Review Summary: This album is a great rock album, but far from the beloved thrash metal that Metallica was once known for.
Metallica is:
James Hetfield-Vocals, Guitar
Lars Ulrich-Drums
Jason Newsted-Bass Guitar
Kirk Hammet-Lead Guitar
Load. The album in which hardcore Metallica fans cried out "SELLOUTS!!!" Why? Because they cut their hair? Because they greatly changed their style? Because they were accused of just doing it for the money? Because they went mainstream? The answer is......all of the above. But I for one enjoyed
Load a lot......when I first bought it that is. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy listening to it occasionally. It's just that there is a lot of filler material. Allow me to explain.
This album, as you may have heard, is a rock album and not technical thrash metal. There were many great songs in which were all great in their own way, and many not so great songs that were just terrible.
Ain't My Bitch,
Until It Sleeps,
King Nothing and the 9 minute plus
Outlaw Torn being the albums best songs, still do lack both technicality and inspiration. But, these songs are still a very great to listen to. But, one song in particular that stood out was the slow, soft
Hero Of The Day. This song to me is probably the best song on the album, because of the new sound that Metallica has introduced, which would be the rock sound that many of you seem to hate endlessly. But that is just Metallica trying to put more variety in their music, and not trying to upset many of their fans.
Some of the bad things on this album are songs like
Poor Twisted Me,
Thorn Within, and much of
Mama Said (which appears to be a country style song that James wrote about his mother's passing). These songs are the filler songs I was previously discussing. They just sound like the riffs were put together to make enough songs to fill the fourteen song album that is Load.
Poor Twisted Me is probably the worst Metallica song ever written, on the worst Metallica record ever recorded simply because it has no feel. No passion. Almost no intensity! All these things are crucial in making a metal/rock record.
The lyrics on this album, in my opinion, were very good lyrics. Take this exerpt of
Ronnie for example...
"All the green things died when Ronnie moved to this place...
...which pretty much says to me "don't give up at life" And this one from
Wasting My Hate...
"I don't want to waste my hate on you....I think I'll keep it for myself!"
...which is my favourite lyric on
Load because of the sheer intensity and excitement of it. The meaning of it is pretty much as it says, being "I hate myself!" If I were to steal any lyrics, I would steal them from this album (not that I would ever steal copyrighted material).
This album is probably James' best vocal work as far as I'm concerned. Because of his training prior
The Black Album, he has developed an incredible voice that is good for this album, but perhaps not for the earlier thrash classics as
Master Of Puppets and
Ride The Lightning. I think his vocals sound powerful, and his range improved greatly. Wonderful.
Well, as a conclusion, I much prefered Metallica's
Reload and
St. Anger. And any Metallica record for that matter. This rock album is a great album but it lacks very much in the riffage and also the songwriting at times, and I felt tht Kirk used WAY too much wah on the solos and even some guitar riffs on
2 X 4. Even though I enjoy this album very much, I seem to skip much of the album.
Recommended Tracks
Ain't My Bitch
Until It Sleeps
King Nothing
Hero Of The Day
Outlaw Torn
