Metallica

…well, sort of. It seems a lot of Metallica fans love to rip this album to shreds and I would be lying if I said I didn’t agree with them somewhat. It just seems silly to praise this album when you take into account what the band had accomplished up to its recording. Truth be told, Metallica had been going slowly downhill since Cliff Burton died, although nobody could have foreseen such a drastic change in the band’s style.

I find it especially interesting that my appreciation for this album seemed to lessen the more I listened to metal in general. I can remember that it was my second Metallica album (after LOAD), which explains why I initially thought it was great. Then, I discovered Metallica had recorded four of the greatest thrash albums of all time and so my opinion of it lessened quite a bit. The final nail in the coffin, though, was when I started listening to Megadeth (a far superior band, by the way) and discovered that Dave Mustaine was doing the same kind of music that Metallica was at this point, only doing it much better (the brilliant COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION).

Many fans seem to blame producer Bob Rock for this album, and I don’t think such allegations are misplaced… It seems as if he had a little TOO much say in the recording of this album than was necessary (it’s the only conceivable explanation I can come up with). That’s not to say that the band didn’t retain some of its credibility here… Songs like “Through the Never” and “The Struggle Within” seem to suggest that the band hadn’t forgotten how to play their instruments, although they’re too little too late.

The album’s biggest problem is that it seems to be dripping with overproduction and a strained attempt at commercial success. I know that many of the band’s current fans are quick to rush to this album’s defense, saying that they were just “expanding their horizons,” “trying out new things,” and my personal favorite, “experimenting”. To these fans, all I have to offer is this quote from Lars Ulrich taken in 1986…

“Fuck MTV! We’ll never do a video!”

Technically, the band DID do a music video for “One” on …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, but we’ll forgive them that since that song kicks ass. “Enter Sandman,” though, is simply inexcusable… a mid-paced super-hit (sporting a pretty incoherent video) that sounds like something an arena-rock metal band might record on one of its better days, complete with a “sing-along” chorus. As many other fans have pointed out, “Sad but True” is incredibly simplistic and gets boring REALLY fast. The band even indulges itself in a little existential musing with “The Unforgiven” (not a bad song by a long shot, but pretty pathetic when you compare it to their earlier albums). The thing that saves THE BLACK ALBUM from being a complete disgrace is the second half of the album (excluding for the tedious and meandering “Nothing Else Matters”). It’s hard to pick a favorite song, since none of them are really that good, but I really like the vibe the band gives off in “The God That Failed.”

I know that a lot of people love this album (usually the same people who try to justify the LOAD and RELOAD albums), but I simply can’t listen to it without thinking that the band lost something. Even as I type this, I kind of feel guilty for trashing it, but then I say “fuck it!” You don’t owe this band shit, and if you feel the need to find excuses for liking this album, you’re just wasting your time. There’s so much more worthy music out there for you to explore…