Metallica by Metallica (CD, Aug-1991, 1 Disc, Elektra Entertainment)

Metallica is one of those kinds of bands that everyone knows of and has heard something from, and tends to be the heaviest band that a lot of people will name that they listen to if asked. However.. The problem with that being said, is that Metallica.. Isn't heavy anymore. The first major released Metallica CD was Kill 'Em All, which was filled quick speedy tempos and almost punk/thrash metal, and was probably the most defining of where the band might have gone had they not kicked out Dave Mustaine, who later went on to form Megadeth. Then Ride the Lightning went to straight thrash, still using riffs that Mustaine had written. By Master of Puppets, Kirk Hammet had to start actually writing a full CD on his own without using Mustaine's previously written material. A lot of people consider MoP to be Metallica's defining point along with this CD, but I digress. Master of Puppets had some excellent material, but on the other hand, how many people do you really know that like Damage Inc? Truthfully.. Then came And Justice For All, at which point, Kirk hit a talent level shown which exceeded everything previously done in the band.. With a new bassist who Metallica didn't trust enough to even turn his volume up in the final mixing to the point where it was audible in most parts. Regardless, AJFA is by far the best writing Metallica ever put out. And then you come to this CD. The "Black" album, selftitled.. Whatever you call it, it's their 1991 signal of future failure. The songs on here range from good to average, but ultimately, the whole CD is a warning sign of what's going to come in their next two studio albums. Pain, suffering, and "Alternica". Some of this album had its' moments, such as the last four tracks of this album, which almost had some thrash left in them. But they, much like the rest of this album, and much like the rest of Metallica's career, left thrash metal in the dust and went on to various forms of rock, all worse than what they were trying to sound like in the first place. Ultimately, if you like the radio singles off this album, then you'll probably like the rest of it. But it's not real Metallica. It's not what they started as in 1981, it's not what they stood for, and it's a far cry from the original "Kill 'Em All", a title referencing how they stood towards mainstream artists. Metallica changed over time from what they claimed to be from the start. They became what they opposed. And for that reason, this album and everything after it is severely mediocre, if not worse.