:: The evolution of a legendary rock band ::. Review on Load - Metallica

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Album..........:Load

Group..........:Metallica

Genre..........:Hard Rock

My Rating.....:

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Intro

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To break away from tried and tested formulas takes a helluvalot of courage. A lot of b*lls. AC/DC didnt do it. SLAYER didnt do it. Metallica did it.

The quartet started out in the early 80s with a lineup comprising - James Hetfield (rhythm and vocals), Lars Ulrich (drums), Dave Mustaine (lead guitars) and Ron McGovney (bass). The lineup changed soon, with the late Cliff Burton replacing Ron McGovney. Dave Mustaine was the next to go and he was replaced by Kirk Hammet. Dave went on to form another thrash supergroup called Megadeth.

Cliff Burton died in a bus accident and the band recruited Jason Newsted to do bass duties. This lineup recorded that classic piece of thrash metal - The Black Album that spawned hits like - Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, Sad But True, Unforgiven etc.

On Load

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Post The Black Album, Metallica went through an evolution of sorts that resulted in the birth of LOAD. Load portrayed a band that shows a desire to grow as musicians and to focus on the art of song crafting and technical excellence.

The band toned it down a few notches for this album and this was met with mixed reactions. There might be a million hardcore metal dudes who might say Metallica sold out, but in my opinion, Metallica didnt sell out, they just grew.

Load is easier on the ears for those of you who feel Metal in all its forms is just a mindless aural assault. The songs are very well crafted and theres something in it for everyone.

The Songs

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1:: Ain't My B

Yes, I did say Metallica toned it down a bit, but this song is aggressive.

2:: 2 X 4

Not the best track on the record, pretty forgettable

3:: The House Jack Built

Pretty ok song... a tad on the darker side

4::Until it Sleeps

Now this is definitely worth a hear or two... brilliant vocals and instrumentals... the song starts slow and builds up... definitely one of Metallica best works

5:: King Nothing

There you go... another brilliant song... a song about greed and the eventual outcome of greed - loss

6:: Hero of the Day

My Pick of the album... its got a beautiful vocal line and some sweet https://lyrics. Hetfield can write some good stuff. The song is pretty slow and melodic but does have a bout of aggression or two towards the end.

7:: Bleeding Me

It runs into 8 and a quarter minutes and is pretty intense

8:: Cure

No... this song didnt do it for me

10:: Poor Twisted Me

Another forgettable song

11:: Wasting My Hate

A drum and guitar love fest. Shades of Metallica of the old

12:: Mama Said

The track that made every metalhead squirm. Very country-ish sounding song. Great lyrics and Hetfield's vocals are laced with as much emotion as there is aggression. Personally, I like this song especially the chorus that went:

or let this heart be still...

13:: Thorn Within

Load seems to have a real strange mix of material. This one is dark and a song thats very well done. Hard and True. Hetfield is sheer brilliance.

14:: Ronnie

A song in the vein of Pearl Jam's Jeremy. Very dark. But I'd go for Jeremy any day. Jeremy is brilliant.

15:: The Outlaw Torn

A brilliant end to an album that evoked mixed reactions. This is another long song as it runs over 9 minutes. Crafter pretty good too. A great song

The Verdict

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Hardcore metal freaks will continue to diss LOAD but I'll say this - Load is technically and creativity-wise one of the best works of Metallica. Its definitely worth a listen.

Load doesnt reach the heights that The Black Album attained, but is definitely a great effort by a great band.

~finis~

Notes:

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Load was followed by ReLoad... a record that continued the trends set by Load. Metallica had another lineup change with Robert Trujillo replacing Jason Newsted on Bass.

Metallica has a place in the charts that reads ''LARGEST SELLING ACTS IN RECORDING HISTORY''...