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Metallica
Metallica
1991
Wikipedia
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Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!“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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 🤟🤘🤟🤘
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.
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.
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*
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.
The best songwriting of Metallica’s career and the album they are best known for. While not the most ‘Metallica’ of their discography given the change in sound, but a great rock album.
A cracking Friday album. Kirk seems to always table a calm lick of the guitar to set off any track. Iconic drum track
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.
The black album is a great album, It's fairlly increidble to have all these metallica hits in the same album.
One of my favorites when I was younger. Much more mainstream than their other work, but still damn good
Classic! Wat een wereldplaat! Zag gister nog de docu Some Kind of Monster en daarna de plaat toevallig al geluisterd. Hetfield rules!
Het feit dat ik minstens de helft van het album kan meebrullen is al voldoende om het een 5/5 te geven
Sarah used to listen to this album in the 1990s it prompted a request to see more baby pics. Sarah doesn’t have them but does have her early gymnast’s certificate when she was extremely white. :-)
Was always a huge fan of Metallica, but started to fall out of love with them after Master of Puppets and never listened to the whole of this album. Glad I have now, very good :)
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.
Metallica make a turn for the commercial side of metal and came out of it very well off. The songs have lost their aggressive thrash edge to them, however this is made up by having harder riffs.
What more can be said of such a well-known and loved album? It's packed full of heavy riffs with a fine balance between melody and slabs of metal guitar. An instant classic, synonymous with the middle period of the band's career as they went through the gears to transform into the metal behemoth the world knows today. Favourite songs obviously include Enter Sandman, Sad But True and the Unforgiven but honourable mention go without doubt to Of Wold And Man for a change up in rythmn
Landmark album in a career full of great records. So many great songs, with outstanding production by Bob Rock. Rock’s focus was to polish up the band’s sound, while also tightening up the songs. He and the band accomplished both tasks with flying colors. A must hear from one of the greatest bands of all time.
It’s an easy five star - a band taking their sound in a new direction , an album where the bass player has been given room to play, one of a handful albums where I still remember where I was the first time I heard it, an album where I know at three minutes into sad but true there’s gonna be that two second pause before it goes off. A pure fucking joy of a metal album where I just have to sing NOMAD VAGABOND CALL ME WHAT YOU WILLLLLLLLLLLL no matter where I’m listening (just now in the gym) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I heard this at a friend's house as an early teen and it blew me away. Still had fragments of the songs going around in my head days later. This was the album that prompted me to start seeking out music proactively and build up a collection of cassettes, rather than just passively listen to whatever the TV or radio offered. So yeah, 5 stars for personal significance alone. Fave track - "Sad But True", let's say, but I have a lot of faves on this album even today...
I'll equate this album with Revolver by the Beatles (previously reviewed) in the sense that they're both examples of bands who defined their respective genres really hitting their strides and delivering, perhaps, their best collective works and inspiring decades worth of other music. And, in both cases, it's ALL them - written, performed, and produced by. No real outside influence. Specific to Metallica, they prove that Heavy Metal doesn't have to be yelling over something loud and sloppy. It can be perfected. It can be clean, thoughtful, nuanced, and still make you feel like you got punched in the gut.
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.
A classic - not my normal listening but very good when you need something a bit loud! I liked The Unforgiven, and Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters of course
Excellent metal album. Definitely their most popular and for good reason. From start to finish this album brings it hard and does metal to the point where it’s enjoyable for a wider audience. This is a must listen and is one of the best metal albums. 8.8/10
This was my first proper introduction to Metallica (yes, I was late to the party) and really liked it at the time. Listening to it again after who knows how many years was a disappointment initially. However, around the half-way point I started to get more into it, and upon a second listen I was really enjoying it. It is not Master of Puppets of course, but nevertheless a well-produced album with solid songs that are compact and catchy.
This is an easy 5 for me as I've listened to this album since it came out in 1991. While I like the older Metallica albums, this is just more accessible and I really enjoy it. Hits that sweet spot for still being metal and driving but doesn't drive my wife out of the room!
Anspruch und Wirkung auf Kulturgeschichte seien dahingestellt. Aber das ist ein 5-Sterne Album Hörgenuss
The hits are amazing, the rest of the album is really good. The biggest problem is NOT ENOUGH BASS. It's better than "...And Justice for All" which basically has no bass, but damn this album needs more bottom end. Even the bass drum is too treble-y. Is that a word? Favorite tracks - mostly the hits: Sad But True (extremely cool song then and now), Wherever I May Roam, Enter Sandman (so overplayed at Guitar Center), Nothing Else Matters (also overplayed at Guitar Center). I like The Unforgiven but it was sooo overplayed on MTV in the 90s. Favorite non-hits: Through the Never, The God That Failed. I'd call it a 4.5, but I'll round it to a 5.
Almost forgot how Metallica was part of the 1991 music revolution. Whereas Soundgarden turned their metal into grunge, Metallica turned metal into something new - less frantic, more dense (the sound just fills your head). Like Sabbath set the standard for the 70's going forward, these guys set the standard for the 90's and beyond. This is a true masterclass. Still a ton of great guitarwork and pounding drums, but the melody attached to the intensity is amazing. After all these years I still say wow listening to it.
Never has a crossover album felt so good. Thirty years later and it still hits home. An absolute joy to listen to. Life is hard and no one understands me.
Legendary album that changed the history of metal forever. A lot of people don't like it because that's when Metallica turned to mainstream, but you can't deny the huge importance and impact this record had (and still have!). I believe it should be a must-listen for everyone at least once in life. Favorite tracks: * Through The Never * Holier Than Thou * The God That Failed
Wow, knew about this album most of my life but disregarded it as generic. Really loved the listen and how deep many of these songs meanings are. Dang, the instrumentals were killer also, mostly by the riffs and bass lines.
Discazo de auténtico thrash-rock de los chicos de San Francisco. Auténticos temazos y sin bajar el listón en ningún momento
I worshipped this album when I was a kid and still belt this album out whenever I hit play or when it rarely plays enter sandman on the radio.
Perhaps the most consequential album in the metal genre in the past thirty years and for Metallica. While not every song hits the mark, for the most part it is a solid, neverending barrage of peak Metallica; the everlasting hour in which the band took the reins and dominated the landscape for all eternity. As always, an essential listen. Favorites: Enter Sandman, Holier Than Thou, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Through the Never, Nothing Else Matters, Of Wolf and Man, My Friend of Misery.
This is an excellent album with lots of great songs from start to finish and goes hard AF. Excellent instrumentals. 9/10.
As a fan of hard rock music in general, this album is basically flawless. Enter Sandman is on the list of greatest album openers ever. What more can say beyond this is simply one of the all-time great albums?
It's briliant. I found myself trying to justify not giving it 5*. But I couldn't so I did.
Voor mij jeugdsentiment en het album dat Metallica ook echt bekend maakte bij het grote publiek. Het klinkt stoer maar heeft ondertussen erg leuke melodietjes. Mijn favorieten: "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", "The Unforgiven" and "Don't Tread On Me". *****
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/
Start of the decline, maybe it would have gotten stale but more thrash Metallica would’ve been dope
Probably my favourite Metallica album but also their foray into the mainstream. Some classic songs
It really holds up. Maybe because it’s 30 years later but it doesn’t sound so innovative today
Kyseisen soitinyhtyeen varmasti paras levy. Kuuntelee helposti muutaman kerran putkeen ja yksittäiset biisit toimii aina, mutta ei silti ihan viiden * leiskautus.
A great album with some huge hits. Unfortunately the other songs cannot hold the high quality of the hits which keeps this album from reaching 5 stars
3.9 never used to like Metallica (could’ve been the Napster thing), but they’re growing on me.
Enjoyable metal, have heard several of the songs before. Overall I would go back to this album sometime in the future
Very smooth transitions and excellent musicianship. Some of the songs blend together and sound a bit repetitive, but that could be my inexperience with metal. Super solid!
Kende m al, oud goud natuurlijk. Best hard, maar niet binnen mijn huidige smaak (jan 2021)
Massive album. Extremely well produced and written. Sooo much groove and swing in the rhythm section. Down picking riff master Hetfield outdid himself on this one. All the riffs are classics at this point. They have punch, power and they hook you instantly. Solos are melodic and well thought out never too much and always complement the songs. Ver very well put together piece of music. Some filler (eg Holier than thou or The struggle within), but even that doesn't detract from the overall quality.
this album continues to be classic metal, and inspiration for countless bands, and one of my favorite albums (despite thinking Lars Ulrich is a huge piece of shit).
Enter Sandman" Released: July 29, 1991[1] "The Unforgiven" Released: October 28, 1991[2] "Nothing Else Matters" Released: April 20, 1992[3] "Wherever I May Roam" Released: October 19, 1992[4] "Sad but True" Released: February 8, 1993[5]
I always enjoyed this album. Wasn't much of a metalhead at 14, but this is pretty much my access point for appreciation of it.
IMO this was when Metallica took the turn to become more mainstream (if that is the right term) ~ This is NOT the "Kill 'em All", "Ride the LIghtning" or "Master of Puppets" Metallica of my youth. A lot of my friends and fans called them sell outs when this album came out. Say what you want, this album, on the back of "And Justice For All" made Metallica the biggest heavy metal band in the world. and I fucking LOVED this album back in the day..... I wore that casette tape out! LOL
Ik ben geen grote Metallica fan, maar dit album vind ik geweldig! Een van de eerste hardrock albums die ik als tiener kocht en grijsgedraaid heb.
Even as a non-metal fan this is just a great album. The Unforgiven - Wherever I May Roam - Don't Tread on Me is an underappreciated trio.
O Black álbum era melhor na minha memória, as músicas mais famosas já cansam, mesmo sendo boas, as músicas mais desconhecidas são só chatas. No geral é um bom álbum mas não tao bom como tinha na minha memória. Nota 7/10
Je comprends désormais un peu mieux tous les geeks trentenaires aux cheveux gras, qui utilisent le smiley ":3" pour communiquer avec de jeunes filles. Cette description s'applique d'ailleurs a la moité des utilisateurs de ce generateur, ces gens qui vomissent la musique commerciale pour se la jouer marginale, et qui ont par conséquent descendu la muse Mariah Carey. Je n'oublierai pas.
A classic to start off with. Haven’t really listened to much Metallica outside their most popular songs so it was nice to hear some of their other stuff. ‘The Struggle Within’s’ guitar solo was a particular highlight.
It's a great album. But it's carried by three absolutely insane epic tracks, and the rest is like I guess... OK metal? Idk, it's why I'm hesitant to give it 5 stars
Metallica's most famous album, and the album that ushered in the 90's Grunge era, as well as elevating Heavy Metal to a mainstay genre in the public eye. A lot of Metallica's most famous songs also exist on this album. All around, this is an amazing album and a must listen-to for any fan of music - especially Heavy Metal or Rock genre enthusiasts.
Album Ranking: Enter Sandman Through the Never Of Wolf and Man The Struggle Within Nothing Else Matters Wherever I May Roam The God That Failed My Friend of Misery The Unforgiven Holier Than Thou Sad But True Don't Tread on Me
Si me gustara el metal, esto me encantaría. Pero como no me gusta, las canciones son muy largas y algunas muy raras
Brilliant album. Brings back a lot of memories from my teenage years. 'Enter Sandman', 'Unforgiven' both are songs that are etched in the collective memory of me and my friends
I have a confession to make. Before reviewing this album, the only version of "Enter Sandman" I had ever heard was the cover by...wait for it...Pat Boone. You haven't lived until you've heard Pat Boone cover heavy metal tunes. Anyway, suffice it to say that I'm completely unfamiliar with Metallica's catalogue. Before I get into my opinion of Metallica's "Black Album," let's get a few things out of the way. There's no disputing the musicianship on display here. This is not simplistic three chord metal headbanging by ham-handed clods. The arrangements are intricate. The playing is pretty much flawless across the board. Some of the songs are catchy, certainly Enter Sandman. James Hetfield's vocals don't move me, but technically, he's an excellent singer--the way I see it, it's my problem and my loss. The guitar playing on the other hand is a minor revelation. Kirk Hammett may not be my favorite metal guitarist, but he's really good. He has taste, a great sound, and chops to spare. With that out of the way, here's my opinion of the album. While there's nothing in particular to complain about, it's just not my thing. I mean, I plan to put their albums in all of my Spotify "year" stations, and I definitely plan to check out the earlier albums, and I wouldn't turn off one of their songs if it came on, but I can't see myself putting on this album and listening to it all the way through again. Why? I find the singer unappealing--it's just personal taste or lack of it. I don't care for the songs, which is oddly enough, where this album is supposed to excel. Again, why? Hard to say. There is little to complain about. There is nothing lazy or unintelligent about the ways these songs are constructed. And clearly some of the songs are hooky. Again, my loss. Actually, this album makes me feel inadequate as a reviewer. Usually, I have damned good reasons for criticizing an album. I hate it when reviewers slam a record for no good reason. And yet here I am. Sigh. Wait a minute. I just figured out what bothers me about this music. It strikes me as cartoonish but with zero sense of humor (now I get why they were used as the model for Spinal Tap). Okay, I feel better now
ну ваще-то норм так-то альбум. Ракешник хорошо, хэтфилд орёт неплохо. Отмастерено плоско тока
The album has been trendy lately due to it getting remastered and having a wide array of weird selections covering it. The album is good but not top Metallica.
Hab ich hier eigentlich je festgehalten, das Metallica die erste Band war, die mich zum Kauf einer CD motiviert. Es war „…and Justice for All“ aber dennoch war das Black Album irre wichtig fürs aus dem Kokon des Lego/Transformers-Zimmer hervorbangenden Metall-Kid. Und auch jetzt sitzt jede Melodie - war der Hippocamous damals recht aktiv beim wegsortieren. Bin also sehr, sehr, sehr befangen. Aber neben der Süße nostalgischer Note stimmt für mich auch nach wie vor die knüppelnde Härte der kompletten Rhythmus Sektion (samt Hetfield) und Filigranität Hammets. Natürlich war ich insbesondere dem Sellout Song „Unforgiven“ verfallen…verzeihlich und aus zeitlicher Distanz auch sowas von gerechtfertigt. Was ein Meisterstück - eingängig, melodisch, hart, bittersüßest in seinem narrativen Element reif und, ja perfekt. In dieser Balance aus deftiger Härte und wehmütiger Zartheit gelingt hier auf Albumlänge ein Meisterwerk. Neu entdeckter Liebling: „My Friends of Misery“. 4.4
Ich fand es deutlich besser als befürchtet, teilweise aber dann halt doch einfach nur Heavy metal
Great album, don’t love every song but has extremely high highs and no true lows. Perfect for when u just wanna bang ur head around.
The only Metallica album I’m truly familiar with. Enjoyed on this listen much more than I thought I would.
Not necessarily my vibe but I have to admit that for an album that was released in 1991 it must’ve been huge and impressive. And „The Unforgiven” & „Nothing Else Matters” are undoubtedly both classics now :)
My introduction to Metallica. As an 11-year-old and completely unaware of their earlier output, I had nothing to taint my view of this one. It was an entirely new sound to me and a very exciting one. I've still got a lot of time for it now.
Love this as background, will listen again. 3/5 for concentrated listening, 4/5 background
A very heavy and dark outfit from Metallica. It's probably their best and most well known album, having been number 1 in about 10 countries and a mainstay in the charts. It is the quintessential metal/heavy rock album. Its a heavier sound than the likes of the metal albums of the 80s, but does not disappoint. Best: Enter Sandman Worst: Of Wolf and Man
The first time I ever encountered the concept of "selling out" was when I was probably 11 or 12. This kid in my Boy Scout troop wanted everybody to know that the Black Album sucks because "it sounds too good." Now, whenever I listen to this album, I picture a greasy-haired kid trying to look cool with his half-buttoned Class A shirt trying to think of reasons he hates it because he knows he's supposed to. I'm not trying to say that selling out or going commercial doesn't sometimes mean compromising artistic integrity, but the furor over Metallica making their music listenable is hilarious to me. This album owns. Best track: Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman is such an epic song. I am also going to give this album 4 stars it was very pleasing. that's my takeaway.
Metallica have always been the one thrash band I can stand, and this album is a perfect example of their sound. A treat for my first album, but not quite that perfect 5 for me. Enter Sandman is a great song, but one that even I have personally overplayed at this point. Reminds me a lot of the first Rock Band game. If I had to pick a favourite song, I'd struggle between The Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters.
Never heard of these guys. Seriously, the biggest problem with the Metallica album is that the good songs are never played and the great songs have been overplayed. To death. I have friends who are metal fans and if they never hear "Enter Sandman" or "Nothing Else Matters" again for the rest of their lives they would be ECSTATIC. Other songs are really, really good and you don't hear them very often anymore. My personal favorite is "Wherever I May Roam." The intro is so different from anything else the band had done before. Never in a million years would you have expected a progression from "Master of Puppets" to this. I liken "And Justice For All" like so many other progressive rock bands who went too far over the edge, a very divisive album, but then the band stepped back and tried something else. Some regained their fans (Yes, Genesis) others never really recovered (ELP). I picked up the 30th anniversary edition of the Black album (not the boxed set, that's overkill) and the lesser known tracks sound just as good (except "Through The Never", sounds kinda lurch-y. It feels like they aren't very sure about that one.) It's not my favorite album of theirs, but you cannot deny what they accomplished with it. My favorite quote about this album comes from Jason Newsted: "People said we sold out for this album. Yes, we did... every seat in every stadium." So I give this 4 stars, it's a really good, solid album, but it still isn't up there for me of their best (Master of Puppets, a quintessential metal album.).
Listen, the guys of Metallica are kind of big loser babies, but I cannot deny that this album absolutely rules. I enjoyed every rock and rolling minute, and may have banged my head once or thrice.
The "black" album, contains another of their masterpieces and one of their greatest, Enter Sandman (tank cadence, textbook guitar progression, raw and brash chorus, instrumental bridge that heightens the dramatic tension, chorus, coda), and again digs into the darkest depths of the human soul (Of Wolf And Man, My Friend Of Misery), but in general it marks the beginning of a step backwards towards a more human sound: only three tracks have a "thrash" rhythm. It is the most "unspectacular" work of their career: Metallica is a classic mainstream hard rock album and you are going to hear it whether you like it or not. (7/10) FT: Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters
I did not enjoy MASTER OF PUPPETS despite my best efforts. But this album - released 5 years later - opens with “Enter Sandman,” a song I have really loved since the early 90s. So as I put this on I am really, really hoping the next hour holds up to that song. But I have my doubts given my experience with MOP… It turns out that the five years between MOP and METALLICA resulted in a much more palatable album. Where most of MOP monotonously ground away at my ears, METALLICA has a whole lot more going on on. The vocals are much more emotionally expressive. The lyrics are a lot more relatable and interesting. The arrangements have way more variety and interest. My favorite song remains “Enter Sandman.” I also really like - and already knew - “Nothing Else Matters” (hooray for the orchestra!). Other highlights included “Sad But True”, “Holier Than Thou”, “Through The Never” and “Of Wolf and Man”. Metallica is still not entirely in my wheelhouse, but where my main reaction to MOP was ‘when will this be over?’, METALLICA had me mostly wondering ‘what might be next?’ That and the presence of “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” made this something I’m glad to have listened to.
Hard to believe that it was 30 years ago that I bought this CD. I haven't listened to it in a long, long time and was reluctant to listen today. I figured I'd outgrown it. BUT I found the first 2/3 of the album absolutely exhilarating. This is great heavy metal with distinct and singable melodies and lyrics. Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Don't Tread on Me, and Nothing Else Matters are as thrilling to listen to today as they were back then. I really wish the album ended after Nothing Else Matters though. The last four tracks are tiresome if not downright silly.
I have this album in my library. I have been familiar with it since the early 90s. When I wanted to listen to some metal, this was pretty much it for me, as it seemed somehow more accessible than other metal that I had heard. It was great to revisit the album, because it had been ages and ages since I had given it a listen. I just don't often get much of a craving for metal.
Metallica is actually my first time ever listening to metal, and it turns out to be a lot less violent than my misconception told me it was. It was overall a good listen, not my genre but I can appreciate it anyway.
This is an enjoyable album with some classic tracks. I'm not a big metal aficionado, but I can see how this album exemplifies the genre. What I'm not sure of is whether this album created the formula, or just follows it, but it is incredibly difficult to not notice the structure of it. We start out strong, very metal. This continues until we reach the softer, more heartfelt "the unforgiven". We then get a 50:50 softer/harder track in "Whereever I Roam" and then the metal comes back, with a stonking finale in The Struggle Within. It's pressing emotional triggers in a way that were the music less good might seem cynical, according to a defined structure. I can't really criticise that, given how successfully they've done it, but it stands out like a sore thumb. It's reminiscent of so much metal, from the narrative of Bat out of Hell and Use Your Illusions through the later structures of Roots Bloody Roots or even some of the numetal of the mid-late 90s. Would I listen to the whole album through again? Probably not. Would I listen to tracks from it? Absolutely yes.
4/5 The instrumentals were very good, having interesting bass riffs and guitar playing, especially during the very melodic solos. The vocals were strong in terms of delivery, while lyrics were better on some songs than others. the structure does get a little repetitive after song 8 but that is a minor problem that just knocks it down off the 5/5, alongside the unforgiven and wherever I may roam being a little long in my opinion
Opens with a phenomenal track, and while there are a lot of emotional songs that I actually quite enjoy, I find the end of the album drags a bit.
What a polarizing album lol. Trve Kvlt metalheads see it as the album where Metallica became irredeemable, mainstream music fans see it as the band being boiled down into their most listenable and polished form, and all manner of opinions fall in the middle (including mine). I see it as an album where Metallica went for a more commercial sound, and did so very successfully both in execution and profit. It might be a bit of a sell out, and it doesn't hit as high of highs as their earlier stuff for me, but there is still some damn good stuff on this one. Load and Reload on the other hand... thank god this came before them lol.
There's a reason that 80% of the people I know born around the same time as me (late 70s early 80s) own a copy of this album. It's probably the most poppy of Metallica's work and appeals to the widest audience.
Ah, heavy metal. I recently found out that the genre, for some reason, calms my anxiety, so I'd been dabbling in Judas Priest which I've greatly enjoyed. This album is, however, my first time listening to Metallica. The production, the instrumentals and the lyrics, which are sometimes meh in heavy metal, are all top quality. As can be a problem with metal, the later songs did start to feel 'samey' and I found myself losing interest. Solid start and a solid 4 though.
Oldie but goodie, heard this one too much in college, never bought, brilliantly paced from beginning to end.
There's a reason this thing was so big. Still sounds pretty great, and a lot better than most of their following albums.
An amazing album and one where i bought it on cassette and immediately drove from Tempe, Arizona to Bloomington, Indiana listening to it on repeat. Clearly Sandman, Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters stand out. Very enjoyable to revisit it again start to finish.
I'm not a fan of metal, not a true fan anyway. I do really enjoy JP, for example, but it's not really on my rotation. But Metallica is a band that puts music out there with a seeming purpose. Well, other bands might have a purpose of just pure thrashing, pulsating, non-coherent noise, Metallica makes me want to continue listening...
pretty decent idk, I’m not really into grunge unless it’s Kurt Cobain or whatever but this was pretty well executed, at least part of the time feels like a 7/10 to me
A great, classic Metallica album. It lacks the speed and energy of the earlier albums, trading it for a tighter and more polished sound. I will add that slowing down really helped the band amplify the depth and intensity of their sound, allowing them to venture into new musical territory and create some of their most memorable songs. The original fans may not all love it, but this is the album that really made them superstars. Fave Songs: Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam, Enter Sandman, Sad but True, The Unforgiven, The Struggle Within, Holier than Thou
I own this album and really enjoy it. I think James Hetfield's musicianship is fantastic. I especially like the slower tempo songs. They highlight his melodic and harmonic sensibilities superbly. There's a lot more to their music than might meet most ears. Excellent album.
it's so funny that I thought Metallica was too heavy...like only freaks and druggies listened and it was garbage. Then the older I get, the more it's just music, good good music. So many classics on this one. It's an extremely good album that holds up so well!
I don't really like Nothing Else Matters, and it was a little - dare I say it - boring at times. However, this album was overall pretty catchy, even if not super groundbreaking, and I'd listen to this in my spare time if I were cleaning or something.
deve ser a primeira vez que ouço álbum de cabo a rabo desde a adolescência. metal não é realmente a minha praia, mas este é fantástico. deve ser uma experiência catártica assistir Enter Sandman ao vivo
Very enjoyable. Took me back to the early 2000s when I was introduced to this. Nothing Else Matters will always be a song for me and an ex. And Don’t Tread On Me is just ace.
2.75/5. Gets old fast, and makes me think of the scene in 21 when Channing Tatum is having a happy trip and Jonah Hill is having a depressing trip. This album would be playing in the depressing trip. Some songs are decent, I just cannot listen to them back to back
Not really my taste in music, however this guitar is amazing. I would probably listen to it again just to hear the guitar.
It was ok. The vocals are not for me but the actual music was good. All sounded quite similar. Really enjoyed nothing else matters which was less shouty
Enjoyed it, definitely a classic, but not my cup of tea. The weird miss of slow, grand songs with acoustics really threw me off, especially with something like Nothing Else Matters. Of course, Enter Sandman is a classic, and the guitar riffs and solos throughout the album are spectacular, but it wasn't really what I was looking for. 4/8
Yes it's a great album, and pivotal in my musical experience early on... but man is it way over-produced. There's no room in the sound, it's like they just punched the loudness up to 11 and walked out the door.
Haven't heard this in a while. This was the album that got me into Metallica soon after it came out.
I can’t really hate this album. It came out when I was a freshman in high school in a small town, so the band may as well have dedicated it to me personally. But the adult me cannot fathom how many steps backwards Hetfield took lyrically from this moment forward. “And of things that will bite!” is one of the most lazy, vague lines ever sung all in service of a rhyme that sucked to begin with. I still dig “Sad but True,” “The Unforgiven” and a few others, but yeah… I’m not a freshman in high school anymore. Also, has there ever been a band as big as Metallica that has made as many wild, dumb swings with how their albums are mixed? How does one even make a hi-hat sound like it does on this record? Is that even a hi-hat? And sure, you can hear a bass presence unlike “Justice,” but can you actually make out what Newsted is playing? Is he doing anything other than doubling the low note of Hetfield’s chords? It’s like they all went shopping and bought new ears. I prefer their old ears.
There's a very, very good 30 minute album here, the only problem is that "Metallica" runs over an hour. "Enter Sandman" is a great track, but the rest of the album has trouble reaching those heights. The lowlights drag on for so long that by the time you get to the end, you've half-forgotten about the highlights.
You can tell this is the point at which Metallica really got mainstream. I suppose it’s “metal for the masses” in a sense which sounds really pretentious and douchey, but hey, at least I admit it.
Solid album. A good listen, but not anything mind blowing Favorite tracks: “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” and “Nothing Else Matters”
Nunca me ha emocionado Metallica. Quizá tampoco el metal, pocas veces. Y bueno, lo escuché y no sé, hay algo en mí que no me deja emocionarme (?). Fuera de eso, pues siento que muchas canciones se parecen unas con otras. Su clásico "Enter Sandman" me gusta. "Through the Never" y "Nothing Else Matters" serían las otras con las que congenié un poco. Ansori. 7/10
Soy especialmente irracional y tontamente parcial cuando se trata de metal porque género favorito. Con Metallica también lo soy, pero en el sentido negativo: he despreciado (quizás sin una buena razón) a Metallica por famosos o porque es lo único que se piensa de inmediato cuando se menciona el metal, me salen ronchas de lo molesto que me resulta que tengan "metal-" en el nombre de la banda (es como si unos dudes de jazz se pusieran "jazzy", o una banda de rock se pusiera, "los rockeros"), también porque me cagan sus fans. Los integrantes de la banda como seres humanos individuales me dan igual básicamente porque no sé quiénes son. Habiendo desahogado mi hate, sí disfruté el álbum negro, aunque me siguen pareciendo algo corny algunas de las canciones más celebradas como The Unforgiven y Nothing Else Matters, y me dio hueva Don´t Thread on Me, pero también he de admitir que no me desagradó en general y a pesar del prejuicio, es más, "Enter Sandman" esta vez me pareció que tiene una ondita padre que no había apreciado, y bueno... tiene unos que otros momentos emocionantes y whatnot. Canción favorita: My Friend of Misery porque de hecho sí me gustan algunas canciones in crescendo larguísimas de estos dudes, y con algunas me refiero a solo un par de Death Magnetic, disco que por alguna razón, que no comprendo, tiene muchos haters de su propia fanbase. Mood: Cara de Pikachu sorprendido.
3/5 There are some iconic songs in this album, but ultimately I don't really like their style.
Very enjoyable. First heavy metal album I've ever listened to. Hi-Tempo, excellent guitar solos! Head bangin' in the shower!
Every song sounded like it could be in a cutscene from Smackdown vs Raw 2008, much better than I expected!
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.
My expectations were low. Very low. But this album cleared the bar with ease. Good album.
Another famous band I had never really listened to. Enjoyed this a lot on a rainy Monday drive to work
Enter Sandman is one of the greatest walkout songs ever. Sounds like heavy metal driving in the right lane.
Not my type of music... at all. I feel like I can't give 1 star simply because it's not to my taste, because I'm sure that Metallica is, objectively, great and everything. So 3 will have to do.
Top 3 1. (1) Enter Sandman 2. (8) Nothing Else Matters 3. (4) The Unforgiven Bonus: (5) Wherever I May Roam
Trip down memory lane for me. Some really good songs on this album. Love the sound. 3 stars
Burnt out by Metallica at this point. Enter Sandman must have been wild to hear for the first time though.
A good but not great album, my least favourite of the three Metallica albums I've listened to in full. Sandman is a fucking banger though.
i remember when this album came out - it was this huge thing, The Black Album. i just kinda didn't care much, and i'm not sure i care much more now. in fairness, i have always loved enter sandman, but honestly, that's because of the bosstones' cover of it. i do continue to appreciate lars' precision when playing slow, and james' voice and guitar sound are great, etc. but really, as metallica albums go, i could take this one or leave it, which makes me a little sad.
Plenty of metal classics on this one - while the production is air-tight, the album does lag in its back half as the songs tend to fall into repetitive arrangements.
30 évvel később már kifejezetten könnyen hallgatható, veszélytelen, szinte unalmas. Sok részlet kicsit komikus ma már, pl. James Hetfield hangja. Azért tisztelem. Borító igénytelen, mégis badass.
Enter Sandman = 5*, Other songs = 2* (at most) Production = 5*. Lyrics = 1*. Putting everything in a formula and doing some long calculations.. ..2.544334 * so just *** in the end.
"Classic" album that brings back memories from my youth when Metallica were at the peak of their popularity. Some nostalgia here, but overall, this album has just a few hits while the rest of the songs blend together and sound the same.
While it isn't my favorite Metallica album in their discography, I do really like. Some real classics on here, especially opening up with Enter Sandman. Nothing else matters, Sad but true, and the unforgiven. Whole thing is filled with really solid songs. Solid Album.
Enjoyed it but I'm not a fan of metal (which I'm iffy about using to describe Metallica), so it wore out its welcome after half. Didn't add but didn't dislike.
About a decade ago, a coworker told me there was only one good Metallica song, and I laughed it off. I never asked which song that was, but I'm starting to think she might have been right anyway.
Interesting that this would be here instead of ...and justice for all. This album, though mature in some aspects, feels too tame and radio friendly. Like many bands that find fame and tour relentlessly, IMHO the songwriting sounds like it suffers from a thought process along the lines of "this will sound good in an arena" that can only come with experience of doing that, but I believe takes away from the raw energy and emotion of the previous albums which feel more bent towards headphone consumption.
"Enter Sandman" is an epic work. It is at an apex of hard rock. It is a perfect intro to the album. The rest of the album is good. Interesting lyrics and themes, some new sounds for Metallica, going beyond thrash (although I was quite fond of Master of Puppets). I enjoyed it, though I got a little weary of the second half by the end of the hour.
It was a ...not a genre breaker, but certainly thrust Metal into the mainstream. I wonder how the album would have done without Nothing Else Matters. Matters not, we'll never know. That was the gateway to Everywhere I Roam, and for this we shall always be grateful It must be said that it has aged not quite as gracefully as, say, ...And Justice for All. Something about compromising for the zeitgeist?
hmmmm not rly my vibe, i don't think i would have listened to it normally tho so i'm glad i gave it a shot. it was good! just not rly for me
An alright album, strong songs but still not to my liking. A classic album that you should listen to whether you enjoy it or not it's up to you. Basic opinion but I enjoyed 'Enter Sandman'
It was not as bad as I was expecting. I did recognize some of the songs and was OK with the overall album.
Riff rehabilitation. As important an album as Nevermind in showing the way ahead for rock in the 90s. Cunning to include a couple of lighters-in-the-air ballads along with all the crunching. Very consistent and though not an album I could ever love, it stands up to repeated listening.
I don't even know anymore. I still listen to their earlier stuff all the time. But black album and later.... I just can't. Does that make me a hipster?
Among the variety of metal my youth cohort favored I liked Metallica the best, though I'd pretty well outgrown it in my 20s. This to me marks the turn towards self-importance outshadowing the music. I liked the old stuff better.
Thematic and well-made but not very satisfying. The whole album just left me wishing for something as great as "enter sandman".
C'est vraiment pas top.. sauf que : Enter Sandman quel chef d'oeuvre, ça vaut 3 étoiles tout seul. Une petite étoile en plus pour Nothing Else matters? no
3.5 stars. Nothing bad about this, but it just doesn't click like some of their earlier stuff does.
Metallica was one of my fav bands in high school(class of 90). This album disappointed me when it came out and it still does.
Ah, the transition album from thrash-metal darlings to "sell-outs." Of course, they became one of the biggest one or two rock bands in the world. While I'll agree, I like the previous four albums are better ("Kill Em' All" thru "And Justice..."), there are a lot of decent songs here. I'll always admit to thinking the beginning musical build-up of "Enter Sandman" is brilliant. The band went with a different producer, Bob Rock, whom they liked from Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood", with the result being a slower, heavier, more refined sound than their trash metal efforts. James Hetfield's vocals are at the forefront, understandable and actually sung: a big thing among Metallica fans missing his screaming. I kind of liked his screaming too. Most of the songs are still about typical heavy metal and their own song themes of war, destruction, doom and misery. But, "Nothing Else Matters" is about Hetfield missing his girlfriend on the road; "The God That Failed" about Hetfield's Mom as she refused cancer treatment due to religious beliefs. The album is front-loaded with their five singles, "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad But True." My favorite part of the album is songs #5 through #7 ( "Wherever I May Roam", "Don't Tread on Me" and "Through the Never") ; I think cause they are the hardest rocking to me. The last part of the album I've always struggled to get through without losing interest, probably due the length of the album (72 minutes) and by this time, the reptetiveness. I see the inclusion of this album into the 1001 due to the popularity of all the songs and where it took them.
Ah, what to do with this album? It's a phenomenal commercial success and I think you can call it a metal masterpiece. There are sensational guitar riffs and the lyrics can easily be learned and sung by heart, with probably one of James Hetfield's best vocal performances. However, we have heard it so much, but heard it SO MUCH, that I am not even able to listen to the best songs of this record anymore. And the others, you have to admit, are fillers. The album is too long-winded. If I hear Enter Sandman again in life, I'm going to vomit blood, so here's a note that will be fair to me, and to Metallica.
Too many fillers on this album. I get how popular it is and everything, but I really prefer their first albums.
Not what I thought they would sound like, but not bad at all. Head bopping. I like sad but true. A little easy to tune out. Second half is really good, closer to what I expected them to sound like. A little “harder”
Enter Sandman is a belter and I generally enjoyed the first 30 minutes or so. After that it seems over-reliant on the overdriven guitar, four on the floor and rather clichéd lyrics. Not bad, though.
This sounds very much like a modern Black Sabbath. Metal played more competently. Technically excellent, musically hopeless - this is for teenage boys only.
It's very solid, but I don't like it as much as their first few albums. I enjoyed it but was a bit fatigued by the end. I was surprised how similar it sounded like the heavy grunge of the decade, like Alice in Chains.
Ah Metallica. This is my third Metallica album and it's got a few songs I do know. Enter Sandman is just such a banger. The rest of the album isn't too bad either, but it does feel a bit repetitive. I'm struggling to remember anything other than the massive hits. 3.5/5
A couple of standout songs with enter sandman, nothing else matters, and sad but true. Other songs felt very similar and like filler material.
Some classic singles from childhood, but metal has never been my thing. Lead vocals sound the same in every song
I thought a popular thrash metal band would have a bit more umph to their sounds, I was quite underwhelmed
Played half of this album in my high school band and I'm heartily sick of it. Metallica are a band that just never got my blood pumping.
Eerst dacht ik: ha, lekker stevig. Na een paar nummers dacht ik: teveel van hetzelfde.
Production: 6/20 Songwriting: 3/20 Innovation: 5/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 4/20 =23 only reason they didn’t get one star is that I can’t deny that Enter Sandman is a banger. The rest of it was a load of old bollocks.
I was recently watching Jeopardy reruns and the prompt was "The Big 4 of thrash metal are Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and this quartet with a murderous name". Anyone who knows the answer gets an iTunes gift card good for downloading The Black Album (and replacing the mp3s they got for free off Limewire). When it popped up on 1001 I thought "this is not what I'm looking for on this Friday morning". When Sandman kicked into gear I was psyched up-ah. Somewhere between Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters I was tenderized into a trance-ah. The last third of the album was a tune out-ah. They're doing their thing. C-
Kinda a grueling hour-long listen. An album pretty much carried by its singles (which, in the case of Sandman and Nothing Else Matters, are pretty damn good), but everything else blends together. If it was 20 min shorter, it might have been more bearable, but I can't listen to this whole thing without zoning out. Low 2
could it be? is it this one? was this the album to get me in to metal licker and modern metal? not really. it was way less offensive than previous listens to them but it didn't really get my juices going. all in all i think its pretty fuckin cheesy.
I've been dying to have a platform to say this for a long time: Enter Sandman is a dumb song. There's a reason why a good half of existing Metallica fans bailed after this album. Call me when Ride The Lightning is on.
Not a fan. A few decent riffs here and there, but I find the tracks quite bland and uninteresting. For me, a lot of the tracks from this record are not too far removed from Nickelback. High praise indeed! Boring, uninspired drum parts, and the actual drum sound is pretty terrible - overpowers the mix and is abrasive. Kirk needs to lay off the wah pedal. Prefer their thrashier, heavier stuff, though still not by much.
No i hat trik zdublowanych zespolow zaliczony, tym razem zmiana klimatu na mocniejsze brzmienie, choc nie do konca tak mocne jak myslalem, bo album juz nie gra tak traszowo, a bardziej metalowo radio friendly, chyba cos w tym jest bo spoti pokazuje trzy traczki z tej plyty jako topowe kawalki, a przeciez kazdy wie ze metallica skonczyla sie na kill em all, chociaz sluszniejsze wydaje sie stwierdzenie, ze skonczyla sie wlasnie na tym czarnym albumie, bo tak tez mowi sie na te plyte, no bo czorna okladka jak u pana kejniego prawie, z jakims wenzem hamerykanskim, jak dla mnie zmiana stylu tej plyty jak najbardziej na plus brzmieniowy, ale mniej BPMow oznacza, ze lirycznie plyta jest bardziej zrozumiala i niestety meczy swym kontentem prawdziwie metalowym, czyli gimboteizm edycja kucerska pelna geba, jak to ludzie umieraja, czemu tyle zla, jesli nie religionowe kontenty to oczywiscie metalowe uwielbienie wlasnej ekspresji za pomoca agresji, jak na dont tread on me, jak dla mnie najwiekszym problemem plyty jest jej czas trwania, bo godzina dwie minuty na dwunastu trakach takiego grania, to zbyt wiele jak na moje uszy, bo obok radyjkowych ballad ktore jeszcze da sie przezyc sa kawalki jak of wolf and man czy throught the never gdzie darcie ryjca jest tak meczace, ze klawisz skip sam sie klika w kieszeni, na plejaka wrzuce dwa z trojcy tej plytyki, czyli otwierajacy enter sandman, ktory sam ma wyjatkowo dobre otwarcie jesli chodzi o kawalek, bo jednak gitarkowo jest to dobre granie, ale potem dochodzi wokalowanie, no i jest jak jest, kolejnym kawalkiem bedzie the unforgiven, ktory featuruje akustyczne brzmienia i najlepszy, albo najmniej slaby performens wokalny pana hetfielda, mam nadzieje, ze tym razem metallica skonczy sie na metallice, chociaz jeszcze wypadaloby posluchac ride the lightning, bo przeciez ky kiskowa referencja, przy czym tych referencji pewnie bedzie o wiele wiecej w dyskografii metalikowej
Ah, als Metallica Pop, bzw. Stadion gingen. Joah, da ist jedenfalls ordentlich Druck auffe Düse. Aber natürlich auch Balladen, spätestens bei Stück 4. Steig ich als Nicht-Metaller ja direkt aus. Beim Titel "Don't Tread On Me" und der dazugehörigen Abbildung auf dem Cover steht mit dem Wissen von heute - 6. Januar und alles drumherum liegen ja keine 10 Monate zurück - natürlich sofort die Verbindung zur Gadsden Flag und und die dazugehörige Frage in den Raum: wie halten die Herren es denn eigentlich mit Patriotismus, muh Freedom und 'murica so im allgemeinen? Gibts da was miss zu verstehen? Und war das früher weniger asi als heute? Glaube nicht. Ja, und ach, ich weiß auch nicht. Schön trocken das ganze natürlich, aber Lars Ulrich konnte früher auch schon nicht trommeln. Hetfields immer gleich Stimme muss man mögen. Ich weiß schon, warum Punk und Underground mein Ding sind, und allzu offensichtlicher Metal eher nicht. Die Pixies gestern hat vollkommen zurecht mindestens einen Punkt mehr bekommen und die hier nur 2,3.
Maybe I'd enjoy this more if it hadn't been played to death on the radio. I never need to hear "Enter Sandman" again in my life. Metallica takes themselves far too seriously to be anything other than an embarrassing joke.
Apart from a few songs, I've always found Metallica to be musically uninteresting, and it's the same here.
Honestly, I did not have high expectations going into this album. I have never understood the fuss over Metallica, who are just a metal band. I have always imagined that Metallica would resuly if you were to devise the most generic metal band of all. So, I've never had any interest in exploring Metallica. And this album is... a standard metal album. That's it. It's not noticably bad nor noticably good. It is the most average metal album conceivable. Boilerplate, passable, run-of-the-mill, middle-of-the-road metal. They should have nicknamed this the Grey Album. Well, there are some points worthy of comment. Firstly, Enter Sandman is a very silly song. Call me a purist, but I don't think a metal song should have a chorus that ends, "We're off to Never-Neverland." Is that meant to be terrifying? Was he threatening to take his kids to Michael Jackson's ranch? Still, the lyrics originally referred to cot death, so I think we should be thankful for what we got. Secondly, the album occasionally alludes to other pieces of music, the odd snippet of melody, that sort of thing. Sampling Morricone's Ecstasy of Gold on The Unforgiven is acceptable. Opening a song with West Side Story's America steers the album into self-parody. So, the only time the album avoids being average is when it's risible. Finally, the effect of the album's style is counterproductive. The heaviness of the album isn't unsettling or invigorating; it's blank and quite deadening. The songs are overlong and the lyrics are insipid, so the listener is just bored. They should have nicknamed this the Grey Album.
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.
Definitely not my favorite, but it has its merits. There are a couple songs on here I genuinely like but overall I find James Hetfield's voice to be grating and the lyrics to be overwrought. 2.5/5 stars
Another Metallica album that isn't bad, just not a style of music I can appreciate too much. I felt this was a little more enjoyable compared to Master of Puppets, though. I can see how it would be appealing to other people, but just not my cup of tea. 4/10
Again tried to enjoy but didn’t - appreciate others would enjoy and music made with heart
As a delicate young man who spent puberty straining to achieve a moustache, I can find nothing to simulate sweat, hair, muscle and all-round machismo more than Metallica. Their self-titled finds them at their commercial and critical zenith, surrendering the thrashy inclinations of their early work for something slicker, more considered, more polished. Against this framework- and indeed the alternative rock and grunge that was blowing up at the time- it sounds crisp, bright, all glossy guitars and HD drums. Although it sounds like fans of the band lamented Metallica as sell-outs in 1991, 30 years on this album seems to be associated with "pure rock", authenticity, a landmark in metal. After sitting through it a couple of times, I just can't get on board. Instrumentally, the band do a fine job. Lars Ulrich's drums sound fantastic, Kirk Hammett's solo in "Holier than Thou" is compelling listening, and even Jason Newsted gets a couple of moments in the sun. It's easy to imagine these songs going down a storm live, with opener "Enter Sandman" practically imploring any listener to bellow along at the top of their lungs. The opening is a tempest, with the syncopated riff slinking in around the hi-hat, slowly erupting into volcanic sound with a power-house guitar line and signature chorus. For a moment it's enjoyable, electrifying, exhilarating... but then the next song shoots for the same thrill. And the next. And so on for just over an hour. My issue with this album- and other metal albums I've heard on the list so far- is that I just can't connect emotionally. Regardless of the depth of feeling that would have been put into this, I don't get any catharsis on listening: no sense of release, no fury or rage. I just hear Hetfield and Hammett shitting fat riffs for the sake of fat riffs, ranking the work on the strength of the headbanging it could produce. "Nothing Else Matters" at least has some semblance of a stronger emotion: regret, loss, love, it is stripped right back to an opening riff on open strings before an orchestral arrangement kicks in. It's the most ambitious the album gets and its all the better for it. "The Unforgiven" was another favourite, because it actually breaks the sonic mould a little: there's an acoustic solo, some more minimal keyboard work, a nice change of pace and a fun "Western" theme. It's atmospheric and foreboding without having to launch straight into an obligatory grinding riff or howling vocal. It's a shame we don't hear Metallica pushing the envelope in this way again for the rest of the album: instead, all melodies and nuance are abandoned for the sake of "heaviness" and bravado. The songs feel designed to be churned out in a stadium to mosh-pits and beer-bellied baldies. The lyrics are turgid, awkward nonsense: "And the road becomes my bride; I have stripped of all but pride; So in her I do confide". It's forced, generic and trying so hard to be dark and tormented that thank god most listeners won't be paying attention to them. Bar the singles where things briefly get interesting, I can find very little to enjoy in "Metallica" and I won't be hurrying to hear it again.
Curious about this one. But ultimately it disappoints. it aspires to be epic but apart from a few singles it is quite forgettable. I listened a few times but inevitably it became background to whatever I was doing. Cover art 1/5
In some ways I like this better than Metallica's thrash era, but in a lot of ways I don't. I honestly want to give this a 1, but just looking through my rankings, this slots in between some very low 2s. Just know that it's disliked. This album is the godfather of butt rock, and it really feels ugly to listen to. Sad But True always reminds me of the time it came on the modern rock radio station while I was sitting in the parking lot, waiting for a friend to get out his meeting with his parole officer while I was incredibly hungover so we could go score some meth afterwards. It might have been the perfect song to encapsulate that ugly moment in my life. I hate this album for the music it influenced and for the aura it exudes... but I suppose it is better than all of the albums I gave a 1 to and a small handful of the albums I gave a 2 to. Maybe I just need to re-evaluate my scale and be a little bit more liberal with my 1s.
As with a number of other bang average bands, metallica - and this album - is hugely overrated.
I know Metallica fans would literally kill me for saying this, but I just don't think they're very good. I can see why teenage boys with too much excess testosterone like them, but I find their music boring, their lyrics trite, and James Hetfield snarling his way through the vocals gets old pretty quickly. 2 stars.
I was a latecomer to the Metallica party, invited to their head banger ball with this LP. Prior to 'Metallica,' Metallica was an underground thrash metal band with an extremely rabid and loyal fan base. All that came to a crashing end with this LP, a massive seller, with the smash hit ‘Enter Sandman’ even receiving radio airplay- a sure fire way to really piss of thrash metal fans. Metallica’s die-hard fans hated this LP, and its popularity. What is it about metal heads (and punks) that causes them to they stop liking bands when they become popular? Anyway, 'Metallica' still found Metallica thrashing with the same fervor before on ‘Holier Than Thou,’ ‘Through the Never,’ and the album’s scorching closer, ‘The Struggle Within.’ Musically, if you like this genre (and I do), it is quite enjoyable. And if you dig the extra heavy, (and I do): ‘Sad But True,’ ‘The God That Failed,’ and ‘My Friend of Misery,’ the latter featuring a terrific duo harmonic guitar solo by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett ala Thin Lizzy, followed by Kirk shredding it up himself, wah wah pedal to the metal. And, then there are the two numbers Metallica’s prior fans loathed the most: ‘Unforgiven,’ and ‘Nothing Else Matters.’ Undeniably, not thrash, but not bad either. I really liked this LP when it was released, being a still relatively young age of 31. Wore the cassette(!) right out. And I resonated with it not only on a musical, but a lyrical level, too. Because just like James Hetfield, I too was emotionally stunted, further exacerbated by alcohol (and drugs when I could get them, which in rural, far North East Texas in 1991 was next to impossible.) It’s always interesting to read the random comments people post about music, and most folks seemed to agree that ‘The Struggle Within’ is concerned with the suffering a self-defeating personality brings upon oneself. Very Buddhist, although I doubt Metallica’s fans have any truck with that. Buddhists are too non-violent. ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ kinda punches the Buddha right in the face. However, there was one smart ass who commented that ‘The Struggle Within’ is about constipation! Typical juvenile scatological humor. And, sometimes, that ‘shit’ is funny. But the commentator actually stumbled upon a truth that I suspect James and I share: the lack of appropriate and consistent mentoring by our parents, particularly in the area of responding maturely to the disappointments encountered in one’s life. One could label this as emotional constipation, and I suffered from this for years, inadvertently causing great harm to myself and my marriage. Thankfully, with help, and lot of ongoing work on my part, my emotional age is finally beginning to catch up with my chronological age. Hetfield is only four years my junior, so I sincerely hope that he’s making similar progress. I do know that for years, he self-medicated with alcohol (Metallica used to refer to themselves as Alcoholica), and as of a few years ago apparently got that under control. Lyrically, there’s really nothing here for anyone over the age of, let’s say, 18. Just a lot of self-loathing and/or blaming and judgment of others for one’s problems (organized religion being an obvious and easy target, particularly for metal), unwillingness to forgive, violent retribution, etc. On the second, and super heavy track, ‘Sad But True,’ Hetfield’s completely untamed, unrestrained ego has completely overpowered his (holy) spirit with (unholy) thoughts of forever being a victim to one’s past, the future being already determined by one’s regrets and fear, etc. Sad, but true, Hetfield laments. And that makes me sad to hear it. I’ve been sad too much for too long already. I much prefer being happy. That’s my new truth. Loved 'Metallica' back in the day. Appreciate it for what it is today, musically. But I don’t really care to listen to it anymore. There are other, wiser, and actually more helpful selections of metal to bang my head to today that bring a smile to my face.
Not my vibe at all, Listen to it because of this challenge... I understand why it's popular, but that's not for me..
Maybe I just didn't get it, but this album just sounds painfully cheesy to me. Nothing in this album sounded particularly remarkable or influential, especially since this was "the last good Metallica album." Not very challenging or interesting to my ears. Felt like very entry level metal music. Maybe it's because I don't listen to a lot of metal music, but I know that I prefer Boris, Uniform, or ISIS over this album in particular.
My problem with Metallica is Lars Ulrich. If you compare their breakout album, Master of Puppets, to Slayer's Reign in Blood, it is obvious that Dave Lombardo swings while Ulrich can only plod. In fact, I have suggested that an Ulrich be the measurement of absolute mediocrity which achieves great success. Henry Rollins would be half an Ulrich.
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.
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.
Jumping Jaysus my ears hurt, just make this stop. Every track’s the same - and they’re all sh1te
Have owned this album since 1991
tbh ik i won’t be able to finish this album in the time i am given but it’s good i’m on “Sad But True” it’s super good ngl i didn’t think i would like it