Beginnings
The heavy metal group Metallica formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield as well as drummer Lars Ulrich have been constants since the beginning. However, the group went through some lineup changes early on – including future Megadeth member Dave Mustaine as a guitarist. By their debut album, Kill ‘Em All, in 1983, the group had settled in on guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Cliff Burton.
By their third album, 1986’s Master of Puppets, Metallica “had jettisoned the more cartoonish aspects of earlier versions of heavy metal and played up the existential despair. They had popularized a new harmonic vocabulary for the genre, using unusual scales for their riffs and solos.” TB
Tragedy struck when Burton was killed in a bus accident during the tour supporting the Puppets album. Rather than derail the band, they stormed back with bassist Jason Newsted and their first top-ten album, 1988’s …And Justice for All. The album produced the song “One” – the band’s first top-40 appearance – a rare event for a heavy metal group. The DMDB also ranks it as one of the top 100 videos of all time.
Next Up
“After the muddled production and ultracomplicated song structures of ...And Justice for All, Metallica decided that they had taken the progressive elements of their music as far as they could.” AM “Earlier Metallica albums are more thrashy and frenetic, with epic convoluted songs.” TB Now, however, the band decided “You can only pound your head against a wall for so long before you get a headache.” EW’07
Previously, they “wrote scathing diatribes about such topics as our desensitized society and the horrors of drug addiction, signed with a major record label, and then watched millions of kids buy these spewings, all without the benefit of one hummable melody.” EW’07 The next album would take “rock’s pre-eminent speed-metal cyclone” EW’07 in a much more commercial direction.
Bob Rock
For their next endeavor, Metallica reached out to Bob Rock, who had produced Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe, to give them “crisp, professional production” AM and add “a previously nonexistent warmth and depth to their sound.” GW They made an effort “to match riffs to more commercial songs and reduce the length of instrumental passages.” TB
They“slowed down the tempos, streamlined the arrangements” GW and “the songs are tighter (the nine-minute behemoths of Justice are gone).” EW’07 In addition, “the arrangements more concise, and the band plays actual hooks.” EW’07 “The band still roars and lumbers like Godzilla partying in Tokyo, but the lyrics are, well, introspective.” EW’07
The Album’s Reception
As a result, 1991’s eponymous release – nicknamed The Black Album for its monochromatic cover – is viewed as “either the band’s musical high point or the beginning of its downfall.” GW “The song- and riff-writing slips here and there, a rare occurrence for Metallica, which some longtime fans interpreted as filler next to a batch of singles calculated for commercial success.” AM While “the hard-core gagged at Metallica’s blatant commercialism,” BL “the band’s newly pared-down assault converted millions, making thrash seem almost mainstream” BL and “the biggest band in the world” GW with “one of the bestselling metal albums ever.” 500
“In fact, the band’s popularity exploded so much that most of their back catalog found mainstream acceptance in its own right, while other progressively inclined speed metal bands copied the move toward simplification.” AM At its best, Metallica “deservedly captured the heavy metal crown” AM with “some of the best songwriting Metallica has ever done,” AZ but it “also foreshadowed a creative decline.” AM
The Songs
Here are details about individual songs.
“Enter Sandman”
Enter Sandman, with its “crushing, stripped-down grooves,” AM “is the standout track and an obvious hit single.” TB It “quickly established itself as one of those licks that every aspiring heavy-metal guitarist had to learn to play.” TB Ulrich said, “I always find that the first song that you write for an album has a certain magic to it, and that was ‘Enter Sandman.’ This song just has such a feel to it that we felt it should be the first new thing people heard.” TB
“Wherever I May Roam”
“The best songs are more melodic and immediate.” AM “Enter Sandman,” Wherever I May Roam, and “Sad But True” find the band “sticking to traditional structures and using the same main riffs throughout.” AM They “are three of the most direct and compelling tunes in Metallica’s catalog.” GW
“Sad But True”
On Sad But True “Hetfield confesses his devotion to his partner while chastising her for not taking responsibility for her day-to-day life. Granted, it’s not '’Feelings,’ but huge leaps in emotional expression may be too much to expect from a band that titled its first album Kill ‘Em All.” EW’07
“God That Failed”
Meanwhile, “Sandman,” “Roam,” and God That Failed are examples of how the group crafted “slower and more groove-oriented” AZ material while still featuring “the same heavy riffs and heavier rhythms that have always been a feature of Metallica’s music.” AZ
“The Unforven”
Metallica “avoid the slash-and-burn guitar riffs that had always punctuated the band’s ballads.” AM The “introspective” AZ The Unforgiven is “a sulking rumination on one man’s ruined life.” EW’07 It “starts slowly, with crystalline overlays of acoustic and electric guitars, and builds to a cruncher with Kirk Hammett’s emotional, vibrato-drenched guitar solo. By welding the jackhammer attack of thrash to the complexities of old-fangled art rock, Metallica may have invented a new genre: progressive thrash.” EW’07
“Nothing Else Matters”
The “full-fledged love song” AM Nothing Else Matters is “complete with string section, which works much better than might be imagined.” AM “The video was extra jaw-dropping, showing the lads being (gasp!) sensitive in the studio.” BL Of the change in their sound, frontman James Hetfield said, “It’s scary to look out [at a show] and see couples hugging during that song.” 500
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