Metallica's Reviews
Metallica (Average Rating: 8.54 out of 10)
Perfect for anybody trying to get into Metallica or Thrash (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
Will Culp
from Greenville, South Carolina
Released in 1991, Metallica(Christened the Black Album because of its rather dark cover) went straight to the top of the Billboard Charts, ironically knocking off fellow Thrashers Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction off the top. It eventually stayed at the #1 position for over 4 weeks, quickly reaching Multi-Platinum sucsess. Over time, it spawned the Top 40 hits "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", and "Nothing Else Matters". Also you will hear the songs "Sad But True" and "Holier Than Thou" quite frequently on the radio. For those reasons, the Black Album became one of the most sucessful albums of the 90's, and quite possibly the Most Sucsessful Metal album of all time in the proc ess. Granted, this album is nowhere near as epic or beautiful as Metallica's earlier records, such as Master of Puppets or ....And Justice For All, but nonetheless it's a magnificent album in its own right. Before Metallica added grunge to their sound with albums like Load and Re-Load, they were one of the most influential bands of their time, basically molding and shaping the Metal genre of Thrash, which includes such classic bands as Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, Anthrax, Exodus, and the lesser-known Metal Church. Metallica blended the speedy guitar riffs of Judas Priest and made them even faster, added James Hatfield's somber and superb vocals, and Lars Ulrich's frantic drumming created perhaps the best metal band of the 80's, and possibly ever. But with The Black Album, Metallica slowed up just a little, incorporating ballads like "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters", but in no way lost their original thrash style, which showed in classic songs like "Sad But True", "Of Wolf and Man", and "The God That Failed". It is completely perpostrous that Metallica sold out with this album, they just put in two ballads! That in no way changed their sound, but in fact deepened it, showing that they weren't just pigeonholed into a certain type of metal. Even if they don't like to admit it, "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters" make up two of the strongest songs on this album. In fact, Metallica really never sold out until they tried to achieve mass appeal with all the Nu-Metal losers with St. Anger, one of the worst examples of a great band degrading as they went along, falling in with other degraded bands such as Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Megadeth, Anthrax(When they incorporated rap), Black Sabbath, and even Ozzy Osbourne. The Black Album IS the album to get if you are trying to get into Metallica, as you will instantly fall in with Kirk Hammett's masterful guitar solos and James Hatfield's growling vocals, and then you should go on to purchase all of their older material with a more open mind towards complex song structures and even grander guitar solos. Without a doubt in my mind, Kirk Hammett is the best guitar player out there, with his masterful solos and how he can hold up a song all by himself, and James Hatfield's signature growl makes him one of the best vocalists around, Lars Ulrich is a consistent and excellent drummer, and Jason Newsted on bass is underrated and always solid and tight. In fact, Newsted's work on the Black Album may be better than Cliff Burton's excellent work, with such great bass intros as on "My Friend Of Misery" commonplace. Kirk Hammett's excellent guitar work is evident on such songs as "Enter Sandman", "Wherever I May Roam", "Through The Never", and "Of Wolf And Man", which contain some of the most memorable solos of Hammett's career, probably the best one coming off "Enter Sandman", but his guitar playing on The Black Album is only a taste of the greatness that once was. James Hatfield's lyrics are superb throughout, with such well-written songs as "Nothing Else Matters", "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Of Wolf and Man", and "The God That Failed" some of his strongest ever. Overall, every song is a classic, with every song being good, with "Holier Than Thou" being slightly downgraded because it's so repetitive, but it's still a great song! Best Songs: "Enter Sandman"-How do you not like it? One of Hammett's most memorable riffs and Hatfield's vocals, which may be his best ever! "The Unforgiven"- Perfect ballad! It manages to hold your attention even though being slow, and is only one of about 7 ballads I can stand! Just barely below the magnificent "Enter Sandman". Worst Tracks: "Holier Than Thou"- Granted, this is still a great track, but it suffers from a simplistic riff and overall is really repetitive. The album's worst lyrics, but they're still good! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! BUY NOW! NOTE:...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL IS METALLICA'S STRONGEST ALBUM!
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