Artist: Metallica
In October 1990, Metallica entered One on One Studio to record the follow-up to …And Justice for All. At a cost of over one million dollars, after three remixes, and ending three marriages, Metallica was released on August 13, 1991. The album (referred to as The Black Album) instantly went to number one on Billboard charts, selling over 650,000 copies in its first week. It has since gone on to sell roughly 20 million copies worldwide, and is considered one of the greatest heavy metal records of all time.
The Black Album marks the beginning of a long and successful relationship between Metallica and producer Bob Rock. Rock approached the band after attending several of their concerts; remarking, “I’ve seen what you guys do live, but you’ve yet to capture that on record.” Feeling that they still had their best album in them, Metallica hired Rock initially to produce their next record. However, early on the band decided to also have the Canadian producer mix the album, seeking a more commercial and sonically polished sound severely lacking in the album’s predecessor.
Bob Rock did more than simply focus on the technical aspects of recording the album, layering track after track of guitars, drums, vocals, bass, and sound effects (like the gun-cocking noise in “The God that Failed”) The producer, who had helped bands such as The Cult, Bon Jovi, and Mötley Crüe achieve a pristine, radio-friendly sound, pushed Metallica to explore alternate tempos and song arrangements than the band had in the past. The result was slower and more groove-oriented than the band's earlier work. However, this album is arguably far ‘heavier’ than anything the band had done previously.
Every aspect of this record was meticulously groomed by Rock’s trained ear. Even the album’s lyrics could not escape tweaking. The songs on Metallica deal with more general themes and emotions that appeal to a broader audience. Singer James Hetfield wrote more personal and introspective lyrics than those of previous Metallica albums. “The God That Failed” deals with Hetfield's mother's death from cancer and her Christian Science beliefs which kept her from seeking medical treatment. “Nothing Else Matters” is another example, which is a love song Hetfield wrote about missing his girlfriend while on tours.
Due to both Metallica’s and Bob Rock’s persistent efforts, The Black Album was responsible for bringing Metallica to the attention of mainstream radio and a wider audience that had never heard of the band before. Subsequently, the record has been certified 15 times platinum in the United States, making it the 26th best-selling album in the country.
This is arguably Metallica’s best work. However, many diehard fans that have been following Metallica since their first record Kill ‘Em All would argue that The Black Album marks the point where the band ‘sold-out’ to commercial success. Although I really like most of the albums in Metallica’s catalogue, and would consider myself a big fan, I still think that this album is their best. Not only is it sonically perfect, heavy, and features great song writing, but it is also easily accessible to those who have never heard of the band before. In fact, Metallica was the first album I listened to by the band, and led me to discover the rest of their work.
Rating: 5/5
This review gives away your young age! We often prefer the first exposure we have to a truly great artist, even if that isn't the artist's greatest work. The fact that _Metallica_ was your first exposure to the band is evidence of this in you, in my opinion. Older audiences, whose first exposure to Metallica was with their earlier work, generally agree that the "Black Album" marks the band's decision to sell out. They even cut off their iconic long locks that marked them as a heavy metal band and softened their image. Their subsequent spearheading of the campaign against Napster that called attention to the previously underground epidemic of pirating music through such filesharing programs further enforced the band's image as money-hungry sellouts. The fans that previously loved their edgy music with the matching image were heartbroken when Metallica revealed what their price was and allowed themselves to be purchased.
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