St. Anger Tracklist
Metallica’s controversial 8th studio album. Although a “return to roots” of sorts, the album was widely panned upon release for its complete lack of guitar solos and ringing snare drum, altogether creating a more “industrial” sound.
The change in sound from the past Load and Reload albums was caused due to bassist Jason Newsted leaving the band and vocalist James Hetfield struggling with alcoholism and going to rehab. Both of these conflicts resulted in the band questioning if they would still be together to even make music.
A documentary was published regarding the background of St. Anger. The film was named “Some Kind of Monster” after one of the singles off of the album and mainly showed the whole process of recording the album. Between that were the fights, decisions, and group discussions that occurred during the album’s creation.
Although St. Anger’s reputation has improved slightly over the years with some appreciating the raw tension put into the music and lyrics, it is still widely considered Metallica’s worst studio album release.
