Metallica - Metallica (CD 1991)

Released in 1991, this album was a break through for Metallica in a number of ways - first, this was thei height of the Grunge era....when music had charged and rock meant alternative, scruffy bands from the Seattle Scene...Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden! Most other metal bands were suffering at this point after dominating the 80s rock scene....yet this album was a huge success for Metallica! Secondly, this album brought more commerical success for Metallica - much to the distaste of many 'traditional' Metallica fans who claimed the band had 'sold out' by becoming too commercial!!
I disagree with those Fans...sure Metallica had changed direction on this album...the songs are shorter than some of the previous mammoth tracks and are more listenable than some of their earlier, heavier work - but still this album rocks!!
Where to begin on the tracks....they are all so good!! Enter Sandman has become a rock station staple, taking a traditional prayer and tearing it apart into something 'black' dark and terrifying! Sad but True has such catchy but deep guitar and base work, it really highlights singer - James Hetfield's powerful and roaring vocals! Holier than Though picks up the pace again with fast guitar sounds whereas the Unforgiven slows it down with superb acoustic guitar work and another slower track Nothing Else Matters is simply beautiful as it is haunting!
I will always be drawn to this album, and for me personally it is one of my favorite releases from this talented Bay Area band!

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.

Track listing
1. Enter Sandman
2. Sad But True
3. Holier Than Thou
4. Unforgiven, The
5. Wherever I May Roam
6. Don't Tread On Me
7. Through The Never
8. Nothing Else Matters
9. Of Wolf And Man
10. God That Failed, The
11. My Friend Of Misery
12. Struggle Within, The


Details
Playing time: 62 min.
Producer: Bob Rock
Distributor: WEA
Recording type: Studio
Recording mode: Stereo
SPAR Code: n/a


Album notes
Metallica: James Hetfield (vocals, guitar); Kirk Hammett (guitar); Jason Newstead (bass); Lars Ulrich (drums).
Recorded at One On One Recording, Los Angeles, California between October 1990 and June 1991.
When a genre-defining group like Metallica, whose past albums have rocked the charts with virtually no airplay, enlists the aid of a hit-making producer like Bob Rock, the result is bound to be monumental. METALLICA, their sixth studio release, surpasses all expectations.
METALLICA is an extremely heavy album. It carries a presence, a huge, live sound different from that heard on their previous recordings. What once could not be tamed has been refined, resulting in a fuller, more powerful guitar sound in an already guitar-intensive band. They have evolved from the messy, unabashed thrashers of their youth into a more confident, poised and angry bunch, not only retaining their fire but stoking it into a chunky, tight-fisted maelstrom of scowling energy.
Serious riffs provide punch and punctuation for James Hetfield's gruff vocals which rage against society and religion, and revel in suspicion and sarcasm. METALLICA is full of songs just as potent as the hugely popular "Enter Sandman," yet is not as complicated as their recent albums have seemed. "Sad But True," which is just as low down and dirty as anything labeled "grunge," exemplifies the poise of the metal band that can foresee the punchlines to their riffs and has the patience to wait for them.

If I listen to any one of the tracks by itself, it has all the elements of a great song, but the album as a whole lacks the range and diversity needed to effectively express its true meaning. Metallica composes from two perspectives: anger and depression, and while both are valid, I personally prefer a little more variety in my music. The lyrics on the other hand seem a little more promising, as they convey more of the intricate subject matter that the compositions cannot handle.