Metallica

A masterpiece. Perhaps the best heavy metal album of all time. Front to back, it’s powerful, angry, and hard, while also being emotional and passionate and downright soulful. This a certainly a must hear album.

I'm of the firm opinion Metallica's first four albums are by far the best they ever produced. Ground breaking, genre defining masterpieces. The rest of their catalog I can do without. That said, I like the Black album. In fact I like it more now than I did when it was released. Which may be yet another example of today me being lame af, but whatever. Enter Sandman is a monster, legendary metal song. Holier than Thou and Through the Never absolutely shred, my two favorites on the album. Couple other great songs on here, but there is definately some trash on this track list. Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, and Nothing Else Matters are so bad they anger me. Well anger is a bit dramatic, but they irk the hell out of me, thats for sure. Far more good than bad, overall a great radio friendly metal album.

Musically it's a masterpiece. Albumifically, it's so repetitive that I struggled to differentiate any tracks

It happens to be a transitional time for them too, while Justice for All had social commentary and a rougher edge, this is meticulously produced, clean, and from what I gleaned the themes are just feelings on the human condition, stuff that everyone goes through. It’s not bad, it’s got some moves here and there, but it’s made to sound good to a wider audience In some ways I don’t think selling out is a bad thing, if you want to, if you’re selling any kind of art you’re doing so to hopefully sell out of it. I think in this case they’re compromising their sound. Ulrich says they would splice many different drum takes into one fill or solo, there’s something inorganic/disingenuous about that All signs of selling out

Not a fan of Heavy Metal but this album wasn't bad!

Mid ion rlly like metalica

Maybe a bit blinded by nostalgia. But the album just is good to listen to front to back. I didnt mind the runtime.

It has stood the test of time (which is more than I can say for Robert Christgau). 5 stars

I am not partial to this kind of music whatsoever, but I can see how Metallica could be one of the more respected artists in the genre. At least, with my listening priorities, I noticed decent harmonic interest and some enjoyable guitar playing and impressive solos. I don't mind the vocals, but the lyrics can be cringey. They can also be kind of cool/unique I guess, but It's not definitely not enough for me to give this a 3, sadly

Darn it! I was digging the opening track, till the dude pops in with that heavy metal singing, which just kind of makes me want to laugh (but, over the course of the album, or even the first song, really, becomes tiresome, oppressive, and annoying). Yes, the guitars kind of sound like that, too, but I could live with that, if the singing weren't so clipped and stilted. Come to think of it, that's kind of what Smashing Pumpkins (who we just reviewed) did, isn't it: heavy metal guitars (at least at times), but more "normal" singing (Corgan's not a great singer, and his voice is, well, his voice, but at least he didn't try to do heavy metal singing). Anyway, as *this* album goes on, it becomes more and more clear that my initial hope was a false hope, and the album becomes more and more annoying, and I find myself getting impatient for it to finish. I think I had a little hope (despite knowing that Metallica is - duh - a metal band) because of having picked up a vague sense, somehow, that they're somehow better than most other metal bands; broader appeal, or higher quality, or whatever. But, I have to say, I'm not seeing it. Just didn't enjoy any of this very much. Instructive that this album comes the day after Rush for us, since I'm having a similar reaction. Rush and Metallica makes me appreciate even more SOOOO much other music that I enjoy listening to, that makes me happy. 1 star. Even Rush is better than this. Hoping for a better album tomorrow!

rock music for dummies!

It opens with Enter Sandman, what am I supposed to do after that? I actually prefer this album quite a bit over Master of Puppets and ...And Justice For All. More dynamics, less brute force...I'm not sure what it is, but I do think I enjoy James more when he's just a touch less snarly and the music behind him is a little more varied and not just a wall of sound.

Album length - long Memorable songs/melodies - enter sandman, the unforgiven, wherever i may roam Added to my music library - no Other remarks - apparently they are apolitical now (rolls eyes - sells outs); not every track needed a guitar solo, could have removed every song after nothing else matters and the album would have better ratings

wow…I did not expect to like this THAT much. I haven’t listened to a lot of metal other than the 2 other metal albums that I’ve gotten on this list so tbh I just expected alot if screaming and blaring electric guitars but no, there was a bit of screaming but overall the singer had a really wonderful voice and there were also some really beautiful melody’s to especially on nothing else matters. And the lyrics…well they were very depressing and melancholic which I’m starting to think is a staple for the metal genre and tbh I don’t mind. But yeah I loved the instrumentals, loved the singing and loved the energy of this album. I never thought I would like a metal album this much but here we are, 5/5

Yes! Landmark album for sure

Iconic, but not my jam.

Absolute classic Does wander a bit in the second half but I feel like that is the case with many classic albums

metallica is always good, not always the biggest metal fan

не найкращий альбом металіки хоча до нього входять легенди пєсні класіка, але я він мені якийсь наче недоконаний і наче чогось не вистачає, є пісні які хочеться скіпнути. 5/10

God awful band

It might not be this bad, I even liked the first track, but it becomes so brickwalled and repetitive after a while (plus lots of bizarre moments like ballads, weird grunge imitations, the don't tread on me track) and I really cba

Some great tracks. Listen to 3 albums today to catch up, the black album best of the three. Over an hour is a stupid length for an album though, if they cut it down, all killed less filler

Genomgående bra och topparna är några av alla tiders bangers.

Innehåller flera av bandets bästa låtar, men som med de flesta av deras album så innehåller detta för många störigt ointressantal låtar för att det ska gå hela vägen hem. Dock överlag mycket bra!

Banger central.

Отмечали День металлурга в Новокузнецке - порвали три баяна и одну голосовую связку. Но все выжили and nothing else matters

Бас слышно

начали норм, но потом как-то пошло не туда, первично хотелось поставить выше, НО слишком много проходняка - 4

first time i get an album i already know, a bit more up my alley. know some songs on here, def a classic & genre defining for a reason, but still not my favourite vibe necessarily.

Oof. I was not happy when this popped up. HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised. Not a homerun, a little repetitive, but overall, not horrible.

No thanks

La mejor banda de heavy metal que hay y su mejor album, no se puede replicar lo iconico que es esto. 10/10

Yeahhhhh dude

I know from listening to music long enough that Metallica is not my jam, but I'll give it 3 stars (without listening) just bcuz I know that C likes them!

Heavy metal is really not my thing, but I respect the craftsmanship and musical abilities of Metallica.

Bien pero me gustan mas otros albumes del grupo

A staple of Metallicas discography, and an enjoyable one at that. 5/5

The big breakthrough album!!

YEEEEEHHEEEAHHHH

I prefer the older ones

Metallica (both the album and the band's work as a whole) have this magical amazing effect that listening to their music makes you feel badass in literally whatever you're doing. Feeding your cat? Hell yeah. Sending Emails? Hell yeah. Smashing a bunch of twisted alternate-world versions of bats in a transgalactic bridge? hell yeah. And it does so in a way that is in no way "corny". I mean... it's freaking metallica.

Great from start to finish

Solid with a few standouts. Not as good as ...And Justice For All, but still good. Love the guitar intro to Nothing Else Matters....the rest of the song is meh.

Decent Hard Rock Album. Not really that special

Vintage rock

Man, this album was huge for me but it hasn’t stood the test of time.

I thought Enter Sandman was older, like early 80s, not early 90s. The album's okay, not something I normally listen to but it's okay for background music.

DAMN Ts fire. Notable tracks: Sad but True Holier than Thou Through the Never Of Wolf and Man

I couldn’t take this seriously it’s so over the top

inoffensive but not my album of choice

Perhaps the one post-80s metal album I truly enjoyed.

There is just something about Metallica that rubs me the wrong way, and this time I'm not even talking about the drums.

YE-HEAHH

Metallica was the first band I ever was a fan of.

Wow! What a cracking album. I’ve never given Metallica much of a chance before having grown up with a family who were staunchly against “metal”. So glad to have finally gotten around to listening properly. I’ll be popping this on at the gym or on the bike for sure! 4.5/5 - fantastic. Just missed out on a 5 because there are other albums I know I enjoy more

Proof that ‘metal’ can be great and have tunes. Bit repetitive though. Still worth a low 3 2.7/5

Not much to say. It's Metallica Good songs, slightly over long

Very pleased I’ve listened to this. Metallica are a band that I thought I’d enjoy the more mainstream singles but not the albums, I was wrong. It gives Led Zep vibes at times and the lead singer has a great voice. 3.7/5

Another completely new album for me and one that's very far outside my usual taste in music. I've never really been a fan of heavy metal, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy this anywhere near as much as I did. However, it's pretty clear why Metallica are so highly regarded, and if this is heavy metal at its best, I can definitely appreciate the genre a lot more than I thought I would! What I found particularly impressive was how cleverly they move between softer, more melodic moments and the really heavy stuff. The way some of the songs build up and then suddenly explode into something much more intense is brilliant, and gives the music a lot more variety than I was expecting. The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam and Nothing Else Matters were particular highlights for me, and I loved how they showed different sides of the band's sound. Rating: 3.5

Classic album, good hits, and good album in total.

Did you ever notice the songs "Sad But True" and "The Unforgiven" both employ the same narrative trick, namely the reveal at the end that this person or being James Hetfield is talking about is "you" or "him" respectively ("I'm you!" In SBT and "That old man here is me" in Unforgiven). It's a very Twilight Zone trick, which tracks for Metallica. For all their reputation of being meatheads, they actually have somewhat nerdy tastes that pop up in their songs. This record is pure, distilled (undistilled?) Metallica. I'd reckon 90% of people who shit on this record in favor as a sell-out album would never have listened to "Master of Puppets" were it not for this. Which, of course, has no bearing on the quality of this album, I'm just sayin'. "Puppets" may indeed be the superior record, but it's sort of apples and oranges. They're both very different and have such different goals that it's sort of dumb to compare the two (in a way it's not dumb to compare any of the four original records, say). Anyway, this record kicks ass. Easy five.

Not really my cup of tea but I see why people are into it

Grande album, sou normie

Im sick of thos shit

Wolf print shirts khaki shorts and no high school diploma, the vibes are great

Tributallica did it better

This is my least favorite out of the Metallica albums that I like, but I can’t deny that it’s a good time

the hits make me smile and make my heart warm but its actually mostly stinky dogshit

I love Metallica and this is such nostalgia for me. I’ve always felt that this album has some certified bangers but also some silly ones that I can never wrap my head around. I respect the shift they made but it will always be where their decline started. 3.5

its the black album

Пахнет юностью и вонючим потом

Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, snd Nothing Else Matters on the same album? Iconic.

Really enjoyed, made me think of what my dad would listen to when he was my age. 4/5.

Maybe I’m becoming socialised to all the Metal as I didn’t think this was awful. Never the less I didn’t think it that good either

Flawless. From the first note of Enter Sandman to the end of the album. A pivotal album for metal music. "OhHhH but tHiS iSnT mEtAl" Shut up. Yes it is.

Shit fuckin' rocks.

Pretty great album

Yes, Enter Sandman is overplayed but it is still one of the best album openers of all time. This was my first Metallica album and it is still an all time classic. This is the crossover album that introduced metal to the mainstream.

5 - Duh, this album is awesome.

A weak 3. So much filler.

It wasn’t terrible but it’s just not my thing.

A fantastic album full of widely recognizable songs. The music is crisp and the lyrics are on point. I also enjoy the upbeat tempo of most of Metallica’s songs. The drumming on this album is really, really good. A solid addition to this project.

It’s Metallica. It is what it is. Nothing to shatter any illusions.

Great album from beginning to end. Although I grew up with quite some metalheads in my school, this might be the first ‘metal’ album that I listened to, liked and bought. Mainly because of Enter Sandman. As mentioned in the 1001 albums complains podcast. This is metal you can listen with your mother. It’s less speed than their previous work and maybe too commercial for the more experienced metalheads. But it is so good with a perfect mix of doomy hardrock riffs and great melodies and solos. It’s just a perfect album

Exit light

Last good one from Metallica.

not really for me

Great album, almost all songs are in my playlists. Too bad they became boomers (state of mind, not age).

wow tbh i should get more into metal

Just like some other releases from 1991, Metallica’s Black Album is a turning point—you can still hear traces of the ’80s, but the focus has shifted. Anyone expecting thrash metal back then was completely disappointed, because there’s none of that on *Metallica* at all. Instead, a whole new door opened. Behind it lay (at the time, at least—later, Metallica would evolve more into a pop-rock band) heavy metal, but in a form that was completely new to the mainstream. On “Don’t Tread On Me,” for example, you can already sense Pantera’s riffs—though in standard tuning, which, from today’s perspective, can only be described as cute. But ultimately, this was an effective way to set themselves apart from the Eb tuning of Van Halen & Co. The same applies to the (by the standards of the time) heavily distorted but midrange-deficient guitar sound, James Hetfield’s (again, by the standards of the time) rather deep voice, and, of course, Lars Ulrich’s technically primitive but rhythmically (at the time) quite complex drumming. You don’t have to love this album, but it was definitely a very important milestone!

Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood but god i was not into this AT ALL. Unforgiven was the best i guess.

Two things while I was listening: 1. Wow pretty good 2. Wow I want this to be over

I liked this way more than I think I should have. But then I thought about a conversation I had with one of my coworkers where he told me the music he listened to was broadway and Metallica and at the time I thought he was weird for that... I take all of my judgement back felix. I guess I am also in the broadway to Metallica pipeline.

My dad loves metallica and he must've put it on when I was in the womb or something because this really hit for me. SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN!!!!

not rlly my vibe

“Enter Sandman” - what a banger!! Although overall, Metallica is a bit tooo edgy for me lyrics- and soundscape-wise.

While technically impressive at many points, "Don't Tread On Me" was a real turning point in this album for me—nothing makes me lose interest faster than learning that a band prides themselves on being "apolitical."

I scroll down and see the various criticisms and look, I get it. Lars is a sloppy drummer, this album was a "sell-out", it's one-dimensional etc etc. But my God what an album this is. There's not a weak track on it, and the breadth on display is pretty impressive, not least on "Nothing Else". Saw them this summer on M72 (first time) and when the final section kicks in after 4:50, it feels like all that raw emotion is still just pouring out. Top 10 - it comes with me to the desert island

Klassiker

This was in heavy rotation for me from age 10 to 30. Such a great album, heavy in just the right way.