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Metallica
Metallica
Retail Price (not our price): $18.98
Release Date: 1991-08-12
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com essential recording
Called "the Black Album" by many (due to its monochrome cover), Metallica marks the group's entrance into the mainstream, with shorter songs, simpler song structures, and slower tempos overall. That said, this is an excellent album, featuring some of the best songwriting Metallica has ever done. "Enter Sandman," "Wherever I May Roam," and "God That Failed," despite being slower and more groove-oriented than the band's earlier work, feature the same heavy riffs and heavier rhythms that have always been a feature of Metallica's music. The band goes introspective with "Unforgiven," and proves that they can write a ballad with "Nothing Else Matters," which succeeds better than one might expect. Overall, this is a high-energy album despite its laid-back approach, and is in many ways superior to the previous . . . And Justice for All, which was weakened by overly complicated song structures and mediocre production. -- Genevieve Williams

2) Album Description
Japanese edition of their multi-platinum 1991 smash album that spent four consecutive weeks at #1, with the bonus track 'So What'. 13 tracks, also featuring the top 40 hits 'Enter Sandman', 'The Unforgiven' & 'Nothing Else Matters'. A Sony Records release.

3) Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5

1) "Black Album" Review   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I was so excited when this finally arrived in the mail. I'm a big fan of Metallica and always wanted their "epic" Black Album. I look forward to adding more Metallica to my collection and I think they are incredible. I love this CD. It is intense and awesome from start to finish. It is Metallica in their prime. The riffs and songs are amazing. Since I purchased their 1991 Black Album, I have listened to it everyday. I can't get enough and it has become one of my favorite Rock albums in my collection. I recommend this album to any true rock/metal fan. It is an instant classic. Songs like "Wherever I May Roam", "Sad But True", "The God That Failed", and "Enter Sandman" are among my favorite tracks. I had heard a lot about this album over the years and now I see what all the talk was about. This album represented a change for Metallica. They hooked up with producer Bob Rock and altered their sound. I could see how die-hard Metallica traditional fans would hate this album. The guys of Metallica definitely slowed down their playing on this album and I feel that it was a great change. When this 1991 album came out and sold over 10 million copies, Metallica ruled the world. Every single song on the Black Album is incredible. I pretty much wore this album out when I first got it and I will probably continue to do so.

2) The Greatest Album of All Time, Hands Down   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Without a doubt the greatest album of all time, no matter what music type or time frame we're talkin about here. It took some thought to come to this conclusion though. The only album in my opinion to give The Black Album competition in this discussion is GNR's Appetite For Destruction, which still wasn't as influential or timeless as this flat-out masterpiece. With the release of The Black Album, Metallica recreated music as we know it. Their dominance is unmatched to this day...very few bands have ever even touched the level of mastery that the kings of rock/metal have CONSISTENTLY maintained for 25 years counting. I'll repeat that...25 years at the top. Unbelievable. GNR had it for 5 years max. Its difficult to grasp this feat considering the different eras of music Metallica has steam-rolled through. Grunge? Glam Rock? Those are forgotten. You get my point. Bow down to the kings- there's no need for me to go through all the songs and explain their greatness. You know them already.

3) 17+ years   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Sales don't mean much in terms of measuring an album's quality. Shania Twain and countless boy-bands have stumbled upon the secret of selling ten million albums. That doesn't mean the music is decent.But I think there is something to be said for an album that hasn't left Billboard's pop catalog in 17+ years.According to most Metallica / heavy metal fans, this is not the band's best album. Some consider it the "beginning of the end" of the band, but that's a wee bit ridiculous. While the later albums like Reload and St. Anger haven't duplicated the raw energy (and arguable brilliance) of the band's earlier material, they all have high points ("Bleeding Me", "Fixxxer", "No Leaf Clover", "All Within My Hands") that should at least clear them of some of the obnoxious damnation aimed their way.The "black album" is the bridge between Metallica's two entirely different eras. Some of the material here ("Holier Than Thou", "The Struggle Within", "Through the Never") is reminiscent of the band's thrash days. And some of it foreshadowed the slower, more groove-oriented sounds of the nineties and twenty-first century Metallica (despite some claims, their nineties material sounds more like Zeppelin and Sabbath than anything alternative). Curiously, it's these slower songs that I think have best stood the test of time. This album is a living reminder of when Metallica aligned with the sun and took over the world. Because of this, some claim this record is flawed and too commercial. Maybe so, but Metallica's dominance began with Ride the Lightning and broke the surface with the release of "One", and the "groove" sounds found here were first demonstrated on "mainstream" songs like "Escape" and "Leper Messiah".Commercial or not, this album is what a Metallica album should be: heavy. And there is not a better Metallica album in existence to demonstrate James Hetfield's vocal capabilities-- he sounds raw, angry, and somehow right on key. The whole band does.Buy this. Old Metallica, new Metallica... I think time will show that Metallica is Metallica. And "My Friend of Misery" alone is worth the price you'll pay for this piece of history.

4) If you can't drink caffiene and have a long road trip...   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I listened to this while pregnant with my first child all the time. I had a long commute, and there weren't any bathroom stops along the busy interstate I drove on. I had to be in the car for at least an hour, with a good 20-30 minutes after parking until I could find a restroom. Hence, no soda, coffee, etc. (I was also paranoid - this was my first baby, after all) Turns out the fetus loved the music too, and even at the age of 5, all I have to do is put this album on and he relaxes and dances, and sings along. Yup, I turned my child into a lover of heavy metal. Even as an infant, he'd relax and wriggle happily to Metallica's black album. hee hee hee.

5) Beginning of the End   [Rating: 2 out of 5]
This started the downfall for Metallica, one of my favorite bands until this piece of donkey-hair came out.The songs were so overplayed you didn't need to buy the album (and I played it several times myself, gotta point the finger at me too).This was the beginning where they really softened up, yet embraced the media like a crack addict. With touring for 3 years straight, pushing videos, documentaries, live albums, performances on Arsenio Hall, MTV, Metallica made enough money that they should have retired.Load & Reload were better, and Garage Inc. beat all three, but I gave this one 2 stars because it was at least better than their newest piece of garbage St. $#!T.