorded on the Damaged Justice tour in Seattle on August 29th and 30th of 1989.

Alright, so starting with the audio only segment from Mexico City, 1993. I enjoy it well enough, but I don’t come back to this one all too often. I find that the mix is a little bit dry for my liking and even in headphones, Kirk’s solos early in the show seem to be a little faint under Hetfield and Newsted’s rhythm section. The benefits that I find in the Mexico City shows over the San Diego shows are a little bit more in terms of a slight personal preference. Something from the two Black era shows that really tend to bore me are the solo sections. What I like here is that the Bass and Guitar solos are merged into one single segment. I enjoy the little teasers within the segment and I really like the way that Jason and Kirk come together on a jam of Dazed and Confused and then they use it as a handover point into the guitar solo from the bass solo. The last repeating melody from Kirk is something that I wish I knew what it was. He plays it both solos from this era that we have here. I’d be fascinated to know what it’s from, if anything. I really like the 12-string sound during the clean sections of Fade to Black here, which is a real unique difference on this version that isn’t on the San Diego performance or any subsequent live releases from over the years. Also unique to this portion of the release are Of Wolf and Man (which happens to be one of my favourite tracks on this release), Nothing Else Matters (which debuted nearly two months after the San Diego shows), So What (a cover of a song by Anfi-Nowhere League which was a b-side to the Sad But True single, which I will cover on the Garage Inc. review) and Motorbreath (which is performed really well here). I think this is a pretty cool show, but as I said, I rarely revisit this one. I’d give it a 7 personally.

Now, San Diego, a little over a year before. This one is actually pretty cool. I really like the idea of the 20 minute MetalliMovie that lays out the Metallica journey up to that point. I think the mix on this portion of the collection is actually way better and maybe a tighter performance. I actually love the song choices in this one, even if I do miss Of Wolf and Man from Mexico City. What I dislike here is that there is a lot more time taken up be the momentum killing solo sections. That isn’t to say that I think the solo sections are terrible, heaven forbid. I think the instrumental mastery that Jason, Kirk and even Lars show off in their segments are really cool. I also really enjoy James playing drums during the drum solo. I just wish these sections were shorter. I have to say that my favourite song on both Mexico City and San Diego is actually the Justice Medley. Hearing so many great parts stuck together like that is actually a really cool arrangement and I’m undecided which show had the better performance. I almost love the Orion interlude being performed, though I think Jason’s way of playing it is different and actually feels kinda wrong on the ear to me. Now, of course, we have to bring up the fact that Seek and Destroy was waaaayyyyyyy overcooked here. Jason singing it is cool. Stretching the song out to double the length with just a lot of Hetfield getting the audience to sing the title over and over again isn’t. It just loses me after the first couple of minutes. I also really don’t like that they abandon Master of Puppets right before it gets to the best section of the song. Still, many of the songs here are nothing shy of amazing. Through the Never, One and Battery are among my absolute favourites here. One is particularly cool, with James and a Kirk having a bit of a guitar duel after the harmony section. The stage design on this tour was pretty cool, but I feel that the way that the show is filmed never quite reveals how enormous this one was. It was fully in the round and even had the snake pit in the middle, which allowed for lucky fans to be within the stage area itself. I wish it had been shown off a little more, but it felt like way too much of the show was close shots on the band or the crowd and never so much about the staging. Nonetheless, I give this one an 8.5.

We close off this collection with a show that ranks among most fans’ favourites. Seattle ‘89. I’m not gonna lie, I can see exactly why so many say that. The aggression that was merely felt within the albums seems to completely fuel the band onstage here. As easy as it would be to be greedy and feel like “they didn’t play Ride the Lightning or Damage, Inc.”,  I honestly feel that this is a perfect setlist to sum up the 80s era. Blackened is way beyond Enter Sandman as a concert opener, without doubt. I find a very interesting parallel to be drawn here, trying to work out wether or not certain songs were best performed on the Justice or Black touring cycles. There are certain songs, like The Four Horsemen and Fade to Black, that I feel are much better through the San Diego performance. I also have to quickly go back and mention Lars’ run between drum kits on Horsemen in San Diego. Then you get the obvious comparisons with Master of Puppets and Seek and Destroy, where I feel that Seattle are perfect performances. Of course, Master being opened up with that fantastic jam on To Live Is To Die only sweetens the deal. For me, …And Justice For All is easily the best song out of all three shows here. Lady Justice, or “Doris” as they always called her, being destroyed is just such a captivating moment made even better by such a great performance of such an awesome song. And what’s more, Jason and Kirk have fantastic solo spots here. “But Deadeye, you said they bored you on Mexico City and San Diego, what’s changed?”. Well, I feel that they’re better positioned within the setlist and don’t kill any momentum. Hell, the ending of the bass solo perfectly builds out of an immensely heavy version of The Thing That Should Not Be and flawlessly into Master, as I mentioned. Kirk’s feels like such a natural continuation from the ending chaos of Creeping Death, gives a little bit of a reprieve with his version of Hendrix’s Little Wing and then kicks back into high gear for an absolutely blistering version of Battery! The encore is great here, I certainly prefer Breadfan as a closing song to Stone Cold Crazy. On the subject of covers though, I know why it was done, but I wish they could have played the full version of Am I Evil? here. I love the stage design of the Damaged Justice tour, especially with the ruins all over the stage for the back half of the show. This is one that I pretty much have to give a perfect 10. Even if the picture quality wasn’t perfect back then, I’m so glad we have this show documented forever and always.

And yeah, that’s Live Sh*t: Binge and Purge! It’s inconsistent, but it’s brilliant for a first live release. Naturally, the first one is never going to be perfect. It definitely shows Metallica in their natural habitat, though I feel that the upcoming live releases will be even better. We’ve certainly got some memorable ones coming up in the next few weeks. It’s certainly hard to rank Binge and Purge on the whole, given that each show sounds and looks so different, so I’ll let my rankings stand for themselves individually.

[Grappler]

I've never really tried to compare the shows in the Live Shit box against each other.  My first exposure to it was finding the CD's at the local library in and copying them to a tape sometime in 1994.  I'd ride through the neighborhood on my bike listening to the Mexico City shows on my walkman.  It was the first time I'd heard Am I Evil and some other songs that weren't on the first five records.

Seattle 89 will always be my favorite - so raw, aggressive and powerful.  The video of the San Diego show really shows them at their peak, commercially.  I love that they troll the audience by playing the new hit song first, making those new fans sit through another three hours of live Metallica to get their money's worth.  My favorite bit is definitely Lars' run from one drum kit to the other during Four Horsemen.  It's one of the cooler synchronized sections - everyone jams, Jason skips around the stage, James is already in position....when Lars sits down, they come right back into the song with a giant BOOM and a matching headbang. 

Also, the drum solo on that tour was a lot of fun, with James playing the other kit and both of the guys jamming and having fun.  The Justice Medley is amazing and I love James' description that it's just a big rhythm guitar solo, with almost every awesome riff on that album jammed in. 

I never got the box set until 1999, when my ex girlfriend bought it for me.  It was always too expensive, priced around $80-$90.  After it came out on DVD, I sold the original set.  I had no use for it anymore and it was sitting in a closet. 

[billboy73]

I begged my parents for this box set one year for Christmas, and they got it for me!  All of it is pretty awesome, but I definitely wore the Seattle '89 tape out.  I've said it on the Metallica thread, but Battery from Seattle '89 is my most watched video on Youtube.  They were at their height as a live band on the Justice tour, and this show is a perfect document of that. 

San Diego and the Mexico City CDs are great as well.  The San Diego tape is well worn too.  I can remember listening to the Mexico City show on many long road trips.  I never have used the scary guy stencil though 

[Deadeye21]

Load - 1996
Tracklisting: 1. Ain’t My Bitch. 2. 2X4. 3. The House Jack Built. 4. Until It Sleeps. 5. King Nothing. 6. Hero of the Day. 7. Bleeding Me. 8. Cure. 9. Poor Twisted Me. 10. Wasting My Hate. 11. Mama Said. 12. Thorn Within. 13. Ronnie. 14. The Outlaw Torn.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6ndH0UlQbyCOVqByMXXhdV?si=rt2i3rr6S_q4q0QN2BvTCw

The Black Album touring cycle lasted from October of 1991 until July of 1993 without a break. And then they were back on tour from May 30th to August 21st of 1994. And once more between August and September of 1995. But, the 1995 tour had a notable difference, two new songs. A bluesy hard rock tune called 2X4 and something much heavier called Devil’s Dance. Neither of these would prove to be the lead single from the next album though, actually neither would prove to be singles at all. In fact, the latter isn’t even from Load, but we will discuss that in the ReLoad chapter.

These songs were just two out of an accumulative 27 that would be released over the next two years, all of which would find Metallica heading in a very different direction from anything they had done before. The world’s biggest metal band were now looking down the barrel of hard rock, blues and even a little bit of country with their latest endeavour. The lyrical style would change  to something a little more introspective and personal. Their lethal edge of guitar sounds turned a little softer, tuned down into Eb instead of E. Lars’ signature frantic pace and double bass drumming now turned into something more laid back but with a certain nuance that still made it his own.

So why? Why did they betray themselves? Well, putting it simply, this is what Metallica always did. Explore the boundaries, push the envelope and try to provoke a reaction. As Lars himself said “this album and what we’re doing with it - that, to me, is what Metallica are all about: exploring different things.  The minute you stop exploring, then just sit down and fucking die."
I’m also reminded of a particular quote from Neil Peart, which I believe was in the Grace Under Pressure tour book. “We felt that, after Moving Pictures, we could do anything - which, of course, meant that it was time for a change”. After The Black Album, I feel they had already proven that they could take their thrash roots and go commercial by simplifying it. They were on top of the world and they could’ve done anything, so it was time to do what they wanted to.

Load released to mixed reviews, for sure, but it was still a commercial success. The album sold 680,000 copies in its first week and spent four consecutive weeks at number one. This was their biggest opening week to date and was the biggest debut for an album in 1996. The album has gone 5x Platinum in the US, 2x Platinum in Australia and either Platinum or Gold worldwide. But, yet, many fans see the Black Album as the cutoff point before Metallica was “just ok” or absolutely awful moving forward. It’s also Metallica’s longest album to date, even longer than their double album Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, though shorter than Garage, Inc., but I don’t really think that counts since the second disc is a compilation disc.

I pause here pose to you a question; if it weren’t for the Metallica name on the cover, would Load be as loathed by the masses as it was? I tend to think not. I grew up with the Black Album, Load and ReLoad (plus a single with the studio, demo and live versions of One on it), so I didn’t know Metallica as the thrash kings first, which puts me in a unique position that I could hear the album without the bias from the start. As a result, I’ve come to love Load and ReLoad as their own entities. I feel like the Load duo deep dives will be more of me trying to convince you of why these albums are worth another listen.

The album opens with Ain’t My Bitch. This song seems to do away with the grand build that has been present on every other album that preceded this one, but I think this definitely works for Load. I think this song sets up on a vibe that could’ve been a leftover from The Black Album. It’s a great riff and lyrically opens the album on a great vibe. This is a song about simply not giving a damn about other people’s problems. The song did spark controversy because people thought the word “bitch” was being used in the more modern term, being a derogatory term for a woman, but instead James is employing it as a metaphor for a problem like “bitching and moaning”. Kirk uses a slide for his solo in this one, which gives it an extra cool vibe. I actually really like the pre-chorus and the way it evolves on the last rendition of it. I think this is actually a banger of a song to get started on and we can straight away hear that James’ voice is in fine form.

Second, 2X4, the song they had played live as a teaser for the album. This one starts with a pretty cool drum fill from Lars that launches right into a bluesy rocking riff. I’m very glad that I find this song so good instrumentally, because these lyrics really fall into the category of lyrics that are kinda just there to let James spit out syllables. The song is really about relentless anger and violence, but the lyrics are a little out there. I do love the harmonised backing vocal in the first half of the pre-chorus though, the “friction, fusion, retribution”. I think the song is a romping good time, though there’s not really anything all that notable about it. I believe that James has a section in the middle of the solo too himself on this one, at least he did live.

The House Jack Built is one of the four songs that have never been played live from the album. I really hate this fact, as it’s one of my favourites. The intro is definitely a unique one, opening with a building section with a vocal refrain before kicking into one of the most strange and unique riffs from the album here. The verses are really demented with the longer sustained notes over a more simplistic riff that reminds me of Ride the Lightning for some odd reason. I actually really like the extra effects added to the second verse there. The chorus has some of my favourite lyrics in a Metallica song, though I think most would be quick to discard as filler. “The higher you are, the farther you fall. The longer you walk, the farther you’ve come. My body my temple, this temple it tilts, step into the house that Jack built”. I believe the lyrics are actually about being in the throes of addiction, hence all the strange effects and the darker toned lyrics. The solo here is really cool, I believe that it’s actually James playing it too. The solo is soaked in a talkbox, enough to make Richie Sambora jealous. It’s a fantastic song and easily one of my favourites from the entire Load duology (don’t worry, I’ll be making my single disc album at the end when we have ReLoad reviewed).

Until It Sleeps was the first single from the album, which I find to have been a strange choice. In typical Metallica fashion, the 4th track of the album means it’s a ballad, but this one sits differently. In a move that I’m sure delighted Jason, the verses prominently feature bass, while the choruses and bridges bring in the heavier guitars. Much like The God That Failed, this song is about James’ mother’s struggle with cancer and this lyric can either be taken as a reflection of his emotional pain about it, or her physical pain as she died. I really like the tone that Kirk uses for his solo here, a bit more dialled back but still super punchy. The refrain that he ends off with when James comes back in with the “I don’t want it” is a lead that I’ve always really liked from the album. This is definitely a more unique song in the Metallica catalogue, but I really like it. I still think that it was perhaps an odd choice for the first single, but it definitely deserved some recognition.

Did you guys like Enter Sandman? Do you wish that they did Sandman again? Well, check out King Nothing! Opening with a little more ambience than it’s predecessor, King Nothing starts up with the bass before leading into the main riff of the song, which is a great rocking riff. Where Sandman took some lyrical cues from nursery rhymes and what I’ve always called “the bedtime prayer”, King Nothing wears it’s direction on it’s sleeve, opening with the closing stanza of the “star light, star bright”poem. This song is centred around the idea of being careful what you wish for, with the titular King Nothing being someone who just wanted to “play the king” without caring about anyone or anything else. Ultimately though, his castle’s just a lie and it leads to his downfall. I prefer the solo from Sandman, for sure, but I feel like the pre-chorus of King is much cooler. And if you think I’m just saying that I think King is similar, James literally sings the words “off to never never land” as the track fades away. This was the last single from the album, but in my opinion it should have been the first as this, along with Bitch, is one of the few that still harken back to the pre-Load era.

Onto a personal favourite, the second single released from the album, Hero of the Day. I actually can’t quite put my finger on why I love this song so much, but it just really hits the spot for me. James has said that this song was written about children who look outside of their homes for heroes when they should be looking inside at their parents. It’s a song that I have always felt was really optimistic. Those who played in Puppies_On_Acid’s roulette might remember my personal EP was centred around me needing to get some help for anger issues in 2021, well the second verse was something else that really got me through that period. “The fist i’ve made for years can’t hold or feel. No, I’m not all me, so please excuse me while I tend to how I feel”. And of course, the bridge of this one is just amazing. Lars brings back the double bass for a proper heavy feel and I really love the vocal effect of the first and third line backing the second and fourth lines and harmonising for the third and sixth. It sounds so cool! It’s hard to explain why I love it, but this song just rocks!

Closing out the first half, we have Bleeding Me. This is one of the best songs Metallica did in the 90s and it still stands up today. This is such a big building song, starting with one of the most laid back verses of them all. Kirk whips up a great lead as a bit of a bridge before we delve back into the second verse. This chorus hits hard, it might be my favourite chorus on the album in fact. James excels vocally on this song, as does Kirk with his different techniques for this song that add so much texture. He adds volume swells and natural harmonics plus a bit of slide to craft something a little unique and great on the ear. Lyrically, I believe this song is about searching for something better but being stopped at every turn and try as you might, you may never reach the happy ending you’re looking for. Jason Newsted believes that the song is about mental torture. All I know is that between the 4:48 and the 7:18 mark lies one of the coolest sections of the whole era. Best bridge riff, Kirk’s best solo, all firing on all cylinders! If you’re only going to take in two songs from Load, do yourselves a favour and start here. This was played a lot in the 2008 festival tour, a few times on World Magnetic and then once each on the 30th and 40th anniversaries. It was brought back for a few shows in 2022 though, so there may be hope for it on M72

To be continued…

[Deadeye21]

…And we’re back!

The second half begins with Cure, the second of four unplayed songs. This one opens with a cool drum groove and a pretty groovy riff. One of the more unique vocal approaches on the album sees James opening this one with more of a spoken word feel over the opening riff. This song is actually a really cool groover of a song all around, I really like the pre-chorus and chorus feels, especially with a lot of the harmonised vocals. Jason even brings a bit of different technique into this one and plays a bit of slap bass for the bridge. This one is about searching for “the cure”, which is actually not a direct medicine but more about trying to find something that satisfies us in our day to day lives. Unfortunately, many people choose the wrong “cure” in their lives and need to get actual cures for the damage they cause. As much as I do like this song, it is a bit of a filler entry for Load as a whole, but it’s worth a listen anyway. That chorus riff is pretty cool, I must admit.

Next up, a song that ranks critically low in my ranking of Metallica’s work, Poor Twisted Me. This song bores me to tears, man. This is pretty much just about someone who wants everyone to feel bad for them, nothing super deep. Unfortunately, the riffs are boring as hell and I really take nothing from it. Kirk’s solo doesn’t even save it. It’s just dull and repetitive. Metallica have only ever performed this song acoustically. I really don’t dig the effect that James’ vocals are drowned in either. My one compliment to the song is thank god it’s short. It’s the second shortest song on the album, only just longer than the next track.

Onto something much better, Wasting My Hate, something I guess I was doing to the last song. This song is based on a story that country singer Waylon Jennings told James about an experience he had on holiday. The story goes that he was in a bar in Jamaica where a local just kept staring at him, which really got in Jennings’ nerves. He later found out that the local was just high as a kite and thusly Waylon had just been wasting his hate on the guy. Well, this kicked James into overdrive and gave us another great song from Load. Wasting My Hate lyrically takes the stance of “you’re not worth my time, I’m not going to waste the effort hating you.” I love the riff in this one and the short is short, sharp and to the point. There’s no frills here, with Kirk not adding a solo to the song (first time so far that a Metallica song hasn’t had a solo at all, I hope this doesn’t become something they adapt to a full album…) but honestly, this song doesn’t need it at all. I love it, this one also showed up for both anniversary residencies and that main heavy riff should be fairly familiar to anyone who attended any show on the World Magnetic tour, as they actually used it as a little teaser at the end of those snows.

Speaking of Waylon Jennings though, we get a bit of a country song next with Mama Said, the third single released from Load (again, what was up with the choice of singles on this album?). This one is dominated by James’ vocals and acoustic guitar. This is a bit of an autobiographical song, speaking to the regret that James felt for not getting to spend more time with his mother. I really feel the twist at the end where the son returns home to see his mother again, but only finds her tombstone. It’s actually a really sad song and James really leans into the emotion of it all wonderfully well. I think it’s actually a really powerful song, one that I’m currently learning for my own solo acoustic sets (shameless self-promotion, sorry not sorry). Another one really worth the listen, but this one takes a bit of ignoring the Metallica name.
Hey Stadler, I think this song’s for you, something more lyrical. I definitely believe this is what a James Hetfield solo album would be more like.

Up next, proper deep cut territory and unplayed song number three. Thorn Within. I LOVE this song and I hate that it’s almost hidden amongst the rest of Load. This is so heavy, has a killer main riff, has a brilliant James solo and would almost certainly be championed on Magnetic or Hardwired. I feel that this song is about basically being the lightning rod and taking the blame for everything even if you’re not the one at fault. Everything about this song is awesome and I rarely, if ever, hear anyone talk about this one. James takes both solos on this song and it’s a great showcase of his lead prowess. The harmonised vocals all throughout are so cool, the chorus is another one of my favourites from Load and gets stuck in my head all the time. This is worth a revisit, or a first listen if you’ve never made it the whole way through Load. It’s a hidden gem that really shouldn’t have been hidden.

Up next, unplayed song number 4, a song about a fictional school shooting at the hands of a man named called Ronnie. I really like the main riff here, that little broken bend sound is so different and so cool. Admittedly, this one is another bit of filler, but I actually really like the song and may have taken inspiration from this for the title track of my hard rock EP that’s coming up later this year. There’s just a great vibe to it, going in a bit more of a country rock direction again, but done really well. It’s another one lacking a proper guitar solo, but I just have a lot of fun with it. “All things wash away, but blood stained the Sun red today” is a really cool lyric. I also really like Lars’ unique drumming in the bridge here.

The crown jewel of the second half of Load is definitely The Outlaw Torn though. Their longest song ever written, to the point that it actually had to be cut down to even fit on the album. This is such a deeply emotional song about losing someone who means everything to you and trying to find a replacement that never arrives. Some have said this song is about Jesus Christ and God, others have theorised it’s about Cliff, but any way you look at it these lyrics and the so g are great. I love Jason’s bassline that serves as most of the instrumental in the first half of the song. Kirk’s echoed leads are a little unsettling, but he definitely nails the feeling of the song. That main riff is huge, but the bridge is probably my favourite lyric of the album and one of my favourite lyrics ever “If I close my mind in fear, please pry it open. And if my face becomes sincere, beware. And when I start to come undone, stitch me together. And if you see me strut, remind me of what left this outlaw torn”. James has a great solo to close out the album on a high note, but I think Kirk’s solo is a little bit of structured noise rather than a solo. This song is the other one that you have to check out if you’re going to only check out two songs. There’s an extended version featuring the uncut ending available on the The Memoey Remains single. A bit of extra James solo never hurt anyone right? Enjoy! (https://youtu.be/84uiuDiofhw)


And that’s Load. I dislike one song and I either enjoy or really like the rest. There’s something to love in thirteen of the fourteen tracks for me and I really feel like this gets a bum rap. This is Metallica doing what they wanted to do and it sounds great. I think what it boils down to at the end of the day is that it doesn’t sound like the classic thrash that people were used to and people weren’t ok with a little innovation. I personally love the album and I’d give it an 8.5 without doubt, which actually puts it ahead of Kill ‘Em All and only slightly behind Ride the Lightning by .25.

Infancy, Progression, Ascension, Domination, Supremacy, Dilution.
I feel dilution is the right word because they were softening a bit in their force and their tone and it was starting to divide the fan base quite a bit as well. But, I’m firmly in camp “it’s great” where others may not be. Where are you in this album? Let me know your thoughts, I’m keen to see the discussion on this one.

Next Friday, we’ll be discussing ReLoad. I had Cunning Stunts up first, but that would be in chronological order, not release order. Actually, what do you want to hear about first, ReLoad or Cunning Stunts? Another one where I’d be keen to hear from you.

[The Realm]

Load - Bleeding Me, The Outlaw Torn. Two awesome songs that I still love today. Until it Sleeps is ok. The rest of the album is just pedestrian filler. On the whole just a major disappointment.

[Deadeye21]

Load - Bleeding Me, The Outlaw Torn. Two awesome songs that I still love today. Until it Sleeps is ok. The rest of the album is just pedestrian filler. On the whole just a major disappointment.

As you can see, I totally disagree.

[The Realm]

Load - Bleeding Me, The Outlaw Torn. Two awesome songs that I still love today. Until it Sleeps is ok. The rest of the album is just pedestrian filler. On the whole just a major disappointment.

As you can see, I totally disagree.

Yeah, that is cool. Enjoy your writes ups and well done for doing this and I am sorry I disagree with you.

[Deadeye21]

Yeah, that is cool. Enjoy your writes ups and well done for doing this and I am sorry I disagree with you.

It’s what it’s all about right? Differing opinions make for better conversation hey? Why do you see it as so ‘pedestrian’ to use your own words?

[The Realm]

I just feel all those songs on Load, apart from the nearly untouchable Bleeding Me and Outlaw Torn are just not engaging. I say pedestrian because they really sound like a band just going through the motions. There is just something missing from these songs that fails to make them really appeal to me. I was there on day one for the release of this album and have listened to it 100s of times over the years but overall I find that the magic is just missing on this release.

[Deadeye21]

Yeah, fair enough. I don’t know, a lot of this still gets me going. It’s definitely not the classics, but I love it. Thorn Within, Wasting My Hate, House Jack Built, Bitch, a lot of solid songs that just scratch a different itch for me that it can’t reach for others. It’s fair enough. It definitely isn’t for everyone.

[DTA]

I agree with all that you said (though I have a higher opinion of Poor Twisted Me). Load was the first album released by them after I had become a fan so it was extra special to me being that I was 11 years old and still only had a few albums to my name. I played it endlessly and I guess my youthful ignorance came in handy because there was no feeling that they were doing something different...it just sounded like a new Metallica album and I was all over it.

Until It Sleeps is perhaps their most haunting single (maybe even overall song). I know One has some very heavy subject matter, but Sleeps just hits harder because it feels so much more personal. Also I agree that House and Thorn are incredibly underrated and deserving of higher praise. Two very cool songs that fly under the radar with most fans (even the ones that like Load).

There are so many gardening references over these two albums in the lyrics...it's actually kind of fun to find them all. James was really digging deep for lyrical inspiration and it's my absolute favorite stuff that he's written.

And production-wise, I know the Black Album gets a lot of praise, but the Loads (and also Garage Inc.) are to me, the best produced stuff they've ever made. There's a lot more panning on this album (and the first in which both James and Kirk did rhythm guitars I believe) and vocal effects which elevates it a bit (and the snare is not as crackly as on TBA).

Overall, Load is brilliant. I honestly can't understand how fans of music in general could dislike it, aside from any gatekeeping "metalheads". It is my favorite of theirs along with RTL, and the Metallica album I would take to a desert island if I was forced to choose.

[Grappler]

I agree with all that you said (though I have a higher opinion of Poor Twisted Me). Load was the first album released by them after I had become a fan so it was extra special to me being that I was 11 years old and still only had a few albums to my name. I played it endlessly and I guess my youthful ignorance came in handy because there was no feeling that they were doing something different...it just sounded like a new Metallica album and I was all over it.

Overall, Load is brilliant. I honestly can't understand how fans of music in general could dislike it, aside from any gatekeeping "metalheads". It is my favorite of theirs along with RTL, and the Metallica album I would take to a desert island if I was forced to choose.

It's the same for me.  I became a fan in 1991/1992 and this was the first time that there was a brand new Metallica album.  I was 16 when it came out, and my dad stopped to buy it for me on his way home from work while I was in high school.  I was confused as hell when reading the booklet - only snippets of the lyrics were there, and the band looked so different.  But musically, I was taken on a wonderful ride.  It's dark, moody, and the lyrics are amazing.  There are still some great riffs in each of the songs.  James' vocals are fantastic, and he still has some rougher edges and aggression in them, even though the album is not thrash metal at all. 

I agree with the big writeup - so many of the songs are awesome.  I remember The Loop in Chicago debuting Until it Sleeps, and the rock radio stations were playing the song once an hour.  I had just learned to drive, and my car only had a radio, no tapes or cd's.  So I'd drive around over and over, listening for the song to come on again. 

The metalheads in my school hated Metallica after this, and I'd proudly wear my jacket with a Metallica back patch, being drawn into conversations about "old Metallica," having to defend my favorite band.  I've always loved this album and will defend it forever. 

[Adami]

I don't think I'm going to engage in the "they sold out, these albums suck, etc etc" talks.

So I got into Metallica near this time (more on that after the Reload post) and this was the first era of Metallica I fell in love with. While I also, equally, love their older stuff, I hold Black Album - ReLoad in high regard. Yes there are some filler songs, and yes they drastically changed their sound, so much so that it's hard to call these albums metal as opposed to heavy rock, but there's so much  heart and experimentation.

I was listening to the album on the train ride to work this morning and was hearing so many really neat production decisions they made. Just extra layers of guitar, vocals, sounds here and there that add to the song that wouldn't exist in the mentality of a live band recording a straight forward song. I also really like the James on the left, Kirk on the right mentality here. It obviously wouldn't have worked for their thrash/ultra tight phase, but it works perfectly here. With Kirk doing stuff, often, a little different than James so that it fills out nicely and adds great textures and atmosphere.

I won't say too much more since it's been said, but I will say that since S&M, songs like Hero of the Day, Bleeding Me, and Outlaw Torn, I really prefer with the symphony. The album versions are good, but the S&M versions are just so much better.

[billboy73]

Great writeup Deadeye!  I will share my thoughts on this album/songs when I have a chance, but I do love this record.  I'll just throw this out for discussion though.  Take away the album booklet (I thought the cover was fire when I first bought it  ) with all of the weird glam band shots and whatnot, and the haircuts, other than a few cuts, a lot of it is not that far from the Black Album.  I remember Kirk saying, "Metallica is about the music, not the length of our hair".  They had to defend themselves and the image change in this era.  It's interesting to hear James talk about this era now, and how he went along with stuff but hated it.  Lars and Kirk were steering the ship on the image stuff.  I think the big image change added so much to the dislike of the album. 

[DoctorAction]

Still really like Load and it (or Garage Inc) is usually the Metallica I reach for. A much better album than Black, imo, which the appeal had already worn off for me by the time this came out.

It sounds really natural to my ears. The slide guitars, warm but massive sound (that still had the Metallica guitar weight that has since all but disappeared), occasional country flavour, great vocals, lyrics, big drum sound.

It gets a lot of stick but if  they made an album half as good as Load these days I swear everyone would be like "they are so back!!!!!"

Great record. Justice > Garage > Load and that's all I need.

[twosuitsluke]

Lars himself said “this album and what we’re doing with it - that, to me, is what Metallica are all about: exploring different things.  The minute you stop exploring, then just sit down and fucking die."

This is ironic considering after Metallica's next few albums were relative flops (compared to the Black Album), they went to basically playing it safe for the next 20 years.

[Adami]

I've also seen a bunch of interviews/statements by James over the years talking about Load/ReLoad and it was really sad. They kind of highlighted how insecure he actually is and was very impacted by the backlash/negative reaction to those two albums and has adopted a similar mentality to the fans. It's a shame, unless he really was just phoning it in for both albums, which I can't see.

I also think that insecurity will be why we never get a solo acoustic album from him.

[WilliamMunny]

@Deadeye21–man, your observations on Load are spot on and really resonated with me.

You know, I'm a bit older than you (came on board with Justice), and I was (then, and still am now) definitely in the minority with Load as I considered it a pretty ballsy left turn from the moment I heard "Until it Sleeps" on the radio.

Don't get me wrong, there will always be a special place in my heart for the first 4 Metallica albums, but over the past ten years, Load/ReLoad are the 'Tallica albums I keep returning to.

At this point, if we decided to go all 'desert island' on this topic, I think Load would be my choice hands down.

It's far from flawless, but I feel that way about every Metallica album. That said, the highs ("Hero of the Day," "Bleeding Me," "Outlaw Torn") are easily amongst my favorite output from James & Co.

And even the tracks I initially considered filler ("Ronnie," "Poor Twisted Me," "Thorn Within") I enjoy now. In fact, when I throw this on, I always listen cover to cover.

As far as "Mama Said"–you were spot on. When Stadler talks about his hypothetical James solo LP, THIS is the vibe I want it to be. I've gone from 'shoulder shrug' to thinking that "Mama Said" is the band's best ballad over the past 25 years.

The lyrical content on this album (and, to a lesser extent, ReLoad) has always resonated with me, but in recent years I have found a deeper level of appreciation for James' lyrical and vocal output from this era.

One final note: the idea that this album was a flop or that it divided fans (not that you said it did, Deadeye21, but it's a critique I've heard over the years) has always been lost on me.

At the height of alt-rock/grunge, Metallica, this (former) long-haired metal band from '80s, put out an album that sold 5 million copies. The band may have lost fans, but they found a ton of new fans (just like The Black Album).

At the end of the day, I consider this an artistic high-point for Metallica. I've always gravitated towards bands/artists that mutate and morph, shifting from one era to the next (e.g., Kiss, Bowie, Dylan, Rush, Radiohead, the list goes on...), and thanks to the Load/ReLoad albums, I put Metallica in that camp as well.

Good stuff, Deadeye21! I can't wait for the next installment!