Metallica

This is music for people to listen to while fantasizing about bench pressing 500 pounds, throwing the game winning touchdown, Eiffel-towering Pamela Anderson, and kicking some commie ass (does "Lars Ulrich" sound suspiciously European i.e. commie?). But then they open their eyes to discover they've smashed a family bucket of KFC and crushed a 12-pack of light beer while yelling at the television and telling their fat wife to try to look pretty every once in a while. If Flavortown had a soundtrack it would be this album. A goatee-fueled bomb-dot-com explosion of repressed sexuality. Lights out delicious.

“Metallica” by Metallica (1991) I’m very familiar with this album, which I first listened to on the recommendation of a good friend a couple of years ago 😁. This album is top quality in texture, production values, composition, and theology. Yes, theology. Instrumentals and vocals, well-produced and mixed, deliver a powerful and dark ambience, clean distortion and overdrive. Intense lead vocal and driving rhythm guitar by James Hetfield, with robust percussion by Lars Ulrich. Exquisite lead guitar with some fine solo work by Kirk Hammett. Explosive yet steady bass by Jason Newsted. “Enter Sandman” is a nightmare-inducing thrash lullaby, expressing the disturbing irony of a father’s loving and comforting bedtime words to his young son, which are compromised by the horrors that lie behind daddy’s own feigned verities. Set in a minor key (Em—the perfect key for soulful guitar), the song reveals radical disconnect between the soothing and encouraging things parents say to their children at bedtime and the terror and dread in their own psyches. It’s further accentuated by the lyrical suggestion that the ironic disconnect is intentional. It’s as if the father is telling his young son, “I’m here to give you assurance and security, but your fears are completely justified, heh-heh.” Why do we ask our children to declare each night “If I should die before I wake . . .”? What horrible and perverse suggestion. It’s probably the most terrifying use of the subjunctive in the history of English discourse. This song is one of the few Metallica songs my real-life adult son actually likes. A voice inside me says, “What the hell does that mean?” “Don’t Tread on Me” begins with a riff from Leonard Bernstein’s “America” (mixed meter 6/8-3/4) from “West Side Story”, hinting that a jingoistic anthem is on its way. And Metallica delivers, Yankee Doodle Dandy. America—deadly, war mongering, and all at once celebrating and threatening the Spirit of ‘76 as symbolized by the Gadsden flag (“Don’t Tread on Me”). If the lyrics are read without irony, the only thing that’s missing is “God Bless America”. Popular piety at its worst, but you’d better take it seriously. On “The Unforgiven” there seems to be a good number of references to Hollywood westerns, from the obvious title (same as the 1960 film with Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn) to the lyrical theme of the classic western hero. It’s interesting that Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” was released the year after Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” (Connection?). The percussion instrumentation and guitar arpeggios echo Ennio Morricone’s scoring of “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” and “For a Few Dollars More”. This merits further exploration. I think Eastwood and Metallica should collaborate on a western movie. I’d wear a mask to see it. Even if it situates inner moral conflict in the context of lethal one-on-one confrontation. Prepare to meet your God as “The Unforgiven”. Setting God aside for a moment, “Nothing Else Matters” is, of course, a rock classic. Anthem status. The musical composition is brilliant, with intriguing choices (for a metal band) in the instrumentals, including acoustic guitar with reverb and orchestral background throughout. Again, in the very guitar-friendly E-minor, the arrangement provides the perfect setting for this love ballad, demonstrating an expansive creative range for a band known for “heavy metal”. Interestingly, this song only charted at #34 in the U.S. (#1 in Poland, though—that says a lot about the political and cultural scene in 1992). “Holier than Thou”, a little toxic masculinity goin’ out to all the Elmer Gantrys of the world, is a well deserved rage against the righteousness that lacks humility. This song gives expression to a sentiment that justifies the whole thrash genre. With dizzying tempo, we hear great lead solos by Kirk Hammett, and Jason Newsted keeps right up on bass guitar. Two middle fingers up. “The God that Failed” an anguished and complex musical reflection by James Hetfield on the personal experience he had with parents whose intense religious ‘faith’ (Christian Science) collided with reality. Cancer is personified, rendering mom’s misplaced faith impotent. Where was dad? And where was Dad (the ‘God’ that failed) when mom piously rejected medical treatment and suffered an agonizing death? Great backstory to this, but what Hetfield does with it is musical genius. It pulls the empathy right out of the listener’s guts. Likewise, “My Friend of Misery”, a metaphysics-embracing lament that reminds us: redemptive suffering isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Pastoral Theology 101. The closing track, “The Struggle Within” is (obviously) introspective, but can’t even seem to find a time signature. Like my (your?) struggle within. How can drummer Lars Ulrich keep up? So much more could be said about this album, one of my personal favorites—a classic. 5/5

As someone who has started a mosh pit watching Metallica, I feel like I'm very qualified to judge this. It's not very good. They were also not very good live, which is why we started a mosh pit to liven it up. I think they're incredibly uncool. 🤟🤘🤟🤘

After the muddled production and ultracomplicated song structures of ...And Justice for All, Metallica decided that they had taken the progressive elements of their music as far as they could and that a simplification and streamlining of their sound was in order. While the assessment made sense from a musical standpoint, it also presented an opportunity to commercialize their music, and Metallica accomplishes both goals. The best songs are more melodic and immediate, the crushing, stripped-down grooves of "Enter Sandman," "Sad but True," and "Wherever I May Roam" sticking to traditional structures and using the same main riffs throughout; the crisp, professional production by Bob Rock adds to their accessibility. "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters" avoid the slash-and-burn guitar riffs that had always punctuated the band's ballads; the latter is a full-fledged love song complete with string section, which works much better than might be imagined. The song- and riff-writing slips here and there, a rare occurrence for Metallica, which some longtime fans interpreted as filler next to a batch of singles calculated for commercial success. The objections were often more to the idea that Metallica was doing anything explicitly commercial, but millions more disagreed. In fact, the band's popularity exploded so much that most of their back catalog found mainstream acceptance in its own right, while other progressively inclined speed metal bands copied the move toward simplification. In retrospect, Metallica is a good, but not quite great, album, one whose best moments deservedly captured the heavy metal crown, but whose approach also foreshadowed a creative decline.

'Ten', 'Achtung Baby', ' Dirt', 'Use Your Illusion', 'Loveless', 'Out of Time', 'Nevermind', 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik', 'Bandwagonesque', 'No More Tears'... and if that wasn't enough, this fucking blast.... Maybe those who claim 1971 was 'the year of music' should have been young 20 years later...

Saved Prior: Enter Sandman Off Rip: None Cutting Edge: Through The Never, The God That Failed Overall Notes: Me before listening to this album: :) Me after hearing Enter Sandman: :) Me after the next 4 songs: :|||||||| Me after song 8 seems to finally signal a change in the repetitive song structure: :||| Me after song 8 finishes as a sub-par song: :|||||||||||| Me after the album finally ended: :||||||||||||||||| I hated this. I have yet to give a 1 through 80 albums, this album has the incredible Enter Sandman, and I still gave this a 1. Through The Never and The God That Failed had their moments but came nowhere close to saving the immense pain sitting through this album put me through. I remember now why I always thought I hated metal. Shit like this.

Whether you like Metallica or not is irrelevant when it comes to this album. Five massive singles, all of them the biggest and most enduring songs of the band’s catalogue, came out of it. You have to give some fucking respect to that no matter what your musical tastes are. And I, for the record, love Metallica. Because of this album. Jesus Christ, it’s got Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters on it. That is huge on its own, but then we also get Sad But True, The Unforgiven, AND Wherever I May Roam?!? That’s insanity! It’s just so fucking good. If you need to introduce someone to Metallica, you play this album and that’s it; they’ve been fully indoctrinated and converted to a life of badass high octane metal head banging from here on out. They’re the ones who take you there, fuck yeah! \m/

tedious and one dimensional. Remember hearing the album when it first came out, and not being overly enthralled then. As singles certain tracks stand up well, but the continuous one tempo power chords over the whole album just get boring after a while.

One of Metallica's best albums, tons of bangers on this one. Definitely the transition point where Metallica went into the more mainstream rock, they're getting older and the Thrash has faded. Kirk Hammett is such a gifted guitarist. Excellent album, a lot of these songs were what drew me to learn to read a tab and play guitar.

Prefer the earlier, thrashier, proggier Metallica.

dundundundundDUNUDN

Classic album though not a frequent listen for me. I know the hardcore fans didn't love the heavily produced sound, but I think it suits their style extremely well. They are the big budget action movie of rock music.

The fact that this album is on here proves that it was made by a redditor. Definitely a foot tapper/head banger of an album, Lars Ulrich’s drums sounding like artillery abd machine gun fire, James Herfield sounding like a 6’2” cigarette butt. Gotta keep in perspective that this was 30 yrs ago and set the stage for metal. But 30 yrs later, it sounds a bit nerdy, though I bet at the time it was amazing. My complaint: this album is heavy as fuck, but it could be heavier, it’s over produced, the voice dubbing/layering, sound effects, multitrack shit. If the production was pared down to the 4 essential instruments—with their effects—I think it would sound better, harder, the over productions softens the sharp edges. Their older stuff isn’t as well produced, I’d say underproduced, but there’s a happy medium to find in there. Fun album to listen to. Metal can be so repetitive and one note I think I tuned out after about song 6. They slowed it down a couple times, but it still didn’t help, always the same equation. Lastly, there’s an egregiously long fade out on track 1.

Gods of rock, we are not worthy. Every single track is majestic, stellar, magnificent.

Enter Sandman - 5/5 Sad but True - 5/5 Holier than Thou - 5/5 The Unforgiven - 5/5 Wherever I May Roam - 5/5 Don't Tread on Me - 4/5 Through the Never - 4/5 Nothing Else Matters - 5/5

Legendary and it holds up

Vous qui fréquentez ce générateur connaissez très bien mon être sous ses traits les plus intimes. Vous savez donc à quel point j'aime dégueuler sur tout ce qui se rapproche du heavy metal ; style que je considère comme une véritable fausse route dans l'histoire de la musique. Néanmoins cet album est très bon, il faut le reconnaître. Pour tout vous dire, à la fin du projet, je portais fièrement un tee-shirt tête de mort, des bottines ainsi qu'un clébard dégueulasse.

I hate Metallica. Enter Sandman is worth two stars on it's own, though. All downhill from there as far as I am concerned, it just drones on and on and on.

Man, listening to this album brought up a LOT of memories. Not all of them good. It's a really powerful metal album, one of Metallica's last good albums. But lyrically there's quite a bit here that feeds a bit of an incel mentality, and I can really only see that with some serious hindsight and separation from the material. There is a 'victim of society' mentality present here that I think can really burrow in to someone's mind, and I wonder what impact this may have had beyond the album. Whether it's giving a false sense of injustice, a need to prove oneself (in some ways as better than), or facing rejection with anger - there's a lot on display here that just isn't healthy. But musically holy shit. What a great album full of incredible tracks. Mark's absolute cruising here with insane solos and this becomes less thrash and more power metal, but you can also hear Metallica's sound evolving from here.

It's briliant. I found myself trying to justify not giving it 5*. But I couldn't so I did.

Stunning record. I know that metallica fans like to denigrate it for transitioning from a thrash sound to more of a heavy metal sound, but it worked so well. The instrumentals are timeless, the lyrics are deep and dark - I heard this album caused 3 of the band members to have divorces they worked so hard on it. Literally every song on the album is good. It ranks up there with Pink Floyd's the Wall or the Beatles Abbey Road.

The black album is a great album, It's fairlly increidble to have all these metallica hits in the same album.

The best album by Metallica by far. This was the CD with which I got to know Metallica in detail. One of the best metal albums of all time in my opinion.

Perfección

I grew up on this album so I'm biased but crank that shit to 11

This is the first Metallica album I've listened to completely through and I enjoyed the music. I recognized a few songs on this album and knew the words. I could see why people become metal heads, it was an enjoyable experience and it may join my regular listening.

Doesn’t get much better than this. James Hatfield might be the coolest guy alive

Best produced album of all time in any genre. Just classic solid songwriting & playing, can't fault it in any way at all. Would have been a great time to be in your early 20s with a mullet. 5/5.

YUS While not my favorite Metallica album, there's a reason this is included. A huge tonal shift from their previous album "...And Justice for All." "Wherever I May Roam" is still my favorite track on this album, followed by "The Unforgiven" and "Sad But True" to round out the top three.

Some of the heaviest music you'll get that manages to stay fairly mainstream. The tracks are (mostly) catchy foot-tappers, and a few are compositionally great too. The main issue is the rest of the tracks. Most of the songs on "Metallica" are heavily riff- or atmosphere-based, and hardly vary in terms of structure or texture. Nothing Else Matters is the album centrepiece, the breath of fresh air, that momentarily makes you believe that songwriting is one of the band's strengths. Nah, man. Nearly all 55 remaining minutes in the album are a bit too invariable for my taste. It lacks creativity. And, especially in the latter half, it lacks punch. The instrumentation, though, is about as good as you can get. Hammett's piercing guitar tones, shredding solos, and memorable solo lines definitely make him a contender for one of the best rock guitarists of his generation. Hetfield's vocals are solid and an excellent instrument for the thrash metal genre. The drumming, performed by Ulrich, is in near-perfect sync with the guitar and bass (Newsted). The absolute tightness and synchronicity in the rhythm reminds me of Nirvana, or earlier music greats like EW&F and Tower of Power. I'll also shoutout a few tracks of interest. Enter Sandman is solid, and probably the catchiest of the simple, raw songs on the album. Holier Than Thou has a fun, memorable chorus, and I was a little surprised it hadn't been released as a single. The Unforgiven is my second-favourite track after Nothing Else Matters. It's texturally lush and musically complex - and its placing near the beginning of the album means I haven't yet tired of the relentless onslaught of guitar noise. The four tail-end tracks (Of Wolf And Man, The God That Failed, My Friend Of Misery, The Struggle Within) are indistinguishable in my memory. My conclusion: it's good, but not *that* good. Legacy is nothing without substance. 3/5 Key tracks: Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Sad But True

I kind of feel like this is basically a Motley Crue record, just heavier, more beefed up and sans eye shadow.

I hate Metallica. Their earlier albums were irritating, this is just boring one-note ponderous tedium. The singer sucks, the lyrics are amateur schoolboy crap, and the production sounds better with the '80s Phil Collins material it was developed for. Please no more from these shitheads [edit: downgraded further as the whole thing is fucking terrible. Just noticed it has the stupid Karen flag snake on the cover to warn right-thinking people away from this heap of shit]

Metallica's black album, right? That's what this one is referred to? I have no personal relationship with the music of this band. And, I honestly didn't know anything about them until their subsequent Load/Re-Load albums. And, from what I understand, those records are reviled by "true" Metallica fans. That's fine. I hated those records too. All that being said, this is a good record. It sounds dated. Like, in a bad way. Heavy bands just sound heavier now. I hate Lars Ulrich - not for the Napster thing. Because he's a tool that thinks he's a good drummer. Ha. Ringo could have played this shit. And his Ludwigs would have sounded like actual drums. It's hard to imagine anyone would have ever thought this kick drum sound is good. But, let's get to some positives. I really like the guitars (great use of harmonics) and the vocals are still interesting (none of that OOH! WOW! UGH! WUOAHAH! BOOM! horseshit). People I know say that "Master of Puppets" and"Kill 'em All" and the other early Metallica records are good. I hope they are, because this shit fucking sucks.

Oddly enough, I had a dream last night that today's album would be a thrash classic. Sadly I dreamed of Slayer - Reign In Blood not this limp lettuce of an album.

I didn’t have a single song that I even thought to skip on this album. One of my favorites on this journey.

Awesome album. The last great album from Metallica.

A cracking Friday album. Kirk seems to always table a calm lick of the guitar to set off any track. Iconic drum track

One of the greatest so far.

YUP.

Ei ehkä kolahda enää yhtä paljon kuin aikoinaan liiallisen radiosoiton takia, mutta klassikko ja ensimmäisiä levyjä inspiroimassa omaa musiikinkuuntelua ja sillon tätä tykitettiinkin. Ilman muuta ansaitsee 5*

Seminal album from my teenage years

I detested this album when it first came out. It felt like a sell out after the first four albums, a slowed down, radio-friendly album. It didn't help that this was the first proper album that didn't have the influence of Cliff Burton on it. I stopped listening to Metallica for a decade or so after this was released, and with good reason, as they released a series of really bad albums (St Anger I'm looking at you) in this period. It wasn't until 2008 that they released something I considered worth listening to again, 20 years in the wilderness! However, any attempt to avoid this album was doomed to failure, as just about all of it would be played on the radio, in clubs, everywhere I went. I think I might have played the entire album from start to finish once before, but most of the album is on constant rotation somewhere. Hell, I even learned to play the opening of Enter Sandman on guitar when I was learning. In retrospect, it's not a bad album at all, just a disappointment after a run of exceptional early albums. I'm torn between a 3 and a 4 star rating, but I'll give it 4 because I know it's one of my daughter's favourites.

Couple bangers, the rest just okay rock.

In Holland, I saw an array of bronzed supine beach bodies lift dumbbells in synch to Enter Sandman, the trainer at climax instructing “Enter night… exit light…keep it slow... SUPERSLOWWW” in a Dutch accent as heavy as the riff. Wildest moment of a stag weekend in Amsterdam, so thanks for that, Metallica. Lyrically, James Hetfield minus Noel Gallagher equals Thom Yorke, so to those who deny that Metal is the conduit of the real, living Devil I say: you are fools. I wonder if James Hatfield writes down his lyrics. If he does, does he read them? I’m familiar enough with the Metallica genre to state that this is strong Metallica. The songs are short for Metallica, but long for normal mortals, so: Misery! Took me a weekend to get through this, though I’m sure I thought it was fine back when it and I were shiny. Nowadays, I cannot abide chores. Two.

Never understood the appeal of Metallica. This shit wouldn’t be out of place at Eurovision.

Reminded me of how, when I’m on a run, I’ll check the time every 20 seconds because I just want it to be over

My first taste of metal and still my favourite. There’s just something about it that feels way more digestible than the rest except for Fuel, which will always be my number one. The album gives me crazy nostalgia for Year 9 and Stubbz think he spent six months singing The One, and now it’s ingrained in my brain.

This opens with “Enter Sandman” which is probably their biggest song, and yeah, it’s great, that intro is a great way to kick off an album. “Sad But True” is fantastic, “The Unforgiven” is a softer song but one of my favorites. “Wherever I May Roam” is also a personal favorite. “Through The Never” is a great heavier one. As is “The God That Failed”. “My Friend Of Misery” oddly reminded me of Black Sabbath, not a bad thing that song is excellent. This album is start to finish a fantastic listen, it’s my favorite (toss up with Master Of Puppets) Metallica album and Metallica are the band that got me into metal. This is great.

Awesome hard rock songs. Slower than I remember, but in a good way. Every note feels intentional

Let's gooooo!!!! "Enter Sandman" is one of my favorite songs! I also saved "Sad But True" and "The Unforgiven." It's just so good. His voice/their voices are perfectly gruff without being obnoxious. The guitar work is phenomenal. I also saved "Wherever I May Roam" ✨ Vibes ✨. I also saved "Don't Tread On Me" "Nothing Else Matters" The God That Failed" and "My Friend Of Misery." I don't think I've saved more songs on any other album. 😂 But I also just put my process into place in which how many songs that I save from an album contribute to it's overall rating. (This still would have gotten 5 stars).

It’s the album that changed everything. For better and for worse. It certainly wasn’t anywhere near as hard as their previous stuff. And the lost them some very avid supporters. But man did this album bring them a monstrous fanbase. Enter Sandman gets the bulk of the airtime and love but there are several songs on this album that most bands would love to have in their catalog. Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam, The Unforgiven and Sad But True all stood out in their own way.

Some monster hits, feels like a greatest hits at times, great energy throughout

In my top 10 of all time

What an album! From starting with Enter Sandman through Nothing Else Matters, every song is just a great track!

Best Song: The God that Failed Some may say this is when Metallica went commercial. So fucking what! Great album and perfect introduction to someone new to Metallica.

own

I think best metal album of all time

This is not a hard one to write. When this album came out, it created a seismic shift is rock/metal because, for the first time, metal went mainstream. The reason is Metallica actually put Jason’s Newsted’s bass on the track as opposed to leaving it turned down to ‘haze’ him into the band after Cliff Burton’s death (dick move, Mr. Ulrich). In truth, the album slowed down the temp and used a heavier drop-D tuning, and in doing so created the groove metal era. This can be attributed more to producer Bob Rock than to the band. Metal purists say this was the end of metal but for most it became the Golden Era for the genre as established bands like Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Testament, Suicidal Tendencies, Motley Crue and new bands like Pantera, Sepultura and Machine Head (now all legends) all followed suit. There are some great songs, such as the radio/video king Enter Sandman, and the ballads Unforgiven (the original the only good one of the three they did) and second intro-guitar players dream Nothing Else Matters (no cords, just four open strings), the heavy Sad But True and God Who Failed, and Newstead's immortal bass-riff contribution My Friend of Misery. I am biased: I was one of millions of 14 year olds who waited in line for this album. In retrospect, Metallica had better albums earlier, but this one set the entire genre ablaze. It’s an accessible must listen.

I had heard Enter Sandman before, so I was curious how the rest of the album would compare. Great stuff!

Classic. Many memorable and singable songs that are iconic and ageless. Can replayed over and over and over again. They say this was the last good Metallica album. It's the one with the hits on it.

1. Enter Sandman - 7.5/10 2. Sad But True - 9/10 3. Holier Than Thou - 8.5/10 4. The Unforgiven - 10/10 5. Wherever I May Roam - 10/10 6. Don’t Tread On Me - 8/10 7. Through the Never - 8/10 8. Nothing Else Matters - 10/10 9. Of Wolf and Man - 8.8/10 10. The God That Failed - 9/10 11. My Friend of Misery - 9.5/10 12. The Struggle Within - 8.5/10 9/10

While I tend to disagree with this list about the inclusion of most of the albums that are on this list from the 1990s, this is easily one of the most influential metal albums and one of the most influential albums in general of the 1990s.

When I bought this CD, I listened for two weeks every time I drove, and loved it more each time. But it's a bit of an acquired taste. I grew up in Philly, which loves Metallica. You will need to tolerate some abrasiveness, since this is metal. The vocals transition so well, from normal speaking and singing, to subtle growling, to shouting and screaming. Every song will have, in addition to the song itself, at least one complex solo or instrumental passage which is also worth hearing.

What a crazy start with enter the sandman, nothing else gets close to that level but relatively solid album.

5/5. 5 legit bangers on this. And the rest of the album isn't much of a let up. Now excuse me as I take advantage of this adrenaline rush to run through a brick wall and destroy my enemies...

Not everybody's favourite style but undeniable gem of hard rock.

One of the best of all time.

Amazing

May just be their best start to finish.

Is it metal? Is it Metallica selling out? Is it Metallica's best album? Doesn't matter, it's simply a great listen. 4.5/5

Love this album, always have!

There is a reason it sold so many copies. It’s more approachable than their earlier work but still hard edged enough for most of their fans to get behind. Never mind the dickheads who say anything after “..and Justice For All” is crap. They are just butt hurt that they now have to share their favorite band with others.

A solid album through out, numerous hits, the one where they sell out

I think it's pretty funny that I'm getting this album today since I'm seeing them in concert tonight. Anyways, lots of "real" metal heads complain about this album but there's a reason why this is one of the best selling albums of all time. It's a fantastic album and probably the perfect introduction to Metallica and therefore the genre of metal as a whole.

Álbum clássico do Metallica. O de maior sucesso comercial. Furou a bolha.

Already reviewed, listened again for the umpteenth time because it's a mammoth of an album. 6 stars all day. Original review: "Bored of the haters. I love MetallicA and I love this album. Everyone should own it and worship it, whether you like metal or not. Less than 5? PAH, I think not, Metal up your ass!!"

Balls to the wall from the first chord of "Enter Sandman" to the last note of "The Struggle Within." This came out while I was in college and was the standard bearer by which all future metal albums was measured against. This blew my socks off then....and it still does.

Metallica is actually the perfect name for this band and this album because it represents the pinnacle of what metal should be. They go beyond just screaming and shredding to create something musical and melodic while still keeping the aesthetic of metal. Favorite Track: The Unforgiven

a Classic album !!

Absolute classic

Masterpiece! Perfect album. Every track is super!

magnificent metal - play it loud !

YES

Peak Metallica, no skips, such fun.

As much as I can't stand Lars for being both a shit drummer AND human...I can't give this album less than a 5....

More polished and less aggressive than their earlier albums and has some of their best songs. An all time great.

Metallica (The Black album) is certainly a beast of an album. I already had some high expectations for these guys after hearing both ...And Justice For All and Master Of Puppets but even this album managed to surpass those two in just about every way. The songs here are fast, heavy and melodic in all the right spots and they can put more effort into being one of those things whenever they need to and it is always handled incredibly well. The production here is also really great with the bass not being pushed back as much as it was in their last album. There isn't a single issue i can even think of with this album so it's getting full marks. Best Song: Enter Sandman Worst Song: The Unforgiven

The small town where I grew up didn't have a record store. It had a photo store that also sold records, CD's and cassettes. When The Black Album was released in the summer of 1991 I was the first person in town to own it. I was waiting at the photo shop when it arrived, and the woman who owned the place handed it to me right out of the box. CD AND cassette. My friend Bill was doing carpentry work on a house around the corner and when I gave him the news as I headed back to my car, he literally dropped his hammer in mid swing and took off down the sidewalk, tool belt and all. He was probably the second person to own it. But as excited as I was to hear the new album from my favorite band, I'd seen MTV's world premier video for Enter Sandman weeks before and I new what I was in for. Metallica was no longer my band. They were everybody's. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has been known to say, "yeah we sellout. Every place we play". Respect. But this avoids answering the question. And the answer is yes. The Black Album is, not unlike U2's Achtung Baby, a deliberate effort to change the sound of their music in order to appeal to a larger, more mainstream audience. This point is not debatable. If you want proof, just watch A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. Concerning the new direction Metallica took with The Black Album, I will just say this. They didn't need to change their sound. They still would have been the biggest band in the world. And if The Black Album had been produced by Flemming Rasmussen instead of Bob Rock and if Cliff Burton hadn't died, today's world would be a very different place. But, like Def Leppard's Hysteria, Red Hot Chili Pepper's Blood Sugar Sex Magic, and the above mentioned U2 situation, The Black Album is not just a sellout, it is also a GREAT album. It's influence on 90's metal cannot be overstated, and the fact that Metallica was pretty much single handedly responsible for thrash metal's eventual mainstream acceptance is a gargantuan achievement, and one that should be honored. Despite the manufactured appeal, and the fact that I just don't think My Friend of Misery measures up to the rest of the album, I'm giving this a five. Honestly, I think every pre-load Metallica album deserves a five. 5

No words. Just rock.

This is an all-time great album. This is one of the first metal albums I listened to. The guitar, the drums, the tunes. Nothing else matters. 'Enter Sandman', 'Sad but true', 'Nothing else matters', 'The unforgiven'. All of these songs are amazing. I've always enjoyed their more rock type songs.

Been a long time since I've listened to this album but it's timeless. All great songs. Production sounds so good.

5/5 its brilliant

Metallica. 5/5

This is an easy 5. This album plays so strong out of the gate and has at least a half dozen songs that are staples to their setlist ever since its release. A couple at the end could have been cut but I’m not going to hold that against them in this case since the album as a whole is one of the undeniable Mike markers in rock and roll.

Normally I’d be rating a record down due to its length. But even though the back end of this gets a bit repetitive, this gets top billing. Its influence, accessibility, popularity, legacy and overall level of game-changing rockness can’t be denied. To quote lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap: “How much more black could it be? And the answer is none…none more black.” A sure fire banger across the board.

Easy 5 and for me, one of the greatest of all time in my book. I think every song hits. Sad But True is a great example of something that is so freaking heavy and not even that fast. Sandman riff is timeless. Shit, every song has a great riff. Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters are an incredible heavy ballads. Greatness.

If you were to ask middle school/high school me to rate this album it would be 10/10 and likely the greatest album of all time. My tastes have changed but hard to deny this album and the impact it had on metal/hard rock. Metalheads and soccer moms both agreed this album ripped ass (in a good way). I listened objectively and at the end had favorited the first 10(!) tracks! Cut the last two songs and it’d be perfect. 4.5/5

A solid banger

6/5 No nyt! Albumi kokonaisuutena kivenkova timantti, josta ei heikkoa kohtaa löydy. "The Unforgiven" on omalla top20 parhaat biisit maailmassa listalla. "Wherever I May Roam" ja "My Friend Of Misery" suosikkeja levyltä. Ja kaikki loputkin.

Olihan hieno. En kovin paljoa tätä genreä itsekseni kuuntele, mutta melkein kaikki kappaleet silti tunnistin. Ja onhan Nothing Else Matters vaan upea!