Band:	Metallica
Album:	Metallica
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	August 1991

01. Enter Sandman
02. Sad But True
03. Holier Than Thou
04. The Unforgiven
05. Wherever I May Roam
06. Don't Tread On Me
07. Through The Never
08. Nothing Else Matters
09. Of Wolf And Man
10. The God That Failed
11. My Friend Of Misery
12. The Struggle Within
13. So What [Anti-Nowhere League cover] [Japanese bonus]

Like far too many people in this world, I was largely introduced to Metallica by their self-titled album, fueled by the super mega platinum #1 smash hit single "Enter Sandman." In fact, Metallica, known colloquially as "The Black Album" for its presumably Spinal Tap-inspired artwork, was, in fact, one of the first Metal albums that really resonated with me and warranted repeated listens. Even so, I cannot confess to having much of a sentimental connection with this album, because, after exploring the wide world of heavy metal and acquainting myself with REAL Metallica, it has become clear to me that this album is nothing special.

While I never agreed with the childish sentiments that Metallica "sold out" with this record, it certainly marks the inception of the band's modern, commercial image. James Hetfield effectively ditched his high-pitched, reverb-drenched snarls in favor of his current singing style, which amounts to an over-articulated, annoyingly clean stream of "yeah," "whoa," and "rrrrah." The production is cleaner and more professional than ever before, in keeping with the band's rapidly-growing reputation in the music industry. Musically, the band retained their recognizable post-Cliff sound for which they are now known - the sound of two guitars chugging and riffing in unison, punctuated by Lars Ulrich's drums while some guy stands outside the sound booth holding a bass at arm's length.

Unfortunately, there is almost no thrash on this album. ?And Justice For All was also saturated with slower and more mid-tempo songs, but at least the lack of speed was compensated for by brilliance of songwriting and interesting progressions. Metallica is just a one-hour cavalcade of simple riffs, radio-friendly song structures, and even *gasp* two ballads. Everyone who has had a radio on for five minutes in his life knows "Enter Sandman," "The Unforgiven," and "Nothing Else Matters," and will then claim on the basis of these three songs to be a Metallica fan. Despite being the infamous tune that caused the band's nonstop climb to huge amounts of financial success, "Enter Sandman" is actually quite a worthy song. The other two are not.

Metallica starts out promising great things, with the classics "Enter Sandman" and "Sad But True" leading off, but things go south pretty quickly. The subpar thrasher "Holier Than Thou" cannot compare to previous thrashterpieces like "Trapped Under Ice" and "Battery," and seems unimaginative by comparison. From there, the album descends into mid-tempo hard rock tunes that, while not altogether terrible, merely make you want to throw on Ride The Lightning and resurrect the true essence of Metallica. It isn't bad, but it isn't great, either.