METALLICA — Metallica (review)

Album · 1991 · Heavy Metal

4/5 · 2015-09-27
martindavey87

Any claim that this is 'the best heavy metal record of all time' might seem a bit far-fetched, but any accusations that Metallica 'sold out' on this mainstream pop album are truly mistaken. A bunch of whiny, underground thrash metal fans can't get over the fact that their heroes 'went mainstream' (trying to actually earn any money is a big heavy metal no-no), but realistically, with the rising grunge scene placing heavy metal in the early 90's on its deathbed, 'Metallica', commonly referred to as 'The Black Album' made sure the genre went down swinging.

Regardless of people's opinions about the direction the band was taking here, I don't think there is any denying that what we have on offer are great heavy metal songs. So they aren’t as complex and progressive as previous albums, and the lyrics don't seem as dark, deep or super-serious as on 'Master of Puppets' or 'Ride the Lightning'. But what Metallica's self-titled record has in abundance that previous releases were missing is "anthems". Straight-to-the-point, bang-your-head kick-ass metal anthems. All souped-up with Bob Rock's beefy production, these songs introduced fans to a whole new Metallica.

A few filler tracks got thrown into this record, but then, when you look at the songs they're being mixed amongst, it's pretty easy not to really notice, or care. ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Sad But True’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’, ‘The Unforgiven’ and 'Wherever I May Roam' all justify why this album sold millions upon millions of copies.

It's the album that split the fans, which for me, means it distinguishes the true music fans from the whiny elitists, but either way, this is a great record that capped off Metallica's rise to the top and firmly placed them on the throne of heavy metal.

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more than 2 years ago
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UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I´d call exactly tracks like 'Don't Tread On Me' 'Struggle Within' and 'Holier Than Thou' filler material.

voila_la_scorie wrote:

more than 2 years ago

It's the last Metallica album I bought. I like it, though Master and Ride are still my favourites.

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I love 'Don't Tread on Me', definitely one of my favorites as well!

Kingcrimsonprog wrote:

more than 2 years ago

What would you call filler?

My favourite songs are the thrashier ones like 'Don't Tread On Me' 'Struggle Within' and 'Holier Than Thou' ...I wouldn't call anything that fun filler.

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

If I don't compare it to the previous albums, my main problem is the 'hits' have been overplayed to death.

Vim Fuego wrote:

more than 2 years ago

1 1/2 to 2 stars at best, Disappointing as fuck when this first came out, and it hasn't improved any since.

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I find this to be a pretty good album, I especially love 'The God that Failed'.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I think the "hits" from this album are well written and catchy heavy metal tunes, but there is way too much filler beyond that. Every time I listen to it, I get the urge to take it off before I reach the end.