What's wrong with the Black Album (Metallica)?

I'm more a hard rock guy than a metal one and I like this record. That said, I can see why their hardcore fans don't.

 

I personally like the album. An easy listen for when I'm in an easy listen mood.

One problem in general with all acts lies with fans and critics that have to compare everything. Every album needs to be judged on its own merits - mot judged by prior and/or post recordings. Many people either forget or don't understand that. If you still don't like it after judging it on its own merits, so be it. No big deal. That's my 2 cents worth of opinion.

 

yeah exactly. thats why i made my comment. 2 songs from the second half seem to be played all the time and a few more are played every now and again

 

I quite like it. I prefer it to ...And Justice For All, whose songs have never really stuck in my head. Certainly it had a big, full sound unlike earlier Metallica and Hetfield sounded great.

 

Yeah absolutely. "This isn't as good as the their best album or is very different, therefore it is absolute garbage". I like the black album and Load too, but it's hard for me to directly compare them to Master of Puppets because it's so different. So I don't. I've never thought it imperative for an artist to stay the same and in fact, I prefer it if they change and evolve. I don't need to hear the same album again.

And the thing is, I try to go into any album without preconceptions, but sometimes it's hard to do that. So maybe my initial reaction is of disappointment due to what I thought it was going to be. But I always try to push through that so that I can hear it for what it is and judge it based on that.

 

Some, not many and they sure as hell weren't moving as many units as the Black album did. Elektra had invested in over five years of Metallica and it was their turn to cash in as well.

 

Nothing.

 

Its slightly darker then my poo.

 

Justice certainly didn't sell as well as the Black album. But Justice still peaked at #6 on the Billboard chart, stayed on the chart for 83 weeks, and sold 1.6 million copies in the US by the end of 1988 alone (4 months after it was released). They played arenas in major markets (selling out many), they did 2 lengthy US legs and a worldwide tour. They were a major act worldwide before a single note had been recorded for what would become the Black album.

 

Yes, St. Anger is fine with me, but not a favorite in their discography. Kill 'Em All LP with the bonus tracks Blitzkrieg and Am I Evil is my top one. Lulu, I don't know about that, never heard about it. Good thing, I guess.

 

st anger at least sounds honest to me. death magnetic is better but sounds like a band going through the motions and trying to recreate the past

 

I made the mistake of buying the 45rpm Death Magnetic box set, I have to change the LP every song, I think I'll go look for a single LP. Garage In, love it, excellent sound too.

 

They hired Bob Rock and he made them more mainstream. I imagine some people might say the same thing about AC/DC's Razor's Edge and how Bruce Fairbairn had his influence or Black Sabbath's 13 and Rick Rubin. Those producers can help make albums a bit more mainstream and some hardcore fans don't like it. The Black album is awesome and still holds up today. Not sure why people think bands need to keep sounding the same.

 

Yeah stay away from Lulu. It's better to keep your innocence.

 

I don't think it's an issue of people wanting a band to stay the same but maybe know how to evolve without losing the elements that made you good in the first place. That's how I look at it anyway.

 

You have to lose some of those elements to evolve. If you look at the what people here complain about black album not being or not having it essentially amounts to black album isn't master of puppets. It doesn't have many of the things that made those earlier albums what they are. But they weren't trying to make those albums again. They're trying to do something new and different. And I don't think they should be restricted on what they can and cannot change. It still sounded like Metallica and that's the most important thing.

 

There was a clear evolution between the first four albums.

 

I still think its great album and to put it simply, there's nothing wrong with this album.
Production and sound is what pleases me and all the performances/songs are great too.
It's one of the precious albums in my life that has come as little soundtrack for my youth and I think it's essential part of my growing up.
I had become total Metallica freak in '89-'90 with the enourmous AJFA-album which was totally something special for me then also..

I can recall and have fond memories of the times when Black Album came out, has it really been that long time ago and years gone so fast?
I remember going to the local store on the day the album was released and as I left the store, carrying vinyl (with vertigo-labels) I remember that I was happy.
As soon as I was back home, I put the album on play and got fully immersed by the music.

Now in the later years it's become more clear how many people don't like Black Album or Load at all, which is really evident on forums or closed facebook-groups.
I know how some feel that the band made constant downward-spiral starting over the release of 1991's "Black Album", which for many was too popular and radio-friendly as opposed to the bands 80's output.
I think, that in retrospect the band had decided that it finally had come out of the tight minded metallists and thrash-norm, they were finally free to do whatever they wanted with their music.
Also Im happy for them that they could really let their inspirations run more freely to their own music.
Of course, Metallica had its course and destiny to be away from your norm little thrash-band and Im happy for the how they managed to evolve riff by riff, bit by bit, album by album.
And remember that they were entitled to do whatever they wanted and felt, so I have to give them credit for proving courage to do so.

 

The Black Album is a solid more mature Album and not half as pathetic as "Death Magnetic" was. That one was not a "return to form" but just a blatant rehash to give the whiners what they want - Metallica-by-the-numbers - Blech.

 

Maybe from the perspective of a fifteen year old.

 

Moving towards AOR is hardly 'evolving' or 'progressing'

 

The drum sound is absolutely awful...and they worked on it for a year or so the story goes.

 

I think it is a great album.

I understand that those who are committed to their early sound and albums felt betrayed by it. But, if one just judges the album without all that baggage, it is fantastic.

 

Those people who are saying that they never cared for Metallica before the Black album (as if that's saying something about the album) . . . we Know! We were there! They made a populist record that more general Rock fans could dig so yas jumped on board,we get it.
They made 4 powerful 'Thrash Metal' albums, defined & created a genre of Metal music & then they made their mass appeal record.
If you think Metallica are at their best when they play the pop game & come down to your level so that you can dig them . . . ???
Have you noticed how many Black Album songs get played live in 2016? Not too many, they haven't aged well (some of em).
Also, the band became a less intense, fringe example of hardcore music & kind of a dorky stadium band, even with James starting to turn into the yowling 'Yeah-haa', godfather of Nickleback & lotsa other watered down crappola Metal. I was there.
When you think of Metallica in 1991, they started doing videos (& some bad ones), they did the Black Album with Bob Rock because of how a Motley Crue record sounded, they toured with Guns N' Roses . . . it's just not the same vibe as the 1980s & the music suffered, imho.
Not saying the Black Album isn't one of the greatest Rock records of all time but I think them being the greatest Metal band of the 1980s & the music they made in that environment was more meaningful, richer, original & lasting: as I said, they prob play more tunes from 'Ride The Lightning' these days than the Black album.
When a band like Metallica becomes such a populist band, they lose all their edge & distinctness & flavour. I wasn't about to join the herd in 1991 when I'd been so intensely out of it in the 1980s. Metallica, Motley, so many other bands turned into something else . . . I went to other types of music, it was gone by 1991.

 

As far as I'm concerned the band peaked early with Ride the Lightning. Master of Puppets tried a little to hard to copy Ride the Lightning and sounds souless to me. Same goes with all the following albums. The black album is just another example for Micromanagement and over production. NO rock band should take 8 months of studio time to record a record. If it takes that long then you're doing rock wrong.