Metallica

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Metallica

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Here we have Metallica's breakthrough album, the Black album. This is what put Metallica into the mainstream, and it is indeed a masterpeice. Every song on this on is a classic. The talent is all there. The production is crystal clear. Everything about this album is epic. A lot of people complain that this is all a little too mainstream, but I disagree. I believe the boys to be in top performance, just because it's a little more accessible, doesn't mean that the talent is gone. Kirk plays some of his greatest solos on this album. I believe that everyone is in top form. Jason Newsted also gets a chance to prove himself on this one. As a bassist, I believe his basslines on the slower songs to showcase his talent the most. He packs a lot of emotion, especially in Nothing Else Matters. Overall, this is just a fun and enjoyable cd with talented musicians and songwriting. Highly recommended!

Back in 1992, when I was just a wee lad of 13, the Black Album was, as I'm sure it was for many others, my introduction to metal. And through most of the 1990's, Metallica was the only metal band I ever really bothered to listen to. But after buying "S & M" upon its release and gaining my first exposure to songs from "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets," I decided to explore Metallica's 1980's catalogue and the floodgates were opened. I now listen almost exclusively to metal, and I enjoy pretty much any style lf metal you can think of, and I must say that for all its commercial success the Black Album is far from the pinnacle of the metal genre, or even of Metallica's career.

The Black Album was, of course, the album that garnered Metallica massive record sales and radio and MTV exposure. And it's easy to see why: the songs on this album are shorter, simpler, less heavy, less lyrically oppressive, and typically slower than on previous outings. Of course, many (myself included) would say that this isn't necessarily a good thing. While I don't want to get into the whole "sellout" debate, that's sort of beside the point. What is the point is that what's good for the radio is not good for the serious metal fan. By streamlining their sound, Metallica lost a great deal of what had made them so compelling in the first place.

That's not to say there aren't good points(I did give three stars, after all). Although not as ambitious as previous efforts, this is still a pretty heavy album. There are some excellent riffs and solid solos, and James's vocals are in fine form. Songs like "Sad But True," "Enter Sandman," and "The God that Failed" even had some of the bite of Metallica's older work; "Sad But True," in particular remains one of my favorite Metallica songs. But really, did any of Metallica's '80's albums contain so many mediocre songs like "The Unforgiven," "My Friend of Misery," and "Through the Never"? Nothing on here is really definable as bad, but there's way too much that's just forgettable.

Now, this certainly isn't a bad album to have. It's a good pickup for those who are new to the metal genre, as I was a decade ago. Still, I think the black album's main value is as a stepping stone on the way to bigger and better things. Now (shameless plug coming up), I would feel remiss if I didn't mention some of these bigger and better things in this space, so here goes: '80's Metallica (duh), Megadeth, Anthrax, Morbid Angel, Death, Amon Amarth, The Crown, Opeth, Testament, Emperor, and the Forsaken. This is just a short list though; there's a lot more out there for those who are willing to look.