METALLICA [AKA: THE BLACK ALBUM]

The band-titled black album or simply the Black Album was where Metallica made it in the music industry. Unfortunately the result of this exposure to the mainstream audience was that the band stripped off all their Thrash Metal pretenses and went into total Heavy Metal mode here. The results weren't that bad if judging purely from the singles released from this album and you'll only realize it if you decide to dig deeper by purchasing the full length album.

Enter Sandman kicks things off nicely even though it's not nearly as exciting as the three previous album-openers. Sad But True is where you basically can count me at as a Metallica fan. Supposedly not a bad song per se, but it's as shallow as Metal music can ever get. There's nothing here beside the four members grabbing my money and dancing around the bonfire with it! At least that's the image I can't seem to shake out of my mind whenever I hear songs like Don't Tread On Me, Wolf And Man or The God That Failed.

There are a few bright spots like the two big ballads and a slightly adventurous Wherever I May Roam, even though we all know that Zeppelin did it better more that 15 years prior to this album. Most importantly, this album lacks the riffs, the hooks and the raw energy, in other words everything that made Metallica great in the first place! The Black Album is just a well-produced average rock album with a lack of direction or purpose outside of the singles that it incorporates for its label to promote.

Even though I personally consider this a ludicrously bad album, there's no denying that most of the fans still seemed to enjoy this release. If they really want it then they can definitely keep it since I just stopped caring all together.

***** star songs: Enter Sandman (5:34)

**** star songs: The Unforgiven (6:27) Wherever I May Roam (6:46) Nothing Else Matters (6:29)

*** star songs: Sad But True (5:23) Holier Than Thou (3:48) Don't Tread On Me (4:01) Through The Never (4:03) Of Wolf And Man (4:17) The God That Failed (5:05) My Friend Of Misery (6:50) The Struggle Within (3:54)

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