Metallica (album)

Untitled

Metallica (also known as The Black Album, in reference to The White Album, because of its largely black and nearly-featureless cover) is the 1991 self-titled 5th studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica.

Metallica was released August 12, 1991, through Elektra Records and is the band's best-selling album to date, with 15 million copies sold in the United States alone as of 2007 and 22 million copies worldwide.

On the cover, only the band's logo and a coiled snake (derived from the Gadsden flag - which could be seen hanging on a wall in the "One on One" recording studio where the album was recorded) are visible. The motto of the Gadsden flag, "Don't Tread on Me", is also the title of a song featured on the album.

Metallica DVD-Audio 5.1 mix was released in 2004 through Elektra Records.

History

While the album and the band were critically praised and commercially successful, some fans expressed disappointment in the new direction taken by Metallica. Gone for the most part were faster staccato riffs during verses and throaty vocals found on the band's first four albums; the overall speed and complexity of the music was greatly reduced. The Black Album presented a more radio-friendly, commercially accessible Metallica, especially evidenced by the ballad "Nothing Else Matters". Moreover, following the success of "One," the breakaway single from their ...And Justice for All album, five videos were released from the Black Album. ("Enter Sandman", "Nothing Else Matters", "Sad But True", "Wherever I May Roam" and "The Unforgiven").

The lyrics of The Black Album, written by James Hetfield, were much more personal and introspective in nature than previous Metallica albums. . For example, "The God That Failed" dealt with Hetfield's mother's death from cancer and her Christian Science beliefs which kept her from seeking medical treatment. "Nothing Else Matters" expresses the connection Hetfield felt with a girlfriend while out on the road. The album also ended Metallica's tradition of including a lengthy instrumental track on each album.

Reception

Professional reviews:

• Rolling Stone (9/5/91) - 4 Stars - Excellent - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's" - "Several songs...seem destined to become hard-rock classics....[They] effectively bridg[e] the gap between commercial metal and the much harder thrash of Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth."

• Spin (9/99, p.146) - Ranked #52 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s" - Spin (p.89) - "This record's diamond-tipped tuneage stripped the band's melancholy guitar excess down to melodic, radio-ready bullets and ballads."

• Entertainment Weekly (8/16/91) - "Rock's preeminent speed-metal cyclone...Metallica may have invented a new genre: progressive thrash." - Rating: B+

• Q (8/00, p.127) - Included in Q's "Best Metal Albums Of All Time" - "Transformed them from cult metal heroes into global superstars....bringing a little refinement to their undoubted power."

• Melody Maker (12/91) - Ranked #16 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991 - "In a committed move away from their thrash roots, Metallica was slower, less complicated, and probably twice as heavy as anything they'd done before."

Bob Rock

Metallica was produced by Bob Rock, who was originally asked to mix the album as the band was impressed with his work as producer on the Mötley Crüe album, Dr. Feelgood. Initially, the band was not interested in having Rock produce their album, but changed their minds as Ulrich stated; "We felt that we still had our best record in us and Bob [Rock] could help us make it." The Black Album's sound was a marked difference from the stripped down production of the previous album. Rock altered the band's working schedule and routine so much that they swore never to work with him again. The animosity and tension between band and producer was documented in the documentaries A Year And A Half In The Life of Metallica and Classic Albums: The Black Album. Both explore and document the intense and merciless recording process that resulted in the Black Album.

Despite the controversies between the band and Rock, he continued to work with the band up until, and including, the 2003 album St. Anger.

Grammy success

Metallica won their third Grammy Award for the Black Album. Many felt the band should have won a Grammy for their ...And Justice for All album - the band was nominated in the "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal" category, but lost to Jethro Tull. When accepting the Grammy for the Black Album, drummer Lars Ulrich made a point of thanking Jethro Tull for not releasing an album that same year. However, Tull did release an album that year, titled Catfish Rising, but it did not see the same critical success as Crest of a Knave.

Tour

The world tour following the Metallica album, initially dubbed the Wherever We May Roam Tour and then later the Nowhere Else to Roam Tour, saw Metallica on the road for the next three years. The tour was in part documented in the A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica documentary, as well as the 3-CD, 2-DVD (or 3-VHS) boxset Live Shit: Binge & Purge.

Track listing

All songs written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich except where noted.

1. "Enter Sandman" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Kirk Hammett) – 5:34
2. "Sad But True" – 5:23
3. "Holier Than Thou" – 3:48
4. "The Unforgiven" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 6:27
5. "Wherever I May Roam" – 6:46
6. "Don't Tread on Me" – 4:01
7. "Through the Never" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 4:03
8. "Nothing Else Matters" – 6:29
9. "Of Wolf and Man" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 4:17
10. "The God That Failed" – 5:05
11. "My Friend of Misery" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Jason Newsted) – 6:50
12. "The Struggle Within" – 3:54

Bonus track (European and Asian editions)

13. "So What?" (Nick "Animal" Kulmer, Chris "Magoo" Exall, Clive "Winston" Blake) – 3:09

Singles

• "Enter Sandman" – 1991
• "Don't Tread On Me" - 1991
• "The Unforgiven" – 1991
• "Nothing Else Matters" – 1992
• "Wherever I May Roam" – 1992
• "Sad But True" – 1992

Band Members

• James Hetfield – rhythm guitars, vocals, acoustic guitar on "The Unforgiven", rhythm and lead guitar on "Nothing Else Matters"
• Kirk Hammett – lead guitars, Sitar on "Wherever I May Roam"
• Jason Newsted – bass
• Lars Ulrich – drums

Guests

• Michael Kamen – arrangement of orchestration on "Nothing Else Matters"

Charting

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1991	The Billboard 200	1

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Position
1991	"Enter Sandman"	The Billboard Hot 100	16
	"Enter Sandman"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	10
	"Enter Sandman"	Modern Rock Tracks	28
	"Enter Sandman"	UK Top 40	5
	"Don't Tread on Me"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	21
1992	"The Unforgiven"	The Billboard Hot 100	35
	"The Unforgiven"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	10
	"Nothing Else Matters"	The Billboard Hot 100	34
	"Nothing Else Matters"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	11
	"Wherever I May Roam"	The Billboard Hot 100	82
	"Wherever I May Roam"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	25
	"Sad but True"	The Billboard Hot 100	98
	"Sad but True"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	15

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States