Classic Album Retrospect (The Black Album - Metallica)

The Black Album - Metallica

 The Black album (or sometimes known as just simply Metallica) is the fifth studio album from metal legends Metallica. The Black Album was released in the August of '91 and reached number one in eight weekly charts - including the UK and the US. The Black Album is the best selling Metallica album to date and is listed as one of the greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone. The Black Album sees a change from the harsher thrash sound to a more metal/hard rock sound. The Black Album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and is certified platinum or above in sixteen countries including a fourteen times Platinum rating in the US.

 But all those accolades were over twenty years ago. The true test is if thee album stands up today. 

Notable Tracks

 Enter Sandman - Enter Sandman starts off the record with a bang. Enter Sandman starts off with that unforgettable riff that builds for a whole minute. Enter Sandman features some fine guitar solos between verses as well as different vocal styles. Enter Sandman progresses well due to changes in tone. The track ends with a slow fade out with the repeated lyric "we're off to never never land" in a distorted voice that adds to the track personality immensely.

 Sad But True - Sad But True takes a heavier approach than the previous with a down tuned riff that lasts the whole track. Sad But True makes good use of silence throughout  the track adding to the suspense and tone of the track. The most important part of this track is the drums, the drums take a top spot in this track for the way they shine through the guitars. Sad But True was used as the backing track for Kid Rock's track American Badass.

 The Unforgiven - The Unforgiven starts with a stripped down acoustic intro that is build upon with hard hitting drums and electric guitars. The track soon becomes fully electric and only returns to the acoustic style for the bridges and solos. The Unforgiven features the most powerful solos on the record switching between electric and acoustic styles. In later albums, The Unforgiven has seen a second and third part.

 Wherever I May Roam - Wherever I May Roam starts with the most memorable intro with an almost Arabian feel. Wherever I May Roam  features plenty of high pitched guitars throughout making the track a good medium between hard rock and metal. 

 Nothing Else Matters - Nothing Else Matters also starts with some beautiful acoustic guitar work that works its way into the backing throughout the track. Nothing Else Mattters is a stripped down ballad that offers some beautiful guitar work that appeals to both metal and hard rock fans. 

 After a few spins the conclusion is clear, The Black Album is still quite relevant. The album offers enough variety to stay fresh but is still fluid and fluent. The only point that reveals the album's age is the average runtime of each track at about five minutes. Other than this, the album is still fresh and I would and still do happily listen to this album on the regular.

 To conclude, here is the music video for the first single from the album, Enter Sandman (video linked here for mobile users)