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This wasn't Metallica's best album because it marked their true entrance to the mainstream worls. They knew their normal music would not be as appealing to the radio,TV, etc, so they changed it a little bit. Their best songs are propably Wolf, and Holier with thier good guitars that only slightly ask fro more. Many people said this was Metallica's best album though, that it was a must buy. Those people watched the MTV Music Video Awards in 1991, and saw Metallica play the mediocre Enter Sandman in front of the worst, brain dead, early nineties bimbo crowd ever. They've changed but most bands do. They can't help it. The guitars on this album were slowerm, and more melodic, and so was the bass. Unfortunantly, Lars' drumming on "Black", holds true to the ignorant individuals who se metal as a mindless genre were the drummer hits one drum like an animal, whilst the singer screams useless profanities and plays a one riff guitar. Metal is more than than that. It has a couple aces up it's sleeves, you just have to know where to look. If you like more recent Metallica, buy this album.

Released in 1991, Metallica(Christened the Black Album because of its rather dark cover) went straight to the top of the Billboard Charts, ironically knocking off fellow Thrashers Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction off the top. It eventually stayed at the #1 position for over 4 weeks, quickly reaching Multi-Platinum sucsess. Over time, it spawned the Top 40 hits "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", and "Nothing Else Matters". Also you will hear the songs "Sad But True" and "Holier Than Thou" quite frequently on the radio. For those reasons, the Black Album became one of the most sucessful albums of the 90's, and quite possibly the Most Sucsessful Metal album of all time in the proc ess. Granted, this album is nowhere near as epic or beautiful as Metallica's earlier records, such as Master of Puppets or ....And Justice For All, but nonetheless it's a magnificent album in its own right. Before Metallica added grunge to their sound with albums like Load and Re-Load, they were one of the most influential bands of their time, basically molding and shaping the Metal genre of Thrash, which includes such classic bands as Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, Anthrax, Exodus, and the lesser-known Metal Church. Metallica blended the speedy guitar riffs of Judas Priest and made them even faster, added James Hatfield's somber and superb vocals, and Lars Ulrich's frantic drumming created perhaps the best metal band of the 80's, and possibly ever. But with The Black Album, Metallica slowed up just a little, incorporating ballads like "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters", but in no way lost their original thrash style, which showed in classic songs like "Sad But True", "Of Wolf and Man", and "The God That Failed". It is completely perpostrous that Metallica sold out with this album, they just put in two ballads! That in no way changed their sound, but in fact deepened it, showing that they weren't just pigeonholed into a certain type of metal. Even if they don't like to admit it, "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters" make up two of the strongest songs on this album. In fact, Metallica really never sold out until they tried to achieve mass appeal with all the Nu-Metal losers with St. Anger, one of the worst examples of a great band degrading as they went along, falling in with other degraded bands such as Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Megadeth, Anthrax(When they incorporated rap), Black Sabbath, and even Ozzy Osbourne.

The Black Album IS the album to get if you are trying to get into Metallica, as you will instantly fall in with Kirk Hammett's masterful guitar solos and James Hatfield's growling vocals, and then you should go on to purchase all of their older material with a more open mind towards complex song structures and even grander guitar solos. Without a doubt in my mind, Kirk Hammett is the best guitar player out there, with his masterful solos and how he can hold up a song all by himself, and James Hatfield's signature growl makes him one of the best vocalists around, Lars Ulrich is a consistent and excellent drummer, and Jason Newsted on bass is underrated and always solid and tight. In fact, Newsted's work on the Black Album may be better than Cliff Burton's excellent work, with such great bass intros as on "My Friend Of Misery" commonplace. Kirk Hammett's excellent guitar work is evident on such songs as "Enter Sandman", "Wherever I May Roam", "Through The Never", and "Of Wolf And Man", which contain some of the most memorable solos of Hammett's career, probably the best one coming off "Enter Sandman", but his guitar playing on The Black Album is only a taste of the greatness that once was. James Hatfield's lyrics are superb throughout, with such well-written songs as "Nothing Else Matters", "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Of Wolf and Man", and "The God That Failed" some of his strongest ever. Overall, every song is a classic, with every song being good, with "Holier Than Thou" being slightly downgraded because it's so repetitive, but it's still a great song!

Best Songs: "Enter Sandman"-How do you not like it? One of Hammett's most memorable riffs and Hatfield's vocals, which may be his best ever! "The Unforgiven"- Perfect ballad! It manages to hold your attention even though being slow, and is only one of about 7 ballads I can stand! Just barely below the magnificent "Enter Sandman".

Worst Tracks: "Holier Than Thou"- Granted, this is still a great track, but it suffers from a simplistic riff and overall is really repetitive. The album's worst lyrics, but they're still good!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! BUY NOW! NOTE:...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL IS METALLICA'S STRONGEST ALBUM!

This cd rocks dude! I think this is one of the best Metallica cds. And they picked the perfect singles for it too. If you don't have this cd, you are not a true Metallica Fan, Im sorry. This cd has awesome guitar riffs and solos! You won't understand its greatness untill you buy it, SO BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!!!

I went with four people to see this film. Two (myself included) were Metallica fans and the other two were not. The film opens like some sort of MTV expo piece with James Hetfield riding in his tricked out vintage roadster and Lars Ulrich laying on his couch with his Basquiat hanging on the wall. Not even five minutes go by and it shows the group, minus recently departed Jason Newsted, in therapy discussing their concern that they have about embarking on recording their first album in five years. Little did they know that it would take two years to make. What you get is a riveting, profound and at often times very funny documentary.

What I really applaud the band for is this: They bought the rights to the documentary so that they could have a say in the final cut. Instead of glossing over scenes that aired the dirty laundry of the band, which is what you would think they would do in a case like this, they let it all out.
And not in a counter-culture, rebellious, grandstanding kind of way either. It's sincere and thats what makes the film work.

James Hetfields door slamming, Lars' watery-eyed confrontations and Kirk unable to make declarative sentences does not put them in the best light, but it makes them real.
They confront their demons head-on with therapist Phil Towle and producer Bob Rock tow. Die hard fans might roll their eyes and laugh at prospect of the band in need of a shrink. Trust me, stick with it and don't let it scare you away from the theatre. Most of the time it is hilarious and at the bands expense. Lars Ulrichs father is a scream and when one of the toughest metal bands try to communicate with one another in their new found "therapy lingo" it comes across as comical and awkward as you might think. And yes, they talk about Cliff's death and the Napster ordeal as well. They also visit Jason Newsted and (bonus for fans) Dave Mustaine. My friend and I could pick out the Metallica fans from the documentary fans in the theatre when Dave popped up.

This movie is not solely for fans should not be missed no matter what your preference in music or your opinion of the band. Non-fans, as my other friends will attest, will enjoy this as well.
This year there has been great year for documentaries and this is one that should not be overlooked in the mix.