Metallica: An Album Retrospective

So a few weeks in and I FINALLY get around to the biggest Metal band in the world Metallica. Metallica took over my life from the age of 10-14 years old until I discovered Dream Theater in 8th grade. Metallica started off as the first big Thrash band to really hit the world and then went on to become the biggest commercial success in Metal. If it wasn't for Metallica, I wouldn't be here right not talking about music nor would I be here as a drummer. Metallica, while I rarely listen to them now a days, is my biggest musical influence growing up. They had everything I was looking for in a band. So unless you have just visited earth, or have been in the caves all your life and just discovered music, this will be your guide to all studio albums that are Metallica:

Kill Em All is 10 tracks on unrelenting Thrash. This was the album that was meant to destroy the GLAM Rock scene that was just starting to emerge at the same time. The biggest song on this album is obviously Seek and Destroy, but the real gems on this album are songs like Whiplash, The Four Horseman, Phantom Lord, and No Remorse. This is all well before the days of rehab and "Tallica loves you baby" This was the beginning of Metallica's anger...no not St. Anger (I'll be getting to that soon.) Check this album out if you want Metallica at their fastest and dare I say Thrashiest.

Ride The Lightning is possibly my favorite Metallica album. Sadly and very stupidly some people call this Metallica's sell out album because of it's lone ballad, Fade To Black. But this song, to me has some of their best songs. Fight Fire With Fire, Creeping Death, and The Call Of Ktulu are great examples of how diversity in a band can make some of the best songs for a band. This is the album before Master Of Puppets, which is arguably their best album, but to me Ride The Lightning is the most underrated of the first 4 Metallica albums.

1986's Master Of Puppets is, like mentioned above, arguably Metallica's best album. 8 amazing Metal songs, which really is at Metallica songwriting best. From the Thrashiness of Battery and Damage Inc. to the Guitar Center National anthem, Master Of Puppets, to the heavy as hell The Thing That Should Not Be, to the dark songs of Welcome Home (Sanitarium) and Orion. Metallica achieved Thrash Metal greatness with this album, and it did come with a very heavy price.

...And Justice For All was until probably last year my favorite Metallica album. It is their angriest, proggiest and to me their crowning achievement. But it cost them the price of bassist Cliff Burton who died in 1986 in a tour bus accident in Sweden. Songs like the title track, Harvester Of Sorrow, and To Live Is To Die, really shows off Progressive Metal while still being Thrash. while songs like Blackened and Dyers Eve are definitive Thrash. Of course the biggest song, and Metallica first top 40 Rock song is One. This rocketed them into the mainstream while still being heavy. the S&M version of this song was the first time I heard Metallica and instantly fell in love with the band. Most Metallica fans feel this is the last good Metallica album because they Sold Out. But to be the biggest Metal band in the world, why not become a bit more commercial.

Metallica's self titled album, AKA The Black Album, is the biggest selling Metal album ever made. almost entirely thanks to the first track and first single, Enter Sandman. This song caused such a huge impact to mainstream radio and Rock and Metal in general. It is still a heavy song, but it is also very commercial and poppy. There is still some heavy tracks on this album like Sad But True, Of Wolf And Man, and Holier Then Thou. But it also has Metallica biggest ballad, Nothing Else Matters. Hardcore Metallica fans started hating Metallica at this point because they aren't just a thrash band anymore. I still dig this album a lot, but I mainly listen to the B-Sides. If are a tr00000000000 Metal fan, actually give the B-Sides a chance, it's worth checking out.

For as much shit The Black Album caught, Load caught so much more. This has very little elements of Thrash at all. But to me that is not a bad thing, there are so many great songs on this album like Hero Of The Day, The House That Jack Built, Bleeding Me, and one of my top favorite songs ever, The Outlaw Torn. This album is straight up Hard Rock/Alternative Rock. If you are not a tr00000000 Metal fan and actually enjoy songs that are not about being brutal. this is a great album to check out.

Reload....not so much. There are a few good songs on this album. Fuel, Unforgiven II, Prince Charming, Where The Wild Things Are, Low Man's Lyric but the rest I just don't dig at all. Reload is all the tracks from the Load sessions that didn't make the cut for Load but were still I guess quality enough to make an album out of. While my tirade will be coming with the next section, I feel if St. Anger had better production, Reload would be Metalica's worst album. The tracks mentioned above are worth checking out...the rest aren't.

Actually rather then giving my full opinion, Matt Smith did it much funnier and better then I could have.

*sorry I'm still trying to figure out how to make videos look right on here*

But case in point, St. Anger could have been so much better then it was, but bad production, lyrics, no guitar solos, and basically trying to be Slipknot ruined this album.

Death Magnetic is a step in the right direction. I rarely listen to any songs off this album, but it is better then St. Anger. The songs are thrashier, better songwriting, and they made the best decision they ever could have made and got rid of Bob Rock producing their albums. I really don't have any standout tracks on this album but the album as a whole is worth checking out and in my eyes, the best thing they've done since Justice. I have a feeling the next Metallica album will be some of their best work if they can take what they've learned from Death Magnetic and expand on it.

Metallica is still the biggest Metal band in the world. I just hope with the next album they don't fuck it up anymore.