Metallica

Gone are the likes of 8 minute tracks played at breakneck speed, and they are replaced with shorter songs played at a slower tempo. This is great for anyone wanting a heavy metal band merging with a mainstream sound.

Overall, if you want to get into Metallica but think they might be to heavy for you, try this. It will be in your CD player for a long time afterwards!


Not Metallica's finest yet still worthy of 5 stars   July 8, 2007
Paul
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

This review seems almost a pointless exercise as a) everyone probably owns this and b) most people say this is Metallicas finest work. Well I disagree with the latter reason. I love this album and gave it a truly deserved 5 (probably be a 9/10 if that was an option) but that is listening to it on its own merits, ie being adult about it. Listening in a little more childish manner this would be rated as a Metallica album and therefore compared to their other work. This album is far superior to St Anger, but then so was Take That's last effort I imagine. It is the best of the "new" more abbreviated Metallica which includes Load and Reload but it pales somewhat next to the previous 4 outings, especially master of Puppets which has to be the pinnacle for the band musically if not commercially. This album brought Metallica into the mainstream and found them lots of new fans but I will always remember this as the beginning of the end for the band. One reviewer compares this to Back in Black, I agree, that album is also excellent but not the bands (AC/DC) finest and also the start of something new and not altogether wonderful!


Metallica's classic crossover album   January 25, 2003
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

The "Black" album as it is known is a classic album. It was released in 1991, following up the progressive "And Justice For All". Through the 80s, Metallica had progressed from a Motorhead-meets-Diamondhead template (on '83's Kill 'Em All) to a more experimental metal band. Long instrumentals and progressive songs had reached a peak on their last album, and the band felt it was time to go back to basics. The result is a 12 track album without any instrumentals or epics. In addition to this, new producer Bob Rock had a large hand in giving the album a more commercial sound, as well as making it one of the finest and most sonically produced albums of the time.

The main reason why this album is such a fantastic album is that it is a commercial metal album that has all the credibility of any underground metal album. It gets away with this because all the ingredients are there, but they are laid out to appeal to all. There are powerful riffs, fantastic guitar solos, growling vocals, but the commercial hooks are there too. Consequently, this is probably one of the best albums for a newcomer to the genre to try.

The songs themselves are all excellent bar a couple in the later part of the disc. They also somehow manage to sound fresh even now, more than 10 years later, very much in the same way that Nirvana's "Nevermind" still does. Songs like "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven" and "Sad But True" sound so crisp, clear and new. Arguably, the album's centrepiece is Metallica's first proper ballad "Nothing Else Matters". This song, whilst being so simple, beautiful, and spine-tingelling is also totally lacking in the self-indulgance that so many rock ballads are full of.

The chances are, if you are a metal fan, you've heard all about this one. If you've not really heard much about this album, whilst it is an excellent gateway to the genre, it stands alone as a classic that really does have something for everyone.


15 million copies sold? Of a metal album? Surely not!   November 23, 2000
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

Take the best metal band on earth, add a mainstream rock producer (Bob Rock), place in a studio for a year and what do you get? 'The Black Album'. Simply one of the best of all metal albums ever written. The songs are accessible to anyone who likes a decent tune whilst still retaining the power that metallica had previously displayed in earlier albums (ie Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning). I defy anyone to not like opening track, 'Enter Sandman' containing arguably the best riff ever composed. 'Sad But True' shows a slower, blusier, yet still crushingly heavy, side to Metallica. 'Nothing Else Matters' shows Metallica trying an acoustic ballad, and surprisingly pulling it off. James Hetfields vocal pulsing with emotion as the the song builds to a climax is simply wonderful. But if blisteringly fast riffs are your style then look no further than 'Through the Never', 'Holier Than Thou' or 'The Stuggle Within'. This is definitely the easiest Metallica album to listen to and probably the best entry point for someone trying to get into them. They've been somewhat inconsistent since this but still remain one of the best metal outfits on this planet. If you like this try 'Master of Puppets' and 'Ride the Lightning'. Both classic albums in a different style to this, but still truly brilliant.