Metallica [2 LP Vinyl] | Metallica | Mainstream Metallica

Metallica [2 LP Vinyl] | Metallica | Sad But True . . .

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Metallica [2 LP Vi...

	Metallica [2 LP Vinyl] Metallica Warner Bros., 2008 average customer review:based on 1229 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The self titled 'Metallica [aka the Black Album],' the band's fifth studio album, became one of the biggest selling albums in history. Though a step away from the thrash metal the band pioneered the album was nevertheless heavier than anything the band had yet recorded. 'The Black Album' is now be reissued as a standard Vinyl edition in honor of the 25th anniversary of 'Kill em All', Metallica's debut album.

Mainstream Metallica

Before I get into the meat of my review, I must acknowledge that this album was one of several that distanced the "hardcore" Metallica fans from the band. Many felt betrayed by the band, which they had seen as moving away from their thrasher metal roots. This is indeed true; the album is very radio-friendly. That said, the album on its own is very solid, whatever your opinion of how it compares to the band's previous work.

From the distinctive opening noted of "Enter Sandman" all the way to the end notes of "The Struggle Within," there is not a bad song on this album. Several Metallica staples, including "The Unforgiven," "Sad But True" and "Nothing Else Matters" also make appearances on the album.

I know the above-mentioned "hardcore" fans find a positive review of this album a heresy, but for many who have never sampled metal before - myself included - this acts as a gateway album for getting into Metallica. An avid fan myself now, I would have never delved into "Ride the Lightning" or "Master of Puppets" if I hadn't heard "the black album" first.

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Sad But True . . .

that there are over 1000 reviews and no mention that I can find pointing out that this is an excellent surround mix. What happened to reviewing a product?--Oh I forgot, people prefer to bicker about the point in which a band "sold out". Truly sad.

Sigh

It's almost twenty years after the black album came out. I was a rabid Metallica fan when this album first dropped (I was 14). At the time, I was extremely heartbroken. This was not the band that pressed the previous four albums (five counting "Garage Days"), all of which are still in my personal top ten of great heavy metal records.
I have bought those four albums several times, on LP, cassette, and CD. I bought this album once, on cassette, almost two full decades ago. This isn't one that needs replacing.
Not that it's a bad album. It's just a bad Metallica album. You went in expecting Kill Em All, Lightning, Puppets, and Justice, and instead you got "New Jersey" from Bon Jovi. Bob Rock has his cheesy fingers all over this album.
The Black Album is a snapshot of one of the biggest "departures" in recording history. Metallica were the kings of metal music, bar none, when this record dropped. No one disputed that fact (even most Slayer fans, which says a lot). No one wrote songs like Metallica did up until 1991. Then Metallica started writing songs like everybody else wrote them: Short, sweet, and saccharine. Not the real thing.
In retrospect, this album is Metallica's pivotal moment. All the albums before it are far superior. All the albums after it are inferior. The black album itself is just "okay." No masterpieces, no loathsome depths, just a lot of shallow water.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Tracks
Enter Sandman - Metallica, Hammett, Kirk | Sad but True - Metallica, Hetfield, James | Holier Than Thou - Metallica, Hetfield, James | The Unforgiven - Metallica, Hammett, Kirk | Wherever I May Roam - Metallica, Hetfield, James | Don't Tread on Me - Metallica, Hetfield, James | Through the Never - Metallica, Hammett, Kirk | Nothing Else Matters - Metallica, Hetfield, James | Of Wolf and Man - Metallica, Hammett, Kirk | The God That Failed - Metallica, Hetfield, James | My Friend of Misery - Metallica, Hammett, Kirk | The Struggle Within - Metallica, Hetfield, James

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