Metallica needed a fresh start. Their previous release, 1988’s …And Justice For All was their biggest album to date. The only problem with it was that the songs were so complex that it was difficult for the group to play such songs live, given their length and structure. Metallica knew this after some time and went back to the drawing board for the next album. It was a risky idea. Should the Thrash Metal titans switch to a slower and simpler formula? To start again, they enlisted famous rock producer Bob Rock. He was successful in creating some of the most widely-known Rock music of the 1980s. They abandoned their thrash metal style in favour of a more stripped-down and mid-tempo approach with this album. Known famously as “the Black album”, this album broke Metallica into the mainstream. It cost $1 million USD to make and the process behind the album was so laborious that Metallica swore not to work with Bob Rock again, although that ethos was broken fairly quickly. Let’s dive in and observe this awesome album, track by track.

Enter Sandman begins with an iconic guitar riff and hi-hats. Some subtle wah-wah guitar is present as well. Soon enough, this tune gets grooving away and it sounds instantly great. A great, classic and monumental listening experience, the intro is long but fantastic. Eventually, this leads into the main chorus and has no doubt made many of you out there bang your head away to this tune. James Hetfield sings wonderfully here, and the whole tune is a gloriously chugging piece of awesome Metal. This is truly fantastic music, and the song itself is about the perils of insomnia. The band present is so great here with their playing that it makes you want to come back for repeat listens. “Exit light…enter night, take my hand…we’re off to never, neverland!” is the core lyric here. Soon enough, a great wah-wah guitar solo enters by guitarist Kirk Hammett that sounds wonderful. A very fantastic tune, this has some great subtle and subdued sounds in the bridge in the second half, sampling some childspeak, before James Hetfield returns on vocals. This is a truly great song to hear, and appeals to both Metallica fans of new and old. A great listening experience, the riffing right towards the end is sensationally excellent. This begins to wrap nicely with some great musical riffing and playing that is quite subtle for Metallica. It concludes with a nice fade-out, excellent work.

Sad But True launches right into some down-tuned (drop D) guitar riffs, which are fantastic. The tune stops for a moment, before launching into a truly great piece of Metal delight. This is amazing and fantastic to listen to, and Metallica certainly has a great percussive element in their music. James Hetfield sings emotionally here, and the mixture of rhythm and lead guitar riffing is fantastic. All the same, this is a truly great listening experience and is one of the highlights of this album. Singing about personal demons, James Hetfield and Metallica do really Rock. This is quite a step away from their original Thrash Metal music template, but this still sounds really great, to this very day. A thunderous and heavy tune, it launches into a great guitar solo by Kirk Hammett that sounds really well-played and frenetic. He plays as though he is completely natural at his craft, which he is. A great, great tune, and an essential piece for any Metal fan to sink their teeth into. Awesome throughout, the climax towards the end is distressing, but it still Rocks hard enough to be enjoyed. Great music, Metallica sounds wonderful here. Awesome song.

Holier Than Thou begins with some syncopated riffing and drumming. It has some great guitar parts to it as well. A nice, awesome and chugging tune, this evolves nicely into a very Heavy tune that rails against religion. Metallica wasn’t religious at all, and James Hetfield drew on his experience growing up in a non-musical and religious household. This is a nice and fairly short tune on the subject matter at hand and is just under four minutes in length. Very catchy and awesome listening, this is an exciting tune that makes one want to pick up a humbucker guitar and rip into some Heavy Metal riffing. The solo sections present are really insane and great listening here. A very awesome tune, and even for a lesser track, this works. Towards the end, Jason Newsted and Lars Ulrich play a nice rhythm section, before this song reaches a gradual and logical conclusion. Excellent music.

The Unforgiven is the first in a three part series of songs spread across different Metallica albums. It begins with a horn intro fade in, some catchy fingerpicked acoustic guitars, marching drums and an eerie sense of suspense. Great guitar melodies promptly enter, and this tune comes alive. It is a very sad and melancholy sort of piece to listen to. James Hetfield sings about being in distress and doing wrong to others, hence being unforgiven as a result. Nonetheless, this does sound like a really amazing listening experience throughout. This is a ballad as well, which is a first for Metallica. All the same, this is a tremendously legendary song that sounds awesome and amazing. “What I’ve felt, what I’ve known…” is sung in the chorus and this is a truly iconic and touching tune. The second half has a build-up to the guitar solos, which Kirk Hammett plays really well and brilliantly. A loud, lively and brilliant song, this sounds glorious for what it is. Metallica proves to their audience that melodicism can be done well by the group, and this is an awesome and inspiring listen. Not a happy sounding tune, but a classic regardless. Worth your time, however. The outro is rather long, as is the song, but that’s easily forgivable here. A great listen.

Wherever I May Roam begins in an interesting way, with a gong, sitars playing the main melody of the song, and other sounds, such as bongos here. It quickly enters into a really heavy tune that sounds catchy, different and absolutely brilliant. The guitar riffing present is fantastic, obviously, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett were masters of that. Some great singing emerges here, and James sings as though he is soul searching here for himself. All the same, this is a really brilliant listening experience that Heavy Metal fans should appreciate. This is one of many songs about dark and eerie subjects on this album that is perfectly matched to thunderous Metal music. The production sounds delicious and immaculate here, and Metallica was obviously correct to pursue Bob Rock on the producer’s side of things at this point. A great tune, and although some older Metallica fans may dislike this, the music present is really brilliant. A great, great tune to listen to. The guitar solo is very unusual and sounds quite Public Image Ltd. in its phrasing. Great to hear, this song is very amazing. A top-notch listen by Metallica, this sounds really amazing and fantastic. Definitely worth your ears, a great listening experience, although again, a little lengthy musically.

Don’t Tread On Me begins with some syncopated guitar riffs and drums, and launches into quite possibly the weakest track on this album. Despite that, it is actually surprisingly good. James Hetfield sings a wonderful anthem that sounds really cool and unique. A fine and fantastic listening experience that has many twists and turns throughout, this is quite wonderful for what it is. Really awesome riffing and playing by Metallica drives this tune along very well. All in all, a great listening experience that has some good musical elements about it. A wah-wah guitar solo by Kirk Hammett is here, and this tune sounds really enhanced by it. Towards the end of this song, this goes back into the chorus and there are some quirky guitar parts present as well. All in all, this sounds really great and wonderful. A great tune, better than you’d expect.

Through The Never is another tune that could potentially be filler, but it’s not. It launches into a good set of riffs, some fast paced drumming and a great deal of musical suspense here. It eventually goes into a really excellent song that demands to be heard. It sure sounds fantastic. This is awesome enough to show your Metal horns out and about. Nonetheless, a really great listen and something with some really equally great lyrics here. Metallica shows here that, at least at this point, they still had energy and consistency in their albums. A manic guitar solo is present in the second half, which sounds really neat and impressive. Eventually, this launches into an unusual section with some of the most underrated Metal riffs you will ever hear. That’s right. All the same, this is an outstanding listening experience. Not bad at all for a four minute long tune. It concludes with sudden intensity. A great, great listen.

Nothing Else Matters is a real gem from this album. It begins with a very simple acoustic guitar and melodies, sounding great. This is a love song, for all of you out there who didn’t know. James Hetfield wrote it about his then girlfriend at the time. It sounds really lovely, pretty and sweet from the start. Eventually, this launches into such a beautiful song that some may be emotionally moved by this song in a big way. James’s singing here is truly immortal. “Never opened myself this way, life is ours we live it our way, all these words I don’t just say…and nothing else matters” is a great example of music and lyrical musicianship on this song. Nonetheless, this sounds really brilliant and amazing. This is surely a sellout by Metallica at this point, but hey, it works. A brilliant, moving and pretty ballad that sounds gorgeous and unique. If you are a romantic type, then you will love this song. A wonderful, wonderful listen. Around the middle is a pretty melodic solo section that sounds really beautiful. James Hetfield launches then into the refrain, and this song gets even more intense. All in all, a really excellent and tuneful listening experience that will take you and your romantic life to a higher level. Towards the end are some great screamed vocals, followed by an excellent guitar solo to hear. A very near perfect listen, this is stunning. A legendary song and a must hear from this album. It wraps up with acoustic guitar and other instrumentation to conclude. Very nice.

Of Wolf And Man is the calm after the peak of the album. It begins with some pounding drums and syncopated guitar riffs, launching into another mystical tune lyrically. Nonetheless, this music sounds really clever, cool and top-notch throughout. It may not be as good as some of the other songs on this album, but it still sounds amazing and great for what it is. With lyrics about shapeshifting form, James Hetfield gives a nod to the spirit of the former bassist of Metallica Cliff Burton with this song. Nonetheless, this does sound really fantastic. A quirky Aerosmith sounding guitar solo is present here, and this tune sounds quite good. The guitar solo ends and some loose multitracked guitars enter, followed by James singing wonderfully and dramatically about shapeshifting between man and wolf. A good listen overall, even for a lesser track.

The God That Failed begins with some gurgling bass guitar from Jason Newsted, along with some snappy drums from Lars Ulrich. Soon enough, this launches into a Drop D tuned piece that isn’t actually about Communism, as some people may think. Instead, it is a song about the poisonous nature of religion. James Hetfield’s parents were Christian Science followers, and he is likely singing about his own mother here. All the same, this is a great song that demands to be heard, just like the other songs on this album. Both religion and politics are highly toxic subjects that brainwash people in society, and this song points that out quite clearly. A good guitar solo is present here, and this tune reaches a unique climax here. This song does go on for a little too long, but still, this is miles better than later Metallica efforts, which embarrassed the group. Nonetheless, this is quite good. Worth your ears and time, all the same. This ends dramatically with some nice guitars.

My Friend Of Misery is the longest and most depressing song from this album. It begins with some bass guitar work, and quickly launches into an E Flat tuned piece that sounds very melancholy from the start. The guitar riffs here aren’t the greatest you will ever either, which is disappointing. This song is about having a rough time in life and dealing with life’s problems. The chorus present is really fantastic, however, and it does do listening justice. A good song, even if it isn’t a great listen overall. Great musicianship is present in this song, and this sounds rather tedious and difficult to get through, despite that. It just goes on for far too long to really enjoy this tune. Even so, there are worse songs out there by Metallica. Some violining guitar work by Kirk Hammett is present after the middle of the song, followed by some nice and twangy guitar sections. Shortly afterwards, this song launches into a great set of guitar soloing that makes up for the song’s length, including a wah-wah guitar solo that sounds magnificent. James Hetfield gets singing again towards the end, and the chorus continues on, sounding really excellent. A forward thinking and glorious tune to listen to, the soloing saves this tune. Nice to hear, even for a fairly naff tune overall. It ends with sustained guitar chords.

The Struggle Within is the last song on this album and fortunately is a lot shorter than the song before it. It begins with marching styled drums, guitar riffs galore and a great deal of suspense. This sounds really cool. There is a high end sustained guitar note, followed quickly by fast riffs and James singing wonderfully here. Another good song by Metallica, the chorus in particular is fantastic. This is definitely a better song than before, and it sounds great throughout. James sounds really great with his vocals on this album, and he sounds really top at what he does by this point in Metallica’s career. Kirk Hammett plays a mean guitar solo in the second half of this song, which is well done, once again. Although this is pseudo-Thrash Metal, it works wonderfully as a piece of music. Sounding aggressive and accomplished, Metallica shows that even “selling out” on their musical formula can work. This ends abruptly.

This is a historically great and important album by Metallica that showed the world what they had to offer. The positive element of this album was that by going more Pop/Rock, Metallica could maintain their music and win over new fans, as well as older fans. The bad side of this was that Metallica had sold out by this point, and never matched this album or earlier efforts after this as the money continued to roll in. Which is not the role of music. Still, should you listen to this album? In a word, absolutely.

Metal mayhem for you.

9/10