The Black Album. Was this the beginning of the end for Metallica? Or was it their last great album before the downhill slide that was Load, ReLoad? I?ve heard many different opinions on this subject. A majority of what people have tried to tell me is that they ?sold out? by drifting away from their thrash roots and doing a more general metal/metal ballad album. I however, disagree entirely with this statement. I believe they were merely trying something new and I think it was a good transition (unlike St. Anger). This is actually my favourite Metallica album. Now, before I go any further I know what the majority of you out there are thinking and it?s probably something like
?WHAT? No way man. Master Of Puppets, And Justice For All and Ride The Lightning own this album. Their so much more thrash, and the lyrics are way better and everything is just better.?
My response to these people is, shut up. I?m not trying to be rude or sound like those annoying fan-boy newbs who start off their reviews like ?*** you this album is great anyone who doesn?t think so is gay?. It?s just that I?ve heard it all before. I?m quite aware that MOP, AJAFA and RTL probably have some riffs and solos that exceed the level of greatness of those in this album and the vocals on those other albums may be better than the vocals on this album. Regardless, this is still my favourite album. I don?t think I should have to justify it any further, as it is just my opinion. I just like the overall sound of The Black Album better. If possible I would like to try and avoid a huge argument about this in the posts. I?m not going to say anything more about that.
Now before I get into my track by track section of the review, I?m going to do a short description of the overall sound. I?m doing this because I know there are people out there who find it boring to read track by track and just want to know what the overall sound is. So, if you?re one of those people just read this paragraph and then skip to the end of the review. The overall sound was no where near as heavy as their earlier work it was more general metal/metal ballad, as I mentioned earlier. Although their were a few particularly heavy tracks (Sad But True, Through The Never). Pretty much every song had an amazing solo, but some stood above the rest in my opinion (Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, My Friend Of Misery). So, overall there were a lot of heavy riffs, and some lighter ones (nothing wrong with that in my opinion), killer solos, and pretty basic drums and bass. I know it doesn?t sound that great, but trust me it is.
Enter Sandman (5/5)- This track was simply phenomenal. If you were a Metallica fan in the year this album came out, and you had just put it in your cd player you would have know idea what you were getting yourself into. It starts with a slow clean intro soon accompanied by bass and drums. The song has a good verse that leads nicely into the chorus. The chorus it?s self is good to head bang/sing along to. The solo was like every solo on the album, simply flawless. It was long but not too long and jam packed full of wah. After that it gets into a little prayer thing where a little boy says some words in the background. I found this to be quite strange, but it didn?t really take away from the song. From that point on there?s just another verse and chorus then an outro reminiscent of the intro. Although, this is an excellent track, I find that I can?t really listen to it too much anymore. If I listen to it too many times I become sort of like a disgruntled post man.
Sad But True (5/5)- This is one of my favourite songs on the album. It?s almost like Metallica?s older work, but not really. Nice song to head bang to from beginning to end. Some nice heavy riffs. The solo wasn?t overly great, but it was flawless in the sense that it fit in so perfectly with the rest of the song. I know this song doesn?t really sound like a 5. But just listen to it and you?ll see why I gave it that rating.
Holier Than Thou (3.5/5)- Adequate addition to this album. Not as great as the tracks preceding it, but still pretty damn good. Very heavy throughout like Sad But True. Yet the solo was kind of similar to that of Enter Sandman. It?s difficult to say exactly what Hetfield was getting at with the lyrics. It definitely had something to do with tearing down overly religious people who judge others, though. Anyways, regardless of the what the lyrics precise meaning was, they were excellent and brought up this songs rating.
The Unforgiven (5/5)- I wasn?t too pleased with the intro to this song. It was kind of boring, in my opinion. But other than that this song was an ace. The verse was heavy and full of emotion. The chorus was pretty much the intro with words over it. But it was still great because with the words over the intro part, it made it seem less boring. The solo is the main reason this track got a 5. It was just ungodly. Filled to the brim with gigantic bends, which gave the solo a really emotional feel. After that the there?s another chorus and then the song breaks down into the outro, which is beautiful. It?s pretty much just a basic chord progression (Am,C,G,E) and a high pitched riff similar to the intro riff.
Wherever I May Roam- (4/5)- This track starts off with an intro played n the sitar. Then the guitar mimics the sitar, to finish off the intro. The verse an chorus are nothing to rant on and on about so I?ll just skip over them. This song from what I can tell is just about being on the road. It?s very catchy. It has an uber solo. Although it?s full of wah, It?s still manages to maintain a certain independence from all the other solos on the album.
Don?t Tread On Me (4.5/5)- This song has a very unique intro. Unlike anything else on the album. It?s difficult to describe. It almost sounds like the intro to a sports event you would watch on TV. The rest of the song is superb as well. The verse and chorus are very catchy. The solo is extremely different from the rest of the solos on this album. It almost sounds like something you would hear on a Rage Against The Machine album. Over all this track is a worthy addition to the album.
Through The Never (3.5/5)- There?s nothing too special about this song. So I?m not going to describe it too much. It?s heavy and fast throughout, similar to many other songs on this album. Again, flawless solo fast, complex, goes perfectly with the song. But all in all this song is ?just another brick in the wall?.
Nothing Else Matters (5/5)- This is by far my favourite song on this album. It?s very out of character compared to Metallica?s usual work. It?s much, much softer. I?ve heard people knock this song a lot because Metallica are supposed to be metal and this song is nothing like metal. But just because it?s not metal doesn?t mean it?s any less great. The finger picking in this song is pure genius. The interlude adds a nice atmosphere to the song. The solo has so much out-pouring emotion it?s scary. Well no it?s not but you know what I mean. There has been some contrast over what the lyrics are about. Some say they?re about being on the road. While some say it?s about one of James?s ex-girlfriends. The fact is it?s both. When James started writing this song it was intended to be about an ex-girlfriend but it sort of turned into a song about being on the road as well. Or vice-versa. I forget.
Of Wolf And Man (3/5)- I didn?t really like this song. It was a bit repetitive in my opinion. It was just a bunch of similar heavy riffs. The only thing that kept this song from getting a 2.5 was the solo. ?Every rose has it?s thorn? and in my opinion this song is the proverbial thorn of this album.
The God That Failed (4.5/5)- This song has a phenomenal bass intro. Which is nice to see because up to this point the bass in this album has been pretty mediocre. The verse for this song is very catchy, as is the chorus. The song like ?Holier Than Thou? has something to do with religion. Perhaps an implication that has failed us or does not exist. This song has one of the solos that just stands above the rest. Really top notch. Goes well with the song, and is cut into two different parts
My Friend Of Misery (5/5)- Like ?The God That Failed? this song has an excellent bass intro. Even better than the one in TGTF. This song is actually quite depressing, but I still love it. The verse has excellent rhythm. I?m not a huge fan of the chorus. It has an unbelievable interlude where it actually sounds like the guitar is sobbing. Then from that point on the song is pretty much just a huge mass of solos. A sea of wah flowing together perfectly. This album wouldn?t be the same without this track.
The Struggle Within(4/5)- Finally the drums in this album do something. There?s a nice snare intro in this song followed by the guitar with a nice little solo-esque riff. The only thing that took away from this song was the annoying verse the vocals were too fast and almost sounded like rap, I didn?t like them at all. Other than that though, I really liked this song. As usual the solo was genius, as was the rest of the song.
Overall rating: 5/5
Pros&Cons
Pros:
-different, yet excellent sound
-flawless solos
-better vocals
Cons
-some songs sounded the same
So, there you have it. If you haven't heard this album I hope you'll give it a listen. Pretty much all the songs are great, and very fun to play. This is actually the album that inspired me to switch over to guitar from bass. And if you do play guitar some songs I would recommend learning are Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters and My Friend Of Misery. Hope you enjoyed the review, I look forward to your comments
. It would have been embarassing to have just left it like that. I fixed it.
