1991 was a year of joy for Metallica’s fanbase. Conversely, it was also a year of many sorrows for the band itself. Divorces, family lawyers, frequent contentions with their then-producer Bob Rock (who actually swore, from that moment, to never work with them again), and constant internal strifes, made this one of the most difficult and costly albums to produce, all the while remaining one of the most critically acclaimed metal albums of all time, Surely, a feat like this would not have been possible had they not undergone such trials, as it’s normally in these troubled times when the muse usually works best. Guitarist Kirk Hammett gives credence to this theory, relating how his divorce process had influenced his playing positively, as he tried to channel all those feelings of failure into his performance.
Metallica’s famous “Black Album” (another name for their self-titled album) turns 30 this year, and, as a way to commemorate this milestone, a 52-track covers album has been released, with renderings by a diverse host of stars such as Miley Cyrus, Biffy Clyro, Elton John, and Phoebe Bridgers. Singer and co-founder, JAMES HETFIELD, gives his take on this sour-sweet event by noting that his band is very fearful about rememorating their past. _”There’s no nostalgia driving this band”, _he said, while also recognizing the importance that this present year imprints on their legacy.
Metallica appeared to be an unstoppable force by the tail end of the 1980s. Ever since popularizing the Thrash Metal genre in 1983 with their album _”Kill ‘Em All”_, they had exceeded even their own expectations with each output, earning the praise of their peers. Their 1988’s _”…And Justice for All” _album, with its 6 to 10-minute tracks that showcased extremely unorthodox and intricate time signature changes (at least for that period’s standards) made them stand out amongst other offerings in the metal scene of those days, and would have been felt like a betrayal to the principles that informed the punk movement of the late ’70s which so influenced the Thrash Metal sound.
After their self-titled LP, however, every single attempt to emulate its success failed. This album alone reached platinum 16 times and has been on the US album chart for nearly 622 weeks now. Bruce Dickinson, of Iron Maiden’s fame, praised this album and the band for _”grabbing the opportunity when it came up”. _At this point in time, it was usual for youngsters to sport Metallica t-shirts, making the band recognizable even to those alien to the rock scene. Tomi Owó, a renounced R&B singer who also appears on the covers album, recounts witnessing this phenomenon when he was in High School, noting that he was being exposed to Metallica “without ever listening to the music”.
For the purposes of the 1991 release, they stuck to more conventional composition standards, which probably contributed to its popularity. In fact, the first goal of that album was to scrap all the technical pretentiousness that was prevalent in “Justice” and, instead, opt for bouncier and catchier tunes. Lars Ulrich, Metallica’s founding member, and drummer, was determined to make sure that the album reached as many ears as possible. His longtime friend and Royal Blood’s drummer, Ben Thatcher, recalls a funny episode at a strip club when a Mötley Crüe song began playing, and Lars decried the fact that a Metallica tune hardly ever made it to those places’ playlist.
The band members were also admittedly burned during their Damaged Justice tour. Hammett describes how, during the free time they had while on the road, they were actually being introduced to cocaine (or “powders”, as Newsted would call it), but that writing, rehearsing, and recording for the new album didn’t give them enough time to delve in it.
Most of the tracks for the album were finished by late summer 1990, including Hetfield’s power ballad _Nothing Else Matters_, one of Metallica’s most played and covered songs (including a Gregorian chant version), and a staple of all future live performances. It was composed during the Damaged Justice tour as a love letter to his then-girlfriend. Ironically, Hetfield thought it would sound out-of-character for the band’s _ethos _and approach, and was for a long time restrained from showing it to the rest of the band members.
On the flip side, while Hetfield was on a lucky love streak, Newsted, Ulrich and Hammett were on the verge of divorcing their wives. Hammett details how the incessant touring was a deciding factor in his particular separation. During these trying times, the three newly-divorced members stuck together to support each other and were engaged in long recording sessions at the then One on One Recording Studio (now 17 Hertz) during the fall of 1990. Notwithstanding, disputes were also starting to get heated between them, owing especially to Ulrich’s extreme perfectionism and his way of bossing his peers around, as could be seen in the 1992 documentary _A Year and a Half_.
Furthermore, news of Bob Rock’s hiring (known for producing David Lee Roth, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith albums) brought about dissent within their most loyal and die-hard fanbase, who accused the band of presumably “selling out”. Eamon Sandwith, the Chats’ frontman (who covered the track _Holier Than Thou _for the Metallica Blacklist) points out that the old fanbase “felt betrayed”, while, as a kid, he got acquainted with the band after watching _Enter Sandman _on television.
Hetfield likewise feels that a similar criticism may arise with the release of the 30th-anniversary covers album, which features such a broad variety of bands from so many different genres that differ from Metallica’s musical vision. But he also reminds fans that “Metallica is Metallica”, and that people covering their songs isn’t going to change who they are as a band.
The Metallica Blacklist, as well as a remastered box set of the “Black Album”, has been out since September 10 through Blackened Recordings. The book _Metallica: The Black Album In Black & White_ by Ross Halfin, containing unique unreleased pictures taken during the band’s recording and touring sessions, is due to be released on October 19 of this year and can be pre-ordered via the band’s own website [https://www.metallica.com/store/metallica-the-black-album-in-black-white-book-by-ross-halfin/RHBABWBOOK.html] .
