Metallica β Metallica
- intothewellsabyss
- Aug 12, 2023
- 10 min read
π πππ πππ ππππππ - πππππππππππ ππππ πππππ ππππππππ π’π§ ππ‘π πππππππ π¨πΒ ππππ ππππ & πππππ πππππβ¦
August 12, 1991 β Metallica released their fifth studio album, Metallica (commonly referred to as The Black Album because of its packaging design) via Elektra Records. (Listen: Apple Music or Spotify)
Its recording took place at One on One Studios in Los Angeles over an eight-month span which frequently found Metallica at odds with their new producer Bob Rock.
The album marked a change in the band's music from the Thrash Metal style of their previous four albums to a slower, heavier, and more refined sound.
Metallica promoted Metallica (The Black Album) with a series of tours. They also released five singles to promote the album: Enter Sandman (Watch video), The Unforgiven (Watch video), Nothing Else Matters (Watch video), Wherever I May Roam (Watch video), and Sad but True (Watch video), all of which have been considered to be among the band's best-known songs. The song Don't Tread on Me was also issued to rock radio shortly after the album's release but did not receive a commercial single release.
Metallica (The Black Album) received widespread critical acclaim and became the band's best-selling album. It debuted at No. 1 in ten countries and spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, making it Metallica's first album to top the album charts.
Metallica (The Black Album) is one of the best-selling albums worldwide, and also one of the best-selling albums in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began. The album was certified 16Γ platinum by The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2012, and has sold over sixteen million copies in the United States, being the first album in the SoundScan era to do so.
Metallica played Metallica (The Black Album) in its entirety during the 2012 European Black Album Tour.
In 2020, the album was ranked No. 235 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
In December 2019, Metallica (The Black Album) became the fourth release in American history to enter the 550-week milestone on the Billboard 200. It also became the second longest-charting traditional title in history, and the second to spend 550 weeks on the album charts.
Background & Recording:
At the time of Metallica's recording, the band's songs were written mainly by frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield being the lyricist.
The duo frequently composed together at Ulrich's house in Berkeley, California. Several song ideas and concepts were conceived by other members of the band, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted.
For instance, Newsted wrote the main riff of My Friend of Misery, which was originally intended to be an instrumental, one of which had been included on every previous Metallica album.
The songs were written in two months in mid-1990; the ideas for some of them were originated during the Damaged Justice Tour. Metallica was impressed with Bob Rock's production work on MΓΆtley CrΓΌe's Dr. Feelgood (1989) and decided to hire him to work on their album.
Initially, the band members were not interested in having Rock producing the album as well, but changed their minds. Ulrich said, "ππ ππππ ππππ π π πππππ πππ πππ ππππ ππππππ ππ ππ πππ π±ππ ππππ πππππ ππππ ππ ππππ ππ".
Four demos for the album were recorded on August 13, 1990; Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters and Wherever I May Roam.
The lead single Enter Sandman was the first song to be written and the last to receive lyrics. On October 4, 1990, a demo of Sad but True was recorded. In October 1990, Metallica began recording at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, to record the album, and also at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia for about a week. On June 2, 1991, a demo of Holier than Thou was recorded. Hetfield stated about the recording:
"ππππ π π ππππππ’ π πππππ π ππ π ππππ ππππ. πΈπ πππ ππππ, π»πππ πππ πΈ πππππππππππ πππ πππ’πππ πππππ π ππππππ πΊπππ πππ πΉππππ. ππππ ππππ πΈ π πππππ ππ πππ’ ππππ’πππ ππ π ππππ ππππ ππ πππ ππππππ. πΈπ ππππππππ ππππππ ππ πππ π’ππ πππ ππππ ππ π ππππ."
Because it was Rock's first time producing a Metallica album, he had the band make the album in different ways; he asked them to record songs collaboratively rather than individually in separate locations.
He also suggested recording tracks live and using harmonic vocals for Hetfield. Rock was expecting the production to be "ππππ’" but had trouble working with the band, leading to frequent, engaged arguments with the band members over aspects of the album.
Rock wanted Hetfield to write better lyrics and found his experience recording with Metallica disappointing. Since the band was perfectionist, Rock insisted they record as many takes as needed to get the sound they wanted.
The album was remixed three times and cost US$1Β million. The troubled production coincided with Ulrich, Hammett, and Newsted divorcing their wives; Hammett said this influenced their playing because they were "πππ’πππ ππ ππππ πππππ πππππππ ππ πππππ πππ πππππππ πππ πππππππ ππππ ππππ πππ πππππβ ππ πππ πππππππππ ππππππππ πππ ππ ππ".
Rock altered Metallica's familiar recording routine and the recording experience was so stressful that Rock briefly swore never to work with the band again. The tension between band and producer was documented in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica and Classic Albums: Metallica β Metallica, documentaries that explore the intense recording process that resulted in Metallica.
Despite the controversies between the band and Rock, he continued to work with Metallica through to the 2003 album St. Anger. After the production of St. Anger, the fourth and final Metallica record Rock would produce, a petition signed by 1,500 fans was posted online in an attempt to encourage the band to prohibit Rock from producing Metallica albums, saying he had too much influence on the band's sound and musical direction. Rock said the petition hurt his children's feelings; he said, "πππππππππ, ππππ π πππ π πππππ πππππ, π ππππ πππππ ππππππ. πππ ππππ ππ πππ πππ πππππ ππ πππππ."
The Songs:
According to Robert Palmer of Rolling Stone, "ππππππ π πππ πππππ ππππ ππ πππ π ππ ππ‘ππππππ πππ ππππ ππ π±πΏπΌπ, π ππππ ππππ’ ππ‘ππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππ‘ππππππππ πππππ".
The album was a change in Metallica's direction from the Thrash Metal style of the band's previous four studio albums towards a more commercial, Heavy Metal sound, but still had characteristics of Thrash Metal.
Many fans consider the album to be a transition from the often ostentatious compositions of Metallica's previous releases to the slower, divested style of the band's later albums, where "πππ" and "πππ " Metallica are distinguished from one another.
Instruments not usually used by Heavy Metal bands, such as the cellos in The Unforgiven and the orchestra in Nothing Else Matters, were added at Rock's insistence.
Rock also raised the volume of the bass guitar, which had been nearly inaudible on the previous album ...And Justice for All. Newsted said he tried to "ππππππ π ππππ πππ’πππ πππππππ ππππππ ππππ π πππ-πππππππππππ πππππ" with his bass.
Newsted credited Rock with helping him find a sound that would work without killing the bass drum or messing with the lower end of the guitar, which Newsted claimed had always been a real big problem with him.
Ulrich said he tried to avoid the "πππππππππππ πΏπππππππ πππππππππππ π ππππ ππππππ ππππππ ππ ππππ’ ππππ" in his drumming and used a basic sound similar to those of the Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts and AC/DC's Phil Rudd.
The band took a simpler approach partly because the members felt the songs on ...And Justice for All were too long and complex. Hetfield said that radio airplay was not their intention, but because they felt "π π πππ ππππππ’ ππππ ππππ πππ ππππππ ππππ ππππππ ππ πππππ," and considered a good change doing songs with just two riffs and "ππππ’ ππππππ ππ π πππππππ ππ πππ πππ πππππ ππππππ".
Ulrich added that the band was feeling a musical insecurity β "ππ ππππ ππππππππππ ππ πππππππππ πππ ππ πππππ ππππππ. ππππ ππππ ππ ππ πππ πππ, ππππππ πΌπππππ ππ πΏππππππ πππ πΉππππππ, ππ πππ πππππππππ ππ πππ’πππ ππ πππππ πππππππππ. βππβππ ππ πππ ππππ π ππππ-πππ ππππ πππππ ππ’π ππ πππππ ππππ π π πππ πππππππ πππππππππ πππ πππππ ππππππ."
β and Hetfield added he wanted to avoid getting stale:
βπππππππ πππππ πππ π ππππ’πππ πππππ π ππππππ ππππππ πππ πππππ ππ ππππ πππ πππππ, πππππππππ π π ππππ ππ π ππππ π πππππππ ππππ ππ ππππ β π’ππ ππππ πππ ππ π ππππππ πππ πππππππ ππππ. π΄ππππ’πππβπ πππππππππ. πΈπ πππππ’πππ π ππ πππ ππππ, ππ π ππππ ππ ππππππ ππ ππππ."
The lyrics of Metallica written by James Hetfield were more personal and introspective in nature than those of previous Metallica albums; Rock said Hetfield's songwriting became more confident, and that he was inspired by Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and John Lennon.
According to Chris True of AllMusic, Enter Sandman is about "ππππππππππ πππ πππ ππππ ππππ π πππ ππππ". The God That Failed dealt with the death of Hetfield's mother from cancer and her Christian Science beliefs, which kept her from seeking medical treatment. "Nothing Else Matters" was a love song Hetfield wrote about missing his girlfriend while on tour. Hetfield said the album's lyrical themes were more introspective because he wanted "ππ’ππππ ππππ πππ ππππ πππππ πππππ ππππππ β πππ π π πππ ππππ ππππππππππ’ πππππππππ πππππππππππ. ππ πππ ππππ’ π ππ’ ππ ππ π ππ ππ."
Album Art & Layout:
Metallica had many discussions about the album title; the members considered calling it Five or using the title of one of the songs, but eventually chose an eponym because they "π πππππ ππ ππππ ππ ππππππ."
The album's cover depicts the band's logo angled against the upper left corner and a coiled snake derived from the Gadsden flag in the bottom right corner. For the initial release, both emblems were embossed so they could barely be seen against the black background, giving Metallica the nickname "The Black Album".
These emblems also appear on the back cover of the album. For later and current releases, both emblems are dark gray so they stand out more prominently. The motto of the Gadsden flag, "Don't Tread on Me", is also the title of a song on the album. A folded, pageless booklet depicts the faces of the band's members against a black background.
The lyrics and liner notes are also printed on a grey background. The cover is reminiscent of Spinal Tap's album Smell the Glove, which the band jokingly acknowledged in its documentary A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica.
Members of Spinal Tap appeared on the film and asked Metallica about it, with Lars Ulrich commenting that British rock group Status Quo was the original inspiration as that band's Hello! album cover was also black.
Touring:
In 1991, for the fourth time, Metallica played as part of the Monsters of Rock festival tour.
The last concert of the tour was held on September 28, 1991, at Tushino Airfield in Moscow; it was described as "πππ πππππ ππππ πππππππ πππππππ ππππ πππππππ ππ ππππππ πππππππ’" and was attended by an estimated 150,000 to 500,000 people.
Some unofficial estimates put the attendance as high as 1,600,000.
The first tour directly intended to support the album, the Wherever We May Roam Tour, included a performance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, at which Metallica performed a short set list, consisting of Enter Sandman, Sad but True, and Nothing Else Matters, along with Hetfield performed the Queen song Stone Cold Crazy with John Deacon, Brian May, and Roger Taylor of Queen and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.
At one of the tour's first gigs the floor of the stage collapsed.
The January 13 and 14, 1992, shows in San Diego were later released in the box set Live Shit: Binge & Purge, while the tour and the album were documented in the documentary A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica.
Metallica's Wherever We May Roam Tour also overlapped with Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion Tour.
Hetfield suffered second and third degree burns to his arms, face, hands, and legs on August 8, 1992, during a Montreal show in the co-headlining Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour.
The tour included pyrotechnics, which were installed on-stage. Hetfield accidentally walked into a 12-foot (3.7Β m) flame shot from a pyrotechnic during a live performance of the introduction of Fade to Black. The show was cut short shortly after this accident, so that Guns N' Roses began their concert to malicious reactions from fans.
Newsted said Hetfield's skin was "ππππππππ ππππ ππ πππ πππ‘ππ π°ππππππ". The tour recommenced on August 25 in Phoenix, and although Hetfield could sing, he could not play guitar for the remainder of the tour. Guitar technician John Marshall, who had previously filled in on rhythm guitar and was then playing in Metal Church, played guitar for the recovering Hetfield. Andreas Kisser from Sepultura was initially considered to join the tour, but Marshall ultimately was chosen.
The shows in Mexico City across February and March 1993 during the Nowhere Else to Roam tour were recorded, filmed and later also released as part of the band's first box set, which were also released on Live Shit: Binge & Purge (released in November 1993). The collection contained three live CDs, three home videos, and a book filled with riders and letters.
Pressings of the box set since November 2002 includes two DVDs, the first one being filmed at San Diego on the Wherever We May Roam Tour, and the latter at Seattle on the Damaged Justice Tour. Binge & Purge was packaged as a cardboard box resembling that of a typical tour equipment transport box.
The box set also featured a recreated copy of an access pass to the "Snakepit" part of the tour stage, as well as a cardboard drawing/airbrush stencil for the "Scary Guy" logo. The Mexico City shows were also the first time the band met future member Robert Trujillo, who was in Suicidal Tendencies at the time.
The final tour supporting the album, the Shit Hits the Sheds Tour, included a performance at Woodstock '94 that followed Nine Inch Nails and preceded Aerosmith on August 13 in front of a crowd of 350,000. Some songs, such as Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, and Sad but True, became permanent staples of Metallica's concert setlists during these and subsequent tours.
Other songs though, such as Holier than Thou, The God That Failed, Through the Never, and The Unforgiven were no longer included in performances after 1995 and would not be played again until the 2000s, when Metallica began performing a more extensive back catalog of songs with Robert Trujillo on bass after he joined the band upon completion of the album St. Anger.
After touring duties for the album were finished, Metallica filed a lawsuit against Elektra Records, which tried to force the record label to terminate the band's contract and give the band ownership of their master recordings. The band based its claim on a section of the California Labor Code that allows employees to be released from a personal services contract after seven years.
Metallica had sold 40Β million copies worldwide upon the filing of the suit. Metallica had been signed to the label for over a decade but was still operating under the terms of its original 1984 contract, which provided a relatively low 14% royalty rate. The band members said they were taking the action because they were ambivalent about Robert Morgado's refusal to give them another record deal along with Bob Krasnow, who retired from his job at the label shortly afterwards. Elektra responded by counter-suing the band, but in December 1994, Warner Music Group United States chairman Doug Morris offered Metallica a lucrative new deal in exchange for dropping the suit, which was reported to be even more generous than the earlier Krasnow deal. In January 1995, both parties settled out of court with a non-disclosure agreement.
Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. β E.N. Wells
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