Metallica (The Black Album)

Metallica (The Black Album), widely known by the nickname “The Black Album,” is the greatest turning point in METALLICA’s history. Ordering the complex thrash construction a little, it foregrounds low, heavy riffs and big melody. Within the thick sound image by producer Bob Rock, James Hetfield’s voice and guitar support the songs’ center more strongly than ever. From the immediacy of “Enter Sandman” and the shadow of “The Unforgiven” to the openness of “Nothing Else Matters,” the album has a wide entrance. Songs like “Sad But True,” “Wherever I May Roam” and “The God That Failed” breathe refined heaviness too. Greatly widening its reach without losing heaviness, this record achieved extraordinary success worldwide and lifted the band to a national presence. A monumental masterpiece that became a reference point in the history of metal.