Metallica
Metallica (Black Album)

Good evening again, today I have something to do (I should study Greek and Latin), but I don't feel like it, so I commit myself to reviewing this controversial album.

I'll start by specifying that I am a huge fan of Metallica, but not of their music after "Load". The latter is passable, "Reload" is a poor copy of the previous one, I can't get past track 4 of "St. Anger" without crying, and "Death Magnetic" is simply useless, a cut and paste.....

But let's get to the review.

"Metallica" is a transitional album, a shift, the album that broke through the quartet and brought the masses to metal and metal to the masses, and I would say that's a positive note. Another positive note, something that strikes immediately after a first listen to the album, is a significant presence of the bass after the total absence in the previous album (which remains my favorite though).

The Black Album opens with the famous Enter Sandman, I don't think there is much to say about it, it's taken from a Neil Gaiman comic that I hate, but it's much better.

The second track is Sad But True, one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded by the Horsemen (which those bastards Kid Rock and Snoop Dogg ruined) and it features a remarkable bass line, see above.

It continues with Holier Than Thou, one of the first songs in which Hetfield talks about his childhood, and in the following albums he will be so annoying with his childhood that it will be like living it in person... Beautiful song nevertheless, harder than the previous ones.

The Unforgiven is the "track 4" ballad, the progenitor of a long generation of crap, which makes you think of Ennio Morricone and a spaghetti western. The last decent ballad by Metallica, though inferior to all the previous ones.

Wherever I May Roam, track six, opens with an Oriental atmosphere and is one of the best songs on the CD, talking about a man/ghost destined to roam the world.

Follows Don't Tread On Me, a war anthem, there's notable work on the drums by Ulrich and the bass, nothing special or significant but very pleasant to listen to.

With Through The Never, the Horsemen resume work they finished with The Thing That Should Not Be and return to talking about the mythical Lovecraft. Nothing to say, as nice as the previous one.

Then comes Nothing Else Matters which makes us understand the direction of the band at that time, which is a complete ballad, a unique and beautiful introspective song, I think everyone knows it. The song that brought Metallica to success.

Keeping pace with the ballad is track 9, Of Wolf And Man, often underestimated, simply fantastic.

Track ten is The God That Failed, yet another memory of Hetfield's parents. It opens with a bass and drum intro and bursts into remarkable power. Beautiful song, one of the best along with Wherever I May Roam.

The penultimate song is My Friend Of Misery, with a remarkable bass intro that was originally supposed to be longer, for the rest, it's nice, nothing special.

The album closes with the march of The Struggle Within which opens in a theatrical way with a beautiful guitar and bursts into a fast and thrash rhythm. Perhaps Metallica's last true song.

Considering the album, in the end, its sales are explained, and in my opinion, it is, along with "Master Of Puppets", the most representative of the 4 from Frisco, who are now useless to themselves and others.