(Metal) Metallica-Metallica

[Agrotath]

Metallica's sixth studio album, "Metallica," is in my opinion incredible. It is nicknamed "The Black Album" for its jet black cover. This is the third studio album featuring bassist Jason Newsted, who replaced Cliff Burton after he died in a tragic bus crash. The black album is one of their more popular albums, with such radio hits as "Enter Sandman," "Sad But True," "Unforgiven," and the ballad "Nothing Else Matters." The album takes you trough a journey, beginning on the energetic "Enter Sandman" and ending on the heavy, fast-paced riffing and almost rap like vocals of "Struggle Within." The cd kicks off with “Enter Sandman,” a song with lyrics about nightmares and things that go bump in the night. This isn’t a very good song in my opinion, good, but not enough for me to particularly like. The second track, “Sad But True” dishes out lyrics dealing with the bad side in every human being, and possesses two solos and a guitar themed interlude, not to mention a huge, heavy, crushing verse riff. Great song. Next is the relentless “Holier Than Thou,” offering lyrics and gossip and rumors. The song is very rough and Jason’s bass can be heard very well. Not great, but good. “The Unforgiven” is ballad like song, offering lyrics possibly about not enjoying life to the max. The song is great, not to mention an incredible solo. My only complaint is the solo should be way longer. “Wherever I May Roam” is another great song. Relatively slow tempo, but good. It offers up lyrics about being on the road constantly. “Don’t Tread On Me” is another favorite, featuring very catchy melodies and riffs. “Through the Never,” though not great, delivers nice riffs. Next is the famous ballad, “Nothing Else Matters.” Though it is considered to be a message to the fans, it was originally a very emotional song about a loved one, by James Hetfield. The band happened to overhear him playing it and forced him to put it on the album. I guess I am not the only one who thinks this was for the best. “Of Wolf and Man” begins with a pounding riff, developing into a great song. “The God That Failed” is not a favorite, but still a great song, with a catchy verse and lyrics about James’ mother’s death. His mother was a Christian scientist and refused medical attention believing God would heal her. God ‘failed,’ thus inducing a song. “My Friend of Misery” is a definite favorite. IT offers up great riffing and a melodic approach. The cd ends on a strong note, with the fast-paced and almost rap like “Struggle Within.” This cd has brought great enjoyment to me and I would encourage you to look into it. I hope this review was helpful. Ah, doesn’t matter as long as you didn’t think it totally sucked.

:thumb: ,

Alex

[sting-ray]

the black album had some awsome ballads, but their heavier stuff on the album was IMO not as good. Nothing else Matters is a very nice song and prolly one of my favourite on the album. The Unforgive is simply a classic, i bet everyone has heard it some time or another. I personally didn't really like the solos that kirk played, he over used his wah. James's singing was at its peak IMO, it was incredible compared to some of metallicas earlier stuff. Overall i found the album borderline.

my rating: 2.5/5

[nz_bassist]

well in my opinion load is the best metallica album ever....next to S&M which i find absolutely amazing that they mixed and orchestra with a rock band so well......but anyway onto load. The albums best song is in my opinion bleeding me, as the solo in this is absolutely massive and almost frightening how well kirk can play the guitar. Until it sleeps, hero of the day, and mama said are absolutely brilliant songs and make a massive change up to the normal metal that metallica usually play. All in all a brillaiant album. I highly recommend it

[d0ped0g]

^^^
**** right... nz is the place to be
my mates bro is a bassist in an awesome metal band... whats your name :D
i'm a kiwi myself

[Drunk Hobo]

The black album is great... I prefer it to Kill 'em All and Ride The Lightning. MOP and ...AJFA are the albums you want if you've never heard Metallica before.

My 2 cents :thumb:

[Agrotath]

I just got into Metallica a month or two ago, so I just have Black. I'm porbably getting MOP next. One of these days I might get St. ANger for a laugh.

[Drunk Hobo]

It's not as bad as people make out. If it was any other band people would go, "Woah, check out this band's passion!" or something. It's honestly not bad at all. On that note, I wouldn't buy it, but still... :p

Get ...And Justice For All cos that is a classic album.

[ZackleyTrunker]

Actually, it's only the second album that Jason Newsted did with Metallica. Get your **** straight.

[Agrotath]

...And Justice For All + Garage Days Revisited + Metallica = 3

Get your math straight ;)

[thehellspawn]

review was fine, but gotta give you props for acctually remembering Garage Days revisited as Jasons 1st work with the band. I am very positive that it came before ...and justice for all. acctually i know it came before and justice for all. but good work for remembering it.

[Nailz_03]

i'd listen to any of the metalica albums over St. Anger any day...a few song on the album were alright...but i just didn't get the "rush" i did when i first listened to othem metallica albums:o

[Nailz_03]

i agree with thehellspawn the black album was newstead's third album with metallica....garage days revisited + and justice for all + the black album = 3 albums....dude's math was right agrotath

[Zmev]

this was the first Metallica album i got around March 2002 and i dont regret it yet, it is an execelent album, its no Kill em All but it was the album that got me through Washington DC for a freakin week

4.5/5

[DimebagDarrell]

well in my opinion load is the best metallica album ever....


Have you even heard mop rtl & ajfa?

black album is a very good album but it doesnt come close to the earlier stuff 4/5

[superpeer]

4.5/5

Good stuff.

[brycey]

I love the "Black Album", it's full of memorable and catchy songs. Every metal fan MUST listen to this album at least once in their life.

Just my opinion. :thumb:

[manuscriptreplica]

enter sandman is a cool song. everyone goes crazy when they hear it. but really, thats the only song i can stand from the CD. at least you can hear the **** bass on this album (a tiny bit). and nothing else matters - i dont care what anyone says, is one of the most boring songs ive heard. period. excellent solo, but i just kept waiting for it to speed up, and it didnt. oh well.

2.5/5


p.s.

www.allmusic.com][/url] In retrospect, Metallica is a good, but not quite great, album, one whose best moments deservedly captured the heavy metal crown, but whose approach also foreshadowed a creative decline.

[bassman04]

i'm no music expert, but this is, imo, the best ever metallica album by far. unforgiven, sad but true and nothing else matters are too **** good!!!!!!!!!!!

10/5

[bassman04]

o yeah and where ever i may roam is great and my freind of misery is my 3rd fave metallica track. can't beat(or play) that opening bass riff!

[Burdcheese]

When I first got it, I really couldn't get into it, even though many of the songs on it were those that got me into Metallica in the first place.

Its grown on me though and I like it far more now. I still always feel that there's something lacking on it though, and that its really pretty mediocre in comparrison to their other works (not great thrash like AJFA, MOP or RTL; not great "hard rock" like Load)

Still some great songs though: Unforgiven, Sad But True, God That Failed, Nothing Else Matters.

3.5/5

[SubtleDagger]

Possibly the most overrated Metallica album. Most songs here not only sound alike but are very dull plodders. The hits deserved to be hits, however, though "Nothing Else Matters" is extremely boring. I'd give it a 3/5 for its value at the time.

[lpsoxfan88]

One of the best albums I've ever heard (ranks up there with Nevermind). Absolutely great. Every song is great.

[fillmaker]

enter sandman first got me into metallica. a great album from a great band

[nrvna85]

Metallica's sixth studio album, "Metallica," is in my opinion incredible. It is nicknamed "The Black Album" for its jet black cover. This is the third studio album featuring bassist Jason Newsted, who replaced Cliff Burton after he died in a tragic bus crash. The black album is one of their more popular albums, with such radio hits as "Enter Sandman," "Sad But True," "Unforgiven," and the ballad "Nothing Else Matters." The album takes you trough a journey, beginning on the energetic "Enter Sandman" and ending on the heavy, fast-paced riffing and almost rap like vocals of "Struggle Within." The cd kicks off with “Enter Sandman,” a song with lyrics about nightmares and things that go bump in the night. This isn’t a very good song in my opinion, good, but not enough for me to particularly like. The second track, “Sad But True” dishes out lyrics dealing with the bad side in every human being, and possesses two solos and a guitar themed interlude, not to mention a huge, heavy, crushing verse riff. Great song. Next is the relentless “Holier Than Thou,” offering lyrics and gossip and rumors. The song is very rough and Jason’s bass can be heard very well. Not great, but good. “The Unforgiven” is ballad like song, offering lyrics possibly about not enjoying life to the max. The song is great, not to mention an incredible solo. My only complaint is the solo should be way longer. “Wherever I May Roam” is another great song. Relatively slow tempo, but good. It offers up lyrics about being on the road constantly. “Don’t Tread On Me” is another favorite, featuring very catchy melodies and riffs. “Through the Never,” though not great, delivers nice riffs. Next is the famous ballad, “Nothing Else Matters.” Though it is considered to be a message to the fans, it was originally a very emotional song about a loved one, by James Hetfield. The band happened to overhear him playing it and forced him to put it on the album. I guess I am not the only one who thinks this was for the best. “Of Wolf and Man” begins with a pounding riff, developing into a great song. “The God That Failed” is not a favorite, but still a great song, with a catchy verse and lyrics about James’ mother’s death. His mother was a Christian scientist and refused medical attention believing God would heal her. God ‘failed,’ thus inducing a song. “My Friend of Misery” is a definite favorite. IT offers up great riffing and a melodic approach. The cd ends on a strong note, with the fast-paced and almost rap like “Struggle Within.” This cd has brought great enjoyment to me and I would encourage you to look into it. I hope this review was helpful. Ah, doesn’t matter as long as you didn’t think it totally sucked.

:thumb: ,

Alex
i agree. i'm glad i was introduced to metallica by my cousin when i was 8. back then i really didn't know who metallica was and then in eigth grade i bought reloaded and ever since then i've rocked the hell out of some metallica. metallica is awesome and the black album is by far one of there best albums. another awesome album from metallica would have to be reloaded. i mean come on dude. you got"fuel","thememoryremains","unforgiven 2", and you can't forget "fixxer". METALLICA KICKS A**.

[nrvna85]

Possibly the most overrated Metallica album. Most songs here not only sound alike but are very dull plodders. The hits deserved to be hits, however, though "Nothing Else Matters" is extremely boring. I'd give it a 3/5 for its value at the time.
:angry: your f*****g crazy dude. i don't know how you can even live with yourself after saying that the black album is overrated ,the songs sound the same ,and nothing else matters is boring. you should stop posting threads before you pollute someone elses mind with that crap.

[nrvna85]

enter sandman first got me into metallica. a great album from a great band
:thumb: I agree totally. Enter Sandman is such a kick a** song. Just listening to the intro gets me pumped and I just can't help but pick up my guitar and start shredding. METALLICA ROCKS.

[nrvna85]

One of the best albums I've ever heard (ranks up there with Nevermind). Absolutely great. Every song is great.
:thumb: I don't know if it ranks up there with nevermind but it is a kick a** album. maybe i'm just saying this because nirvana is my favorite band of all time. NIRVANA F*****G RULES.

[nrvna85]

well in my opinion load is the best metallica album ever....next to S&M which i find absolutely amazing that they mixed and orchestra with a rock band so well......but anyway onto load. The albums best song is in my opinion bleeding me, as the solo in this is absolutely massive and almost frightening how well kirk can play the guitar. Until it sleeps, hero of the day, and mama said are absolutely brilliant songs and make a massive change up to the normal metal that metallica usually play. All in all a brillaiant album. I highly recommend it
:thumb: your right dude. s&m was f*****g amazing and was probably one of metallicas best albums.woohoo go classical. just kidding but if you liked s&m you should listen to the string quartet to incubus. there aren't any words but the music is well orchesrated my friend. later.

[ironeddie]

:angry: your f*****g crazy dude. i don't know how you can even live with yourself after saying that the black album is overrated ,the songs sound the same ,and nothing else matters is boring. you should stop posting threads before you pollute someone elses mind with that crap.
Dude he's right. The Black Album is extremely over-rated. How people can say that it's their best album is beyond me. MoP, AJFA, RTL are all far superior to the black album. Songs like Enter Sandman (and if I hear that **** song one more time, i'm going to shoot myself) and Sad But True can't compare to songs like One and Harvestor of Sorrow or Master of Puppets and Welcome Home (Sanitarium). Don't bother debating, because it's a fact. Black Album = the beginning of the demise of Metallica.

[manuscriptreplica]

^^ A fact? What are you basing it on? Your opinion, that's what.

The black album isn't as good as earlier albums, in many ways (technical proficiency, thrashiness, progressivness) but this is a good rock and roll album that everyone can enjoy (but not necessarily like)

I still give it a 2.5/5. I like Kill em All way better

[chox]

sad but true and the unforgiven are great 4.5/5

[Metallicaismusicalgod]

First off, i like u nrvna85. We have similar taste in metallica. I find black to b my favorite album. Dont get me wrong, i love all of metallica (esspecially MoP and reload), i just heard this first and i guess it stuck. Also, i also thought St. Anger was fairly bad at first, but after i listened to it for a while, it kind of grew on me. Now i find it to b pretty good. Finally, i dont c how someone can get tired of enter sandman. Ive been listenin to it everyday for the past 5 months and it still like my fav. metallica song.

[the call of kthulu]

dude, ride the lightning is by far, the best metallica album ever. i swear to god, you have to be stupid not to own it. black album was o.k., but it was the transition into oad, and reload, which are good, but just arent metallica. i dunno....
you decide............
FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE!

[Humpy]

^^agreed

[TheMetalWorks]

I see people say that Re-Load was a great Metallica album. That's pure blasphemy. Anyone who's heard other albums than Re-Load would agree with me that those albums are pure crap.

On the main subject, I think that the self-titled was the last great work Metallica did. Everything else since then (Excluding S&M) has been utter crap.

[MetalMatt19]

Agrotath,

Props to you on your review mate. I wouldn't call it so much as a review, I found it more so of an opinion, but nevertheless, I agree with all that you very much said. I won't nit pick or anything, but all the comments you made on each song and your overall analysis of the album shed some light to some of the somewhat "newbie" fans to Metallica who seem to think that Enter Sandman is the best Metallica song whereas they don't know that there are five albums preceeding it. Metallica isn't their best album (my personal favourites are Master followed closely by Lightning,) but it opens up another era in their development and mastery of music. Good review champ, I think you'll find that many in depth fans of Tallica will think very much the same as you...

[guitarplayer889]

"Metallica" is definatley one of their best, but not the best in my opinion. This album draws away from the hard fast solos of earlier albums such as "Master of Puppets" and "Kill 'em All", but it sticks to heavy thick lead riffs.

[Crazyfingaz]

I agree that the black album is F**king awesome but i say the best was Master of Puppets. The song "Sanitarium" is one of the best they"ve ever done.

[shanker341]

yea first and foremost load is definately not there best cd. to me their best cd was by far ride the lightning and master of puppets is right next 2 it. i like many songs from each album but after and justice for all is when i dont like as many songs on the cd. there earlier stuff still and always will be the best

[ratfink10188]

Good balanced review... The Black Album is my 3rd favorite album, next to Master of Puppets and Ride The Lightning... Load and Reload just suck... bad bad stuff there, but that's just my opinion

[Theo]

Black album IS the best. At first, it's kind of difficult to get into cuz it's slower than their older stuff, but it has much more substance. And "Sad But True" is the heaviest, kick *** riff EVER! I play it every day and never get tired of it. NEM is by far the best 'tallica track. It is just a masterpiece. No other metallica album even COMPARES to black in substance. Some are faster (RTL, MOP, KEA), some are trashier (...AJFA), and some just plain suck(Load, Reload, St. Anger). But this is 'tallica at its peak. :smash:

[clown_phobia]

This album is the best metallica, and one of the best metal albums, and one of the best albums of the 90s.

[sMURFJEW]

Except for "the stuggle within" and "sad but true" i like all the songs on this album. None of the songs are classics but they're decent

[Theo]

Except for "the stuggle within" and "sad but true" i like all the songs on this album. None of the songs are classics but they're decent
Are you kidding? Sad But True is da shiznit! The best heavy 'Tallica riff ever.
Even Kid Rock covered (sampled) it for his "American Badass".

[jackblack]

:angry: your f*****g crazy dude. i don't know how you can even live with yourself after saying that the black album is overrated ,the songs sound the same ,and nothing else matters is boring. you should stop posting threads before you pollute someone elses mind with that crap.


eh...i agree with you, just mind that everyone is allowed an opinion. I personally think anyone who thinks Nothing Else Matters is boring, or Mama Said, or Bleeding Me, Orion, The Call of Ktulu, The Ecstasy of Gold...anyway, they need to pay more attention to the musical/artistic value of rock and metal, and less attention to a mere trifle like tempo and volume.

for that reason, Cliff Burton was a genius, having both the mad speed and heavy metallic feel to his music, but also making it as beautiful and complex as Mozart or Bach...hey, i would bet good money that he had perfect pitch, too...

ANYWAY, due to my opinion on Cliff, i reccomend any of the albums he was on, just for the instrumentals and Anesthesia...and the intro for Damage Inc...I can't seem to get that 'rush' that everyone talks about...normally...but i could for Damage Inc, because the intro cracked open my Mozart/Bach/classical music side, then infected...they are all beautiful songs.

Ok, i digressed...

[[EoN-BluE-ApocalypsE]]

IMO... its okay... I find the album increddibly boring in places (not including nothing else matters) but I dono.. its missing something that the others have.... 3/5

[skateMASTERbater2]

a good metallica album
enter sandman is one of my favorite metallica songs

[mad man drummer]

:thumb: I don't know if it ranks up there with nevermind but it is a kick a** album. maybe i'm just saying this because nirvana is my favorite band of all time. NIRVANA F*****G RULES.

Dude toataly agree Nirvana is by far the best band of all time.

PS. Metallica rocks too.

[Kreator]

**** you. nirvana are nowwhere as good as metallica. nirvana haven't even had a good solo. are a songs that's faster than 150bpm. so stfu

[skateMASTERbater2]

nirvana and metallica dont compare

[blahandrew0830]

5/5 this is one of the great albums of all time

[bigguy69]

the metal works is right the first five were killer and the rest suck

[fountainguitar]

Possibly the most overrated Metallica album. Most songs here not only sound alike but are very dull plodders. The hits deserved to be hits, however, though "Nothing Else Matters" is extremely boring. I'd give it a 3/5 for its value at the time.


dude you have lost it.... you say this album is overrated??? This is one of metallicas best albums, and one of the best metal albums of all time!!!!i think you need to listen again, just once, but clean the crap out of your ears first. If you cant appreciate this, your hopeless

[clown_phobia]

dude you have lost it.... you say this album is overrated??? This is one of metallicas best albums, and one of the best metal albums of all time!!!!i think you need to listen again, just once, but clean the crap out of your ears first. If you cant appreciate this, your hopeless

hear hear

[mexicanfloydian]

this is a good album, but it gets kind of boring after listening to it for a while. I have like 3 years or something with this album and I cant listen to ir for more than 15 minutes, i get bored really quick.

[Kreator]

^^^ that's the same with every metallica cd

[AnimalKracker918]

4/5
Its a great album, but I like some of their others better

[SubtleDagger]

dude you have lost it.... you say this album is overrated??? This is one of metallicas best albums, and one of the best metal albums of all time!!!!i think you need to listen again, just once, but clean the crap out of your ears first. If you cant appreciate this, your hopeless
If you think this is anywhere near Metallica's best, you've lost it. Just the fact that there isn't a fast song here is enough to keep it from that. Go listen to Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets. Even ...And Justice For All was better than this one.

[The Bronx Are Here]

my name is poo and i think enter sandman is a cool song. everyone goes crazy when they hear it. but really, thats the only song i can stand from the CD. at least you can hear the **** bass on this album (a tiny bit). and nothing else matters - i dont care what anyone says, is one of the most boring songs ive heard. period. excellent solo, but i just kept waiting for it to speed up, and it didnt. oh well.

2.5/5


p.s.

you can't expect every song to give you an or*asm can you? i mean it's a good song for the tempo and enter sandman, the solo just dosn't fit the timing it's good but i dont think it fits as well as others do!

[SubtleDagger]

Bump Master Of Puppets and I rape your mother.

[timbrie]

I don''t like the solos on this record

[UnNormalLikeDrew]

I used to fall asleep to this album everynight. It, basically, is a great way to get anyone into metal. Once my tastes evolved, I forgot about this album. That doesn't take away form the fact that it is good, but i will take MOP over this album anyday.

[Samick]

^^same here :naughty:--i'v noticed one thing... every one one likes a different album. so my respons is this, wake the **** up. come on, thats y metallica is as goodas thay are they are do diverce. my favoret is reload personaly.

[laura_au]

i have to agree that this album is kinda overrated, and i've noticed that most people here agree that enter the sandman is the best metallica song that theyve ever heard,
well all i can say is give ride the lighning a try, james' voice isnt at its peak back then but its my favourite metallica album up there with master of puppets. i reccommend you guys to listen to the tracks ride the lightning and creeping death and i'm sure you wont get bored with those songs

[Dimebag_n_cliff_RIP]

You people are making me ill. Hardly NONE of you have posted a true metalhead response, yet you all seem to think you're experts on Metallica albums. Here's the facts. Metallica doesn't have a "best" album. Neither does Megadeth, Pantera, Slayer, or anyone. People diss St. Anger, but if you really sit down and listen, it is killer. People say "Metallica sucks, they went from thrash (Kill em All, Lightning, Master, Justice) to just rock." Who the **** cares. Metallica rocks harder than you ever can. I say down with classifying heavy metal and just go straight HEAVY METAL! When I get in my car, HEAVY METAL blasts my frickin ears out, not "90's hard rock/heavy metal" Just heavy metal. Thats what metalheads live for. So what if Sandman got on the radio. That don't mean they've gone soft. They just did something different so that they wouldn't get bored with music. Shoot, even Megadeth has slowed down some, but they still rule my freakin world! METAL FOREVER!!

[Dimebag_n_cliff_RIP]

And besides, seriously, about 85% of the people that say "the first few were good but everything after The Black Album sucks" are only saying that because everyone else did for awhile. I know cuz i used to be the same way. The first 'Tallica song i ever heard was Until it Sleeps. I loved it. I was young, didn't even know who Metallica was, but ever since i can remember, seriously, I have been intrigued by both old skool rock and heavy metal. My parents raised me on Queen, Boston, Def Lepard, ACDC, and the very DAY that i heard about "heavy metal", i was hooked. Then along came Metallica. They rocked my world, but then that Napster crap happened. Well, i was still kinda young, so i went with the flow. "Yeah, Metallica is dumb for getting mad at people stealing their music" were my words. i literally TRIED to not like them. But something made me bang my head when I heard them. then I realized, "Hey, i'm a metalhead." i was only saying crap about them cuz i thought i was SPOSED to. But i was wrong. Load, Reload, all that, it don't suck. It's just different. Get over it or i'll make a lamp shade with your skin.

[drummin_666]

One of the best metal albums ever. 5/5

[UnNormalLikeDrew]

You people are making me ill. Hardly NONE of you have posted a true metalhead response, yet you all seem to think you're experts on Metallica albums. Here's the facts. Metallica doesn't have a "best" album. Neither does Megadeth, Pantera, Slayer, or anyone. People diss St. Anger, but if you really sit down and listen, it is killer. People say "Metallica sucks, they went from thrash (Kill em All, Lightning, Master, Justice) to just rock." Who the **** cares. Metallica rocks harder than you ever can. I say down with classifying heavy metal and just go straight HEAVY METAL! When I get in my car, HEAVY METAL blasts my frickin ears out, not "90's hard rock/heavy metal" Just heavy metal. Thats what metalheads live for. So what if Sandman got on the radio. That don't mean they've gone soft. They just did something different so that they wouldn't get bored with music. Shoot, even Megadeth has slowed down some, but they still rule my freakin world! METAL FOREVER!!

i think most people are just trying to say their favorite album.. not metallica's "best" you can't do that like you said.. but i really think most people with some exceptions are just saying their favorites...

[dirge for november]

i really enjoyed this album. good review.

[fenderbender014]

I can't believe what I am reading. Black Album was okay. Not great. Barely good. I have been a Metallica fan my whole life and own all their albums. Seen 2 of their concerts. Load was by far their WORST album. Go listen to Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice For All, and Garage Inc. before you even look at anything past them. "Fight Fire with Fire" kicks the crap out of that "Mama said" **** anyday. Face it, Metallica is a legend, but they stopped producing anything legendary after the Black Album, which is good. But not great.

[Rockaholic704]

Not sure if this has been said but it was actually their second album with Jason Newstead...Cliff died in 87, after MoP was released...

[RiceMonster]

This album is nothing special to me. 3/5

[Carlos Santana]

Can someone post a track by track review of this album

[Shadows]

This is an overrated Meatllica album. Good, not great, but it definitely has its moments. Earlier work beats the hell out of it.

3.5-4/5 for me.