Metallica (The Black Album)-
Metallica
Perhaps it’s the slower songs. Perhaps it’s the shorter songs. Perhaps it’s the simply structured songs. I'm not sure what it is but this album is not very highly praised by Metallica fans, at least not when it’s compared to the glory other albums receive, like
Ride the Lightning or
...And Justice for All. It was highly praised by critics and the more serious Metallica listeners, but the more casual fans thought this was an attempt to be more “mature.” Much fewer string-tearing solos, impossibly fast riffs and less talk of death and anger. In were more slow songs, not just one, but two,
The Unforgiven or
Nothing Else Matters. I have no idea why that is bad because they do it so well.
I shall start with two of my favorites, which are also the two ballads on the album. First up is
The Unforgiven. Hetfield’s singing is either strained to sing softer or shouting the quietest way you can to get his point across. Either way, it sounds good because he’s trying to get his voice just right, and he’s doing it the correct way. The lyrics are excellent here [
New blood joins this earth, and quickly he’s subdued/through constant pained disgrace, the young boy learns their rules]. Often, especially in Metallica songs, due in part mainly to the song lengths, they would repeat the lines a few too many times, but not here. I say that gladly because the lyrics are the main focus of this song. They continue to be solid and emotional [
They dedicate their lives to running all of his/He tries to please them all, this bitter man he is. Throughout his life the same/He’s battled constantly/This fight he cannot win. A tired man they see no longer cares. The old man then prepares to die regretfully. That old man here is me]. There’s a solo, but even close the speed on some of their other ballads (ala the “One” solo), but no one ever said it needs to be impossibly fast to be great. All it needs is to fit with the song, flow with the melody and atmosphere. And it does. The second ballad is
Nothing Else Matters and is actually my preferred ballad on the album. Another smooth guitar riff begins it right away, longer and more creative than the “Unforgiven” opening riff. There are more beautifully written lyrics [
So close no matter how far, couldn’t be much more from the heart. Forever trusting who we are, and nothing else matters]. Musically it is beautiful. The guitars are wonderful, a little electric is mixed in, and even a very high pitched violin thrown in there during the bridge. The addition of violin is surprising and beautiful; they add that inspiration and emotion that, although is not missing (there’s tons of it, emotion I’m talking about) it makes it even better. The singing is also beautiful. James changes completely, his voice much gentler, his tone much more peaceful and graceful. The more I listen to this song, the more I love and appreciate how well his singing is done. The bridge is just great also, very quiet, with the same short, sharp guitar notes with that violin. The drums even have some nice fills in this song.
There are definitely other highlights on the album, like the first track
Enter Sandman. Something I would be surprised to hear: good backing vocals. You wouldn’t really notice much difference in this song than perhaps some other Metallica albums because there’s a good solo. Not spectacularly fast, but it fits. Lots of wah-wahs and pull-offs sound very interesting, which is a good thing.
Hush little baby, don’t say a word. And never mind that noise you heard. It’s just the beast under your bed; in your closet, in your head.
Another favorite is
Wherever I May Roam. At the start, something is plucking a very mid-eastern tune, but then it changes gear and the electrics kick in playing the same melody and make it the thing to look forward to in this song. There’s another great solo by Hammet, lots of bending/use of tremolo bars and that sounds
wicked. But I still love that riff and how they made a weird, Middle Eastern based tune into a rocking, Metallica guitar riff.
And of course there are weak songs on the album. One of them is
Holier Than Thou. There is that one riff repeated throughout, but this one is boring and really short. The chorus is very weak, with Hetfield saying “Holier than Thou!” over and over. It’s pointless, really, because nothing is happening while he sings that. The solo basically stays around the same part of the fretboard, but I gotta admit that it ends very fast and is rather impressive. However, overall, this song is too repetitive and boring for me. Another weak song is
Don’t Tread On Me. In case you don’t know, “Don’t Tread on Me” is an expression on the American Flag once upon a time. It’s evident that this is talking about the good ol’ USA with lines like
Liberty or death, what we so proudly hail and
To secure peace is to prepare for war. It doesn’t sound bad by any means, but it gets old because they say that second line over and over. It gets boring and ruins the rest of the song.
However, despite the bad tracks, there are more great ones than poor ones. Lyrics are a big focus in many of these songs, where they are good, the song is overall a good one. Where they are sub-par, at least compared to the great ones, the song isn’t as pleasing to listen to. This is far from being Metallica’s best, but it is by far their worst. Buy it when you can, it’s worth it
Overall Album Rating: 4/5
