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.
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Alex