METALLICA [AKA: THE BLACK ALBUM]

The record that turned the heavy metal world on its ear back in 1991. I doubt anyone was expecting this, especially after the bleak, raw ...And Justice For All that the band deployed a mere three years earlier. Though not as progressive as the four records that preceded it-it seems a bit more streamlined in comparison-the band have a new- (maybe) found knack for dynamics. If ...And Justice For All was the sound of the band firing off their artillery with all the subtlety of a bomb going off, this disc found them realizing that one or two bullets at a time cause the same amount of damage.

And it worked. The disc has, to date, sold over 20 million copies (Thank God for Wikipedia.) and has propelled them into the stratosphere.

Now-without further ado-let's take a look at a few of the standout tracks.

One of the major tracks was Enter Sandman; a song that still gets played to this day. It has a driving, chunky groove, a fat, chuggy riff and a screaming, wah-drenched lead that set the template for the songs to follow.

One of my personal faves has to be My Friend Of Misery. Audible bass guitar, actual LOW END (yay!) and some wonderfully ballsy riffs wrap up the song in a tight, listenable, mini-epic package. Combine that with an excellent lead and thought provoking lyrics and you have all the ingredients for a dramatic tune. The melody STILL, to this day, gives me shivers.

Production is predictably awesome. Each guitar (and there are plenty of them) rings out clear as a bell. There's barely any audible bass (except for a few parts here and there), but in the midst of all of the guitars, I doubt you, the listener, will be checking your watch and waiting for the bass to peek through.

To wrap up this review, I have to give it five stars. In an era where metal was a dirty word, Metallica came along, added some melody to their metal, wrote hook after hook, and damn near changed lives in the process.