35 Years Ago, Metallica Changed Metal Forever with a Classic Album

In the Autumn of 1990, Metallica entered One on One Recording Studio in North Hollywood, California to begin recording its fifth studio album. The band was coming off its first headlining arena tour and most-successful record to date …And Justice For All, which spawned the song and music video for “One,” which received a good amount of play on MTV, setting the stage for what would come next. The quartet decided to take its time in the studio with new producer Bob Rock, who had recently helmed Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue and The Cult’s Sonic Temple, both of which were released in 1989.

Bob Rock worked with frontman James Hetfield to capture vastly better vocals and a true rhythm section, which was all but absent on …And Justice For All. In the documentary A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica, bassist Jason Newstead explains the band wanted to create a stronger unit behind the assault of James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett‘s heavy guitars.

The group spent 18 months recording the effort, refining its sound and focusing on slower grooves, succinct arrangements and powerful vocal performances. Many of the songs on the album began as vocal melody lines, a first for the group. Hetfield explains, “We wanted to concentrate more on the vocals. We never really took the time to do that with any of the vocal stuff. The vocals really had to take over in a lot of songs.” When all was said and done, the band’s fifth LP became the best-selling heavy metal album in history.

Metallica released its self-titled effort, known as The Black Album, on August 12, 1991. The LP is the band’s best-selling record, shifting over 31 million units worldwide, spawning five hit singles, including “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam” and “Sad But True.” “Enter Sandman” was the first single released off the album, and it was an immediate smash with its iconic opening riff. The video, which won an MTV Video Music Award, was on high rotation on the network. It peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, helping the album debut at number one on the Billboard Album chart in August 1991, where it remained for four consecutive weeks.

“Sad But True” is the second track and stands out with its dropped “D” guitar tuning. To capture the heavy guitar tone on “Sad But True,” and other songs, Bob Rock created the “Tent of Doom.” The makeshift tent comprised of wooden panels and baffling surrounding multiple amplifiers with microphones positioned both close to the speakers and farther away to capture room ambience. Rock covered the creation with heavy U-Haul blankets to help obtain a thicker and deep multidimensional tone that really leaps off the record.

The Black Album Showcases a Maturing Band Willing to Take Risks

STARTRAKS PHOTO/startraksphoto.com

Advertisement

“The Unforgiven” flips the script on Metallica’s formula for “ballads.” Instead of clean verses and heavy choruses used in classic tracks “Fade to Black” and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium),”, they swapped the distorted verse with a clean chorus and gentle vocals from Hetfield. The song, which launched two sequels, “The Unforgiven II” in 1997 and “The Unforgiven III” in 2008, crossed over, was a top 40 hit. Kirk Hammett struggled to get the solo just right, but in the end, he laid down gripping and melodic guitar work. He later admitted, “It’s pretty much the type of guitar solo I’ve been trying to do for the past five or six years. I’m really proud of that.”

“Nothing Else Matters” was the first true Metalliballad. It was another top 40 hit for the band and frontman James Hetfield plays the melodic guitar solo on the tune. On the flip side, the album has great, concise songs that harken back to the band’s thrash beginnings, including “Through the Never,” “Of Wolf and Man,” “Don’t Tread on Me,” “The Struggle Within,” and “Holier Than Thou.” “The God That Failed” and “My Friend of Misery,” the only song which bassist Jason Newstead gets a writing credit, are two of the more progressive songs, with impressive guitar work, that stand the test of time.

The quartet used a plethora of instruments and unique percussion tools to enhance the recording. Drummer Lars Ulrich added shakers, tambourines and the signature gong on “Wherever I May Roam,” while James Hetfield used a lever-action rifle in the studio to create a percussive overdub heard in “That God That Failed,” which you can hear at the 3:50 to four minute mark behind Kirk Hammett’s guitar solo. The quartet also added instruments they’d never used in the studio prior, including the electric sitar, 12-string bass, 12-string acoustic guitar, nylon string guitar and baritone guitar. Bob Rock talked the band into adding keyboards and a string section from the Michael Kamen conducted London Symphony Orchestra on “Nothing Else Matters.”

Lyrically, the album strays from the group’s focus on history, war, and horror to tracks that deal with universal human emotions, showing off a vulnerability that was nowhere to be heard before. “Nothing Else Matters,” “The Unforgiven” and “The God That Failed” all feature personal and heartfelt lyrics as well as emotional vocals from James Hetfield. Producer Bob Rock coaxed some great vocal performances, including some amazing vocal harmonies out of Hetfield, which improved the quality of the music and gives the effort a more robust sound.

Sukrow/SULUPRESS.DE/DPA/Cover Images

As a result of the effort’s success, Metallica skyrocketed to worldwide fame and toured for over three and a half years behind the classic album. They played over 400 concerts in 30 countries, including the group’s first shows in the Soviet Union, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. In September 1991, Metallica played the Monsters of Rock concert at the Tushino Airfield in Moscow with AC/DC, Pantera and The Black Crowes. The free concert drew more than a million fans, just months before the Soviet Union dissolved into 15 new sovereign nations.

The Wherever We May Roam Tour ran from 1991 to 1993. In the midst of that outing, Metallica joined Guns N’ Roses for the ill-fated 1992 Summer co-headlining tour. The group kept playing sold-out shows through 1993 with the Nowhere Else to Roam Tour and into 1994 with a shed tour playing outdoor theaters instead of arenas and stadiums. Metallica’s music videos for “Sad But True” and “Wherever I May Roam” perfectly capture the energy and experience of what it was like to see the band live in the early 90s.

The Black Album Still Impacts Pop Culture Today

The Black Album is a landmark effort that brought heavy metal to the masses and broke down barriers between heavy metal, rock and pop music fans. The LP cemented Metallica’s legacy as one of the greatest bands in history. “Enter Sandman,” which won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 1992 ceremony, is a ubiquitous song that is as relevant today as it was when it was released 35 years ago. Drummer Lars Ulrich’s signature backbeat and Kirk Hammett’s iconic guitar riff are played at every major sporting event to pump up the crowd. Hall of Fame Major League Baseball relief pitcher Mariano Rivera from the New York Yankees used the iconic song as his entrance music when he came into games from 1999-2013. The Virginia Tech Hokies football team have used the track since 2000 as its entrance music, creating a chill-inducing environment. The song has appeared in TV shows like The Simpsons and The Sopranos. “Enter Sandman” still receives a lot of radio play and blends right in with today’s classic rock programming.

Who’s Your Perfect Classic Rock Band?

The effort proved that a metal band could impact pop culture without losing its identity. The Black Album spent over 700 weeks on the Billboard Album chart and held the top spot for four consecutive weeks in August and September 1991. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009. After 35 years, The Black Album is the defining achievement of the band’s career and one of the most influential records in music history. The LP had an indelible impact on Gen X and its legacy is still being written as new audiences discover the classic album.

Advertisement

Classic Albums: Metallica – Metallica

Release Date

November 6, 2001

Advertisement

Runtime

50 minutes

Director

Advertisement

Matthew Longfellow

Producers

Nick De Grunwald, Bous De Jong

Advertisement

Advertisement

• 

  James Hetfield

  Self – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

• 

  Kirk Hammett

  Advertisement

  Self – Guitar

• 

  Jason Newsted

  Self – Bass

  Advertisement
• 

Advertisement

Advertisement