The Black Review (Metallica - Metallica)

Member Name: mr blonde

Product:	Metallica - Metallica
Date:	30/11/01 (320 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: every track is different, shows progression of band, metallica's only ever UK no. 1

Disadvantages: none

Metallica's self titled, or commonly known as the Black Album (possibly a hint of contradiction with the beatles white album, as is the contradiction between pop bands and true metal bands), is the most common of the entire Metallica collection. The album in my view does have the greatest range of music on it, although i prefer the Master of Puppets album, as it is out and out "old school".

The Black Album starts with the almighty Enter Sandman, Metallica's only number 1 hit in the UK. The song is the one song that people who don't even like the band, actually recognise. The song is a combination of Hetfield's grunt, accompanied by some excellent guitar riffs, and the track sets the album off perfectly.

Sad But True is a song that is semi thrash semi melodic in places, it is a song that is a good follow up to sandman, but although it is a good track, is not one of the best on the album.

Holier Than Thou is probably the first track on the album with meaning, and includes some excellent guitar work from both Hammett and Hetfield.

The Unforgiven happens to be my personal favourite and tells the story of a lost soul that has been beaten down, and outcast by the world. The person is alone and has never had chance to show what they truly are, and the song depicts this magnificently. The song itself is much slower than most songs on the album, yet it has more voice, more power than any song i have heard in the 1990s.

Wherever I May Roam is a total contradiction to Unforgiven, it is about freedom, and the ability to do whatever you want, wherever you want, some good lyrics and some sublime guitar work make this a perfect follow up song to Unforgiven on the album.

Don't Tread On Me is quite frankly a song with balls, excuse the expression, but that is just what it is, the song is basically saying get the hell out of my face or i will break you, and is a really good song to listen to if
you are in a bad mood, trust me, i know.

Through The Never is basically thrash days revisited, this is what Metallica do second best (1st best being live performances). This is the type of song that is perfect if you fancy going old school and just letting that long hair fly as you head bang unashamedly in your living room playing the air guitar that your mum and dad bought you for christmas.

Nothing Else Matters is the slowest track on the album, and to be honest is definately lyrically one of the finest, second only to Unforgiven, the song is almost a love song, if that is possible from a metal band, even one of metallica's calibur. Either way, it is a brilliant song, and is one of the finer works on the Black Album.

Of Wolf And Man is about survival, the strong living of the weak, predators of the earth, and victims of the earth. The guitar work again, as ever is excellent, and the lyrics again have real substance to them, which to be honest in many ways is stating the obvious because so many of metallica's songs are created with real meaning and inspiration behind them, unlike all of the pop rubbish around which were probably made up while the writer was taking a dump.

The God That Failed is all about someone turning their back on the world, they have nothing left, they have no reason to care, for all they know God is their enemy, and for all we know, the person has no reason to care, all they know is that they have nothing to lose, and they know that things cannot get any worse.

My Freind Of Misery is yet another song of depression, a common theme among metallica's works, and once again, the lyrics are extremely powerful, speaking of lonliness and of(as the title says) misery.

The Struggle Within is the denoument of the album, and is an excellent album. This is in literally terms, the humour following the pathos, or the light at the end of the tunnel, we are led into this by 2/3 deeper depre
ssing songs, and then we move into a finale of old school rock, symbolic that no matter what happens metallica will always be able to rock the hell out of the world, and there is no band in the world that can match them.

The Black Album shows that Metallica have moved on leaps and bounds from the days of Kill Em All and And Justice For All, yet even though they now cobine the melodic guitar riffs that Hammett claims are inspired by Brian May of Queen, they can also still do the music that they alone innovated and thrash just like the old days.

The Black album is a superb album, and was the antithesis of 90s metal, showing that even in the early 90s when grunge, with the likes of Nirvana and Guns N Roses being huge names, being the main rock scene, metallica still reigned supreme, and that they are the kings of metal, forever and always.

The Black Album was released in 1991 by Metallica's long serving record label Vertigo, and will go down in the history books as one of the finest albums ever made by a rock band.

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