METALLICA – Reload
Metallica – Reload (1997, Elektra Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Fuel” – 4:29
2. “The Memory Remains” – 4:39
3. “Devil’s Dance” – 5:18
4. “The Unforgiven II” – 6:36
5. “Better Than You” – 5:21
6. “Slither” – 5:13
7. “Carpe Diem Baby” – 6:12
8. “Bad Seed” – 4:05
9. “Where the Wild Things Are” – 6:52
10. “Prince Charming” – 6:04
11. “Low Man’s Lyric” – 7:36
12. “Attitude” – 5:16
13. “Fixxxer” – 8:15
Band:
James Hetfield – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Kirk Hammet – Lead Guitar
Jason Newsted – Bass
Lars Ulrich – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Bernardo Bigalli – Violin (“Low Man’s Lyric”)
Marianne Faithfull – Backing vocals (“The Memory Remains”)
Jim McGillveray – Percussion
David Miles – Hurdy gurdy (“Low Man’s Lyric”)
Produced by: Bob Rock, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich
Is it Reload or ReLoad? Many places list it as one or the other. I call it Reload. Anyway, I’m not one of those Metallica fans who claims to hate Metallica. How does that even make sense? Sure, this album and its predecessor, Load (and the Black Album for that matter), are huge departures from their original thrash sound, but so what? If you took Load and Reload and trimmed the fat from both, you’d have a really good album, even if it’s not Master of Puppets 2: Electric Boogaloo.
That said, there’s just way too much filler here for my ears. The songs are too slow and long and all the great intensity and energy “Fuel” opened the album with is totally lost by the end of the album. Where Metallica used to come charging full force on their 80s classics, they just kinda ploddingly stomp around on Reload.
Highlights: “Fuel”, “The Memory Remains”, “Devil’s Dance”, “The Unforgiven II”, “Slither”, “Fixxxer”
www.metallica.com
www.myspace.com/metallica
Posted on June 16, 2008, in Collection, Metallica and tagged Bob Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, James Hetfield, Jason Newsted, Kirk Hammet, Lars Ulrich, Metal, Metallica, Music, Rock, Rock & Roll, Rock 'N' Roll, Thrash, Thrash Metal. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
I’m an old school Metallica thrash guy and I was disappointed at first by both LOAD & RELOAD but I got over it because the songs were pounded into my head thru MTV and the radio constantly. You couldn’t turn the radio on without hearing ‘Unforgiven II’ or ‘Fuel’ all the time so both albums grew on me. There’s a lot of filler on both records and they remind me of GnR’s Use Your Illusion albums.
Steve
Heavy Metal Addiction
http://hardrockheavymetal.wordpress.com/
Agreed on the Re/Load comparions to UYI. Classic examples of bands becoming too big & bloated for their own good. “Hey guys, some of it IS filler, you know?”