Metallica
Metallica

THE REVIEW

What interpretation can we give to this "Black Album" (I've always called it that) released back in the distant 1991?

What is considered the scandalous stone, the beginning of the end, the first step in that process of evolution-revolution that led the Four Horsemen to be labeled as traitors and greedy puppets, is an album that seems to renounce with the flick of a brush seven years of a career during which Our Guys rode the heavy metal tiger better than anyone else.

Starting with the fierce and relentless "Kill 'Em All," all sweat, nihilism, and youthful rage, moving through the darker and more varied "Ride The Lightning," to mature and hyper-complex works like "Master Of Puppets" and "... And Justice For All," in which the boys had fun composing like modern-day streetwise and badass Mozarts, the Bay Area thrashers reach a simple and austere style, suggestive and well-oiled, ready for large-scale consumption. How should one interpret such a "turnaround"? A bold choice? Sell-out? A sheer misstep? Everyone can draw their own conclusions. I can say, for my part, that what I'm reviewing is one of my favorite albums, one that demonstrated the band isn't only capable of creating atmospheres imbued with the most uncompromising and baroque metal but also of venturing into less intricate territories with uncommon dexterity.

"Enter Sandman" evokes the hooligan-like fervor of bands like The Who and Small Faces, with its hypnotic opening riff and its shout-out-loud chorus, ready for stadiums. "Sad But True" leans on blues, its obsessiveness and ferocity, but the result is atmospheric, not aggressive, more of a nightmare than a thrash metal assault, while "Wherever I May Roam" plays with an Indian-like intro and "The Unforgiven" references English folk despite being submerged by abrasive riffs and almost frenzied solos. Yet, Metallica entertain but do not frighten, do not make one scream miracle. These are noisy yet perfectly aligned tracks, roaring but not at all subversive, hard but not too much. Everything becomes more "easy", even playing to mimic Traffic in "John Barleycorn" in a folk-orchestral ballad like "Nothing Else Matters" (nothing less than a damn love song) and adding a touch of atmosphere to the gloomy and depressed "My Friend Of Misery" with a surreal break centered on a hypnotic bass melody.

The tracks that attempt to bring back memories of the "old" Metallica, those that try to act tough with supersonic cadences, slaughterhouse screams, and crushing riffs, like "Through The Never" and "The Struggle Within", are more fillers than representative tracks of these suit-and-tie Metallica. Gentrification? The desire to please the masses is undeniable. The inability to recall the past just as much. Yet Ulrich, Hetfield, Hammett, and Newsted have come to create pop-metal, catchy and enjoyable, perhaps a bit disappointing, considering Metallica's abilities. One shouldn't ask too much of an album like this. What little is expected, in my opinion, it promises and delivers. Think of that anonymous and confused mass that is "Reload," and the more successful and concise "Load," two albums where commercial lust met a certain lack of ideas, and compare them to this "Black Album." Some bands change their skin, others remain faithful to themselves until boredom. The important thing is that everyone makes their choices in absolute awareness. Repentance, even with the best intentions, is almost never a wise choice, and the Metallica of "St. Anger" know it well.

The new album is expected next summer, what do you say, is there still hope that the Horsemen will learn to ride again?