THIS was the exact moment that a line was firmly drawn in the sand. Upon its release on Aug 12, 1991, Metallica shed its “thrash titans” tag and went mainstream with the self-titled album (or popularly referred to as the “Black” album for its cover art). Till this day, this album is a deeply divisive subject with some fans who cannot stomach the stylistic shift from the first four albums to this seemingly watered down metal.
However, over the intervening years, this album has proved to be a heavy metal behemoth as it has clocked up worldwide sales of over 30 million copies – tangible, not digital clicks. It launched Metallica into the stratosphere and can now legitimately claim to be the planet’s biggest metal band, thanks largely to the success of its fifth opus.
There are multiple vinyl versions with the latest Walmart reissues coming in a variety of colours. These are retailing upwards of RM215 in record stores or online sites here while the standard black vinyl editions can be found just under RM200. The prices are only expected to rise in the current over-heated vinyl market.
If these price tags are a little too steep for some collectors, there is the very attractive triple CD package of this album. Although released as a “limited edition” some years back, new copies can still be found at record stores or online sites. Prices start from just under RM100. Bargains can also be found with pre-loved specimens being sold for under RM70.
What makes this set value for money is the inclusion of two bonus discs of extras that is not available on the vinyl editions. The double LPs contain the album, that is it. The triple CD set has the album on disc one, with rarities, demos and live tracks spread over two other silver discs.
The live tracks are a great time capsule of the band at its very peak as by that time, it had become a fire-breathing touring beast. Far from perfect, these live performances highlight the band with all its rough edges on show. The demos and outtakes give completists an insider’s view of the recording process and the evolution of many of the tracks. Stripped down and with unfinished vocals, some may ask what is the point but for uber fans, this is the mother lode.
With Bob Rock twiddling the knobs, Metallica clearly set out to write an album full of stadium anthems (as per Rock’s success with Bon Jovi in shaping its arena-friendly tunes). This is most evident from the now familiar opening strains of Enter Sandman, its power chords designed to appeal to a new demograhic rather than the diehard thrashers who elevated the band from San Francisco underground sensations to worldwide metal acclaim.
Ballad The Unforgiven also showed a maturing James Hetfield attempting to diversify his vocal abilities and there is a more refined approach to his singing than the previous four albums. Again, some fans love the earlier style and do not appreciate this softening of tones to appease mainstream audiences.
Listening to this album three decades-plus on, the tunes that have aged the best include the epic Where I May Roam and The God That Failed. The former sounds simply majestic on this remastered CD and truly unleashes the power of the track. After being erased off the previous album, four-stringer Jason Newsted is allowed to show off his chops, none more so than on the latter track, in which the bass track lends an ominous tone to the doomy song.
Overall, the dynamics of this CD set is nothing short of spectacular. It has been given the deluxe treatment and it shows. Love or loathe the Black album, its place in music history is assured simply because it brought metal to so many more ears.
This reasonably priced set is a great way to reassess the songs and evaluate whether they have stood the test of time. The impressive sonics of this compact disc edition surely makes a very convincing case for an “aye”.
Get it before these sets completely vanish and prices start to climb.
