Metallica Tracklist
The eponymous fifth album from thrash metal icons Metallica (also known as “The Black Album” for its dark cover) marked a huge shift in sound for the band, one which would catapult them into being the biggest band in the world, while arguably diluting the elements that had once made them so vital and influential.
The album debuted at number one on 10 album charts (including 4 weeks at #1 on the Billboard), is certified 16x platinum in America and is the 24th best-selling album of all time (selling more copies than Bad, Nevermind and even Backstreet’s Back or …Baby One More Time). That actually makes it the highest selling album of the last 25 years.
Oh, and it won them their third Grammy in a row.
Produced by Bob Rock, the whole songwriting process and focus of the album changed from previous records. Lyrics were more introspective, songs were shorter, and Lars' drumming was simpler:
When we started using Bob, it was because Bob made all the best rock records that were going on at that time. Everything that was going on in the late eighties was all about Bob Rock.
- Lars “I killed Napster” Ulrich
The album produced 5 singles:
FUN FACT
The album almost had a very different name:
The working title we had for the last record – you don’t get much stupider than that. Three of us were getting divorces. And we were sitting there getting real down on ourselves. When we wanted to cheer ourselves up, we looked at each other and said, “You know who we’re married to? We’re married to metal!” And that became the running joke on the last album: Married to Metal
- Lars “I have a sense of humour” Ulrich
