#43. Metallica, Load and ReLoad

Posted on by Zoot Marimba

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Yep, another double feature. And another member of The Big Four. And instead of covering one of their cherished classics, I am instead reviewing two albums that many people hate, and they are the Loads.

Load:

Load is the sixth studio album by Metallica, released June 4, 1996 on Elektra Records in the States and Virgin Records internationally. The album signaled a further move from the group’s classic thrash sound into alternative flavored blues rock. As drummer Lars Ulrich explained, “This album and what we’re doing with it-that, to me, is what Metallica is all about: exploring different things. The minute you stop exploring, then just sit down and fucking die.” The album as marks the group’s second collaboration with producer Bob Rock, taking place after the blockbuster success of The Black Album. The album also caused some controversy over the cover which depicts blood soaked semen.

1. “Ain’t My Bitch” (James Hetfield/Lars Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hNXmKiEqVx4

We open the album with Ain’t My Bitch, which according to Hetfield refers to life’s problems.

The track begins with a stomping rhythm akin to AC/DC and Phil Rudd*. The track is simplified from Metallica’s classic sound, but to the group’s credit, the track does have a solid flow and a good energy to kick off the record with, with Hetfield and Kirk Hammett locked in with a rocksteady headbanging groove. However, while I love slide guitars and I love heavy metal, Jesus hell should the two never go together. Seriously that’s like mixing ketchup, chocolate, spinach, peppermint, banana cream pie, and Play-Doh together. Otherwise though, the song is not great but it shows promise on the album’s behalf.

2. “2×4” (Kirk Hammett/Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xQnvHuzahP4

Compared to the straightforward heavy metal of the previous track, 2×4 goes for a more blues oriented groove song. Admittedly, this song actually does a half decent job of it, has a little bit of a Sabbath-y vibe to it. And of course we get that middle section where they try aping Alice In Chain’s vocal harmonies. And not doing it anywhere near as well. Fun fact: this album sold more than Alice In Chain’s entire discography and as much as Soundgarden’s Superunknown. Keep that in mind as we go through this review.

Overall, the song is mostly passable. Not a great song but one that’s mostly listenable.

3. “The House Jack Built” (Ulrich/Hammett/Hetfield):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N0aAA0KnlGo

“The House Jack Built”, which starts with a fairly standard hard rock structure, with James trying to be a singer. The song builds up, with Kirk throw in some wah pedal to try and color it. The tune, however, plods along for the most part, expect maybe the talkbox solo where Kirk is completely aping Jerry Cantrell. However, his second talkbox solo is actually somewhat cool. Otherwise, this is like going into a restaurant that you know was awesome once upon a time, having two okay appetizers and then having a steak after it’s been in the microwave. Twice. And is still cold and undercooked.

4. “Until It Sleeps” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eRV9uPr4Dz4

“Until The Sleeps”, which is written about Hetfield’s mother and her battle with cancer. It was the lead single off the record and is to date the only Metallica song to hit the Mainstream Top Ten, peaking at #10. The video was directed by Samuel Bayer, he of Smells Like Teen Spirit fame and who worked with the likes of The Smashing Pumpkins, Blind Melon, and David Bowie. He also directed the Nightmare On Elm Street remake. And now you know why he sticks to music videos.

The song sounds like so much of what was going on in the mid 90s, and even the video is so 90s it’s not even funny. I will admit James wrote some decent lyrics here and honestly he’s about this track’s only real saving grace. Otherwise, the track is completely drab, sounding like something some fifth rate grunge band would come up with. The track is completely lifeless, devoid of any energy or flavor. Even when we get to the chorus, it’s as plodding as ever, the melody line completely feeble.

5. “King Nothing” (Hammett/Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V5j8lz4oD4Q

King Nothing, the fourth and final single off this album.

Flanger tinged guitar opens the track, then we get a little bass line to open the track. I hear this kind of bass all over 90s Rock, But maybe….possibly…. no. This song is a bowl of watery, bland mashed potatoes. Fun fact, off to never never land is quoted at the end of this song, like in “Enter Sandman”. And let me just say this; that is such a hokey, cornball line. Off to never never land, get the fuck out of here with that horseshit.

Never never land is where this song should go.

6. “Hero Of The Day” (Hammett/Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJey2dkiAI

“Hero Of The Day”, The second single and apparently the first song recorded for the album.

Ay ay ay. First off, James, you’re a millionaire from California. Stop trying to sound like Merle Haggard. Even beyond that, this is the most soulless ballad I’ve heard in a while. The structure is so paint by numbers, this is reheated Alt Rock left in the microwave too long and served to you twenty minutes behind. I want to go back to another Metallica ballad of sorts, “One”. Such an impeccable track, James’ vocals and lyrics full of anguish, perfectly capturing the essence of a shellshocked veteran as he is left to see the world move on while he can do nothing about. And the guitar work, oh my is Kirk fantastic on that track. The arrangement is brilliant, it’s a masterpiece that Cliff would have been more than proud of. This, however, is not “One”. It’s not even “Nothing Else Matters”.

This song. So depressing it belongs on a Joy Division record.

7. “Bleeding Me” (Hammett/Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ftV_XepIwpo

“Bleeding Me”, which was another song inspired by James’ alcoholism.

We get another slower tune, with James really trying to be soulful, and it’s so contrived and so forced. The rhythms are so plodding, the melody and structure are some of the most generic radio rock pap, and it’s stretched out to eight minutes and nineteen seconds. At best they had a three or four minute song, not even a good one to begin with. This song is just pitiful.

8. “Cure” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p9oqY9BVM1s

“Cure”, another song about James’ mother’s cancer.

Another basic drum beat, so so riff with Hetfield trying to go for a cool ZZ Top tupe spoken vocal. And fails. And it has that drum build up that you hear in a lot of 90s Metallica.This song is like them doing AC/DC. If AC/DC sucked. And AC/DC rules. This, however, would not even be good enough for Razor’s Edge.

9. “Poor Twisted Me” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TjYD9tupAjg

“Poor Twisted Me”. Musically it kind of reminds me of 70s Aerosmith. Quality wise it reminds me of 90s Aerosmith. It’s got that stupid megaphone effect that so many singers used in the nineties and while the riff is okay, the rest of the song is blander than a Big Mac.

10. “Wasting My Hate” (Hammett/Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yoIHOD5kn2o

“Wasting My Hate”, written for the fans and telling them they wasted their hate on the Black Album when they should have saved it for this record.

After the usual trippy blues guitar intro we get an actually pretty cool riff and the song is actually okay, I could see this being an okay filler tune on the The Black Album. It’s not great or anything, but for this album it’s “The Four Horseman”. Hey maybe the next song will be de-

11. “Mama Said” (Hetfield/Ulrich)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4FKYsUEuvIo

Mama Said, The third single off the album. Oh this song.

It starts off with a paraphrasing of the opening line to “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Good God, hasn’t that band suffered enough? And let me just say it again: Jesus fucking Christ this is the worst fucking thing having to hear some yuppie ass California millionaire tryin to be Suuuu-thun. I grew up in the South so I’m especially pissed off by it. And it’s the most forced attempt at a country-ish type of song that is so bad, it belongs on current country radio. This is just awful.

12. “Thorn Within” (Hetfield/Hammett/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QMoymZgHRew

Ratta tat tat, a Hetfield-by-the-Numbers riff, the most dumbed down jock rock beat. The rhythm is so generic. The structure is so paint by numbers and just makes one feel as though you’ve already heard this before, you know you have heard Metallica do this before and do it better. And the tune just drags. Just move onto the next track.

13. “Ronnie” (Ulrich/Hetfield):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WB-vwdj5NYA

This is “Ronnie”, about a guy who goes on a killing rampage.

It has kind of a ZZ Top groove to it, with a nice lick to top it off, and lyrically it’s actually somewhat compelling. Unfortunately it fails to stick out and is a case of too little too late. Really this album is already one big blur in my mind. The seventy nine minute run time does not help either.

14. “The Outlaw Torn” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yIkSOx6kkMY

We conclude the album with a tribute to former bassist Cliff Burton. Haven’t heard that name in a while.

This is actually a very strong tune, starting with a slow build up, a decently structured tune. This also shows some solid dynamics within the structure and is ultimately a far more engaging listen that anything else so far. You still some of the cringeworthy attempts at singing like a Suuuthuna.

In the middle we get a solo from Kirk that reminds me a little of Rush’s Lavilla Strangiatto”.

Fun Fact: The solo was trimmed down due to limits on how long the CD could be. Which reminds me: why not cut all the other padding off of this record? Oh that’s right, it’s the CD age.

Well that concludes Load, so let’s move on to its successor.

ReLoad

ReLoad marks the seventh studio album by Metallica, once again with Bob Rock behind the deck. It also marks the last full studio album with Jason Newsted.

1. “Fuel” (Hetfield/Hammett/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G1cjHbXdU0s

We open the album “Fuel”, the third single off the album about fast cars and the thrill of driving them. The song remains one of the few post Black Album tunes to stay in Metallica’s setlist.

This reminds me of NASCAR. And that’s not a compliment. I’m not a sports guy but I can see the skill and effort that goes into football or baseball or American football, Hell, cheerleading is more impressive than NASCAR. Oh you’re driving fast in a circle? Yeah that takes real talent, sure. And oh my God, The stupid brain dead redneck jocks who go “Ah yeah he takin a left tur-uhn cous’!” I really enjoy this brain dead, hokey lowest common denominator jock rock, yeah.

2. “The Memory Remains” ( Hetfield/Hammett/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RDN4awrpPQQ

“The Memory Remains”, the first single of the album about a starlet trying to grasp onto her glory days.

The track features British singer Marianne Faithful on vocals. Faithful was a pop singer who dated Mick Jagger back in the sixties (and co-wrote “Sister Morphine” off Sticky Fingers, as well as having a hit with the Jagger/Richards tune “As Tears Go By”). She got into drug addiction and became homeless for a time before recovering and reinventing herself as an alternative song interpreter. Definitely check out Broken English and Rich Kid Blues, good stuff.

Now to get to the actual song. Decent rhythmic flow, good vocal by Hetfield, the solo is basically every Kirk Hammett solo you’ve ever heard, the Marianne Faithful contributions, which is really just her going na na na, are mostly pointless. It’s not a great great song, but it’s mostly passable, certainly one of the better tracks from this period.

I don’t love it but it’s tolerable.

3. “Devil’s Dance” (Ulrich/Hetfield):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aKQTWq6ZbTc

“Devil’s Dance”, this reminds me a little bit of “Sad But True” if “Sad But True” had a vocal with far less bite. And far less dynamic. And no flavor at all. This is basically Godsmack, the most generic rock, especially for a band capable of far better.

4. “The Unforgiven II” (Hetfield/Hammett/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G-Bn_kD6QN4

And now the sequel to “The Unforgiven” off The Black Album. Because the original was so deserving of a sequel (two, in fact).

Generic country blues licks playing out through the Creed filter, watered down for rock radio. More of that wonderful, not contrived crooning.

I’m starting to feel nostalgic for the Unforgiven I and that song is terrible. This one is even worse. If that was a Hot Pocket, this is Hungryman. Hungryman, that’s bad even for frozen meals.

5. “Better Than You” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KnDugewHPoI

“Better Than You”, the fourth and final single off this album.

Why they thought this had single potential I have no idea. This is another rocker on the album, does nothing to stand out amongst several already generic tracks, starts with the flanger that sounds like me screwing around with it on some app or at Guitar Center. The solo is the same Kirk Hammett solo you hear in so many other songs. Even the talkbox adds nothing compelling to the track.

6. “Slither” (Hammett/Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v7ZN7np0iAc

“Slither”, the flanger is back in full force. The vocals have that very processed quality I hear in so much 90s rock, this is like Metallica meets bad Alice In Chains. You know what, let me just link the whole Alice in Chains discography. Because you deserve much better than what this album offers.

7. “Carpe Diem Baby” (Hammett/Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DRaOunIjci8

And now we come to Carpe Diem Baby. I do like how they use the speakers to bounce back and forth, makes for a cool effect on headphones. But that’s the highlight of the song. The vocal melody is lackluster, the vocal performance even worse, and oh my God are these some of the most asinine lyrics I’ve read in a while (and I review an album with David Coverdale lyrics), these are Sammy Hagar level lyrics. This song is terrible.

8. “Bad Seed” (Hetfield/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1rMfDcth0tY

“Bad Seed”. It starts with a cough as a possible nod to the Black Sabbath classic “Sweet Leaf”, before going into a drum beat that sets up a song that takes more than a few cues from “Rain When I Die” by Alice In Chains. Those yeah yeahs, oh yes, James really loves throwing those out there. And these albums are where that really became a problem.

This song is basically like Bon Jovi doing Alice In Chains, the most generic, soulless version of this kind of music that has so much of what’s wrong with these records.

9. “Where The Wild Things Are” (Ulrich/Jason Newsted/Hetfield):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nEBCf2xqsmo

“Where The Wild Things Are”, co written by Jason Newsted in the last of three writing credits he received during his time with the band.

The track has some actually fairly decent dynamics, alternating between a dreamy landscape as well some crunchy riffage (slightly undermined by the sanitized production but I digress). It’s not an all time classic but for this album it’s quite good.

A, dare I say it, pretty good song overall.

10. “Prince Charming” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aLN9qUXvb_8

“Prince Charming”, which has a fairly old school hard rock structure, kind of AC/DC-ish. But more of an AC/DC filler tune. Then it throws that breakdown which isn’t anything special.

On any of the first five albums I would not like this at all, but on here, it looks somewhat better by comparison.

11. “Low Man’s Lyric” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Qq_tBhDsQ

And now we get to “Low Man’s Lyric”, featuring David Miles on the hurdy gurdy.

I’ll give them credit for stepping outside the box. And that’s the extent of my praise, because first off, whoever invented the hurdy gurdy, fuck you for inventing the hurdy gurdy. Where’s Bluto when you need him?

Oh my God this song is so pretentious and so tedious. It thinks it’s this big artistic statement and it’s so not, it’s this really horrible Creed atrocity. But stretched out to seven minutes, damn near eight. This is alternative watered down for milquetoast people.

Easily one of the lowest points on either record.

12. “Attitude” (Hetfield/Ulrich):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrhg66cVPGw

“Attitude”, a song that ironically has no attitude whatsoever. This is just a generic rocker, not worthy of being on the album.

13. “Fixxxer” (Hetfield/Ulrich/Hammett):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MnpjyNgzJ5Q

We end the album with the eight minute epic “Fixxxer”.

We kick it in with the feedback and backmasked guitar. The leads are overall actually fairly Hendrix-like, and the music is actually pretty decent. Hetfield is in fairly good voice. Then you throw in the slide solo which for once actually works pretty well. Hey, a Metallica song with slide that actually does it well. Then again, even a broken clock works once in a while. After all, Sammy Hagar managed to be okay in Montrose.

Back to the track, I could do without that stupid processed vocal but hey, the song is actually pretty decent. Not to the point of salvaging this record, but I’ll take what I can get.

FINAL VERDICT

That is Metallica’s Load and ReLoad. There’s a couple decent tunes but overall….these albums fucking suck. Just bland, bloated, tedious, repetitive. Even when trimming the fat this is still really bad.

You know, as a younger guy who didn’t live through Metallica’s golden years, likes bluesy rock and alternative music, this should be totally up my alley. But….no. If you want heavier rock with an alternative bent. Along with the aforementioned Alice In Chains, there’s also Deftones who were coming up at that time, Soundgarden, Faith No More, Tool, Melvins, all way better and way smarter than these albums. For heavy metal/hard rock that’s mid tempo with a bluesy or Southern influence, there’s Pantera who were doing very well at the time, there’s Corrosion Of Conformity, Acid Bath, Kyuss, Electric Wizard, Crowbar, etc

Do I recommend this album? I recommend all the bands I just mentioned, but these? No. I definitely don’t recommend these albums.

That is Load and ReLoad. Be sure to comment, subscribe, and share. You can also leave suggestions for future reviews.

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