Pure blandness - the beginning of the end
It's a myth that this is a great album.

Metallica's 2 towering masterpieces are "Master of Puppets" and "And Justice for All."

At the time that "the Black Album" came out, Metallica was so massively huge that everyone rushed out and bought this piece of junk. That's why it sold so well. And it did have that Metallica sound, yet to those who knew Metallica best, the "the Black Album" lacked any sincere fire in the soul. It was empty. It was bland. It was Metallica only going through the motions. And creatively, it was the end of the real Metallica.

If you want to buy a Metallica album, buy "Master of Puppets" for it's muscle and purity. Or, buy "And Justice for All," which is complex and takes a while to get use to, but if you're patient, you'll come to understand that "And Justice for All" is one of the greatest albums in rock history.

If you have a brain the size of a pea, please don't buy "And Justice for All," because you will hate it.

Alright album- bringing back memories
I was introduced to this album via the radio when I was about 4.5 years old. I heard Enter Sandman and there was just something about that very first note, that unmistakable sound that got me hooked. My parents got the tape and I remember sneaking this into my room and cranking it up. I also remember the Freddie Mercury benefit concert in Wimbledon back in 92 and Metallica playing to start out. This album introduced me to ...And Justice for All and I like that album, however, I could not fully dig Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. I think that Metallica for me was a phase- I listened to it when I was 4 to about 8 or 9, then listened to it from about age 12 to 14. This album, the songs Enter Sandman, Holier than Thou, Wherever I may Roam, The Unforgiven, Sad But True, Of Wolf and Man, Nothing Else Matters and God that Failed were probably my favorites of the album that kickstarted my fascination with rock music. I admit, I haven't listened to the Black Album for quite a few years and it may reignite my passion I once had for this album. Maybe I've outgrown it. Only time will tell, however, this is a fine album that brings back many fond memories.

Enter the Black Album!
I wonder what would have happened if Metallica stayed in the direction they were going with "...And Justice For All". It was certainly their most complex and layered album, and that's one of the reasons I really like it. But you've got to wonder just how impossible the song structures would have been on this album if they didn't decide to take a breather. I read one that Kirk Hammett said that the songs were "just too long", and I would imagine very complex. If "The Black Album" were any more layered and difficult to play, it might even send guys like Dream Theater or Symphony X spinning around their stack of Marshall amps!
It's interesting, though, to see that "The Black Album" is generally regarded as the decline of Metallica. Ironically enough, I've looked over the reviews and it seems as though plenty of people still really like this album. That gives me some relief, because I, too, agree that there's nothing wrong with "The Black Album".
True, Metallica stranded away from their faster, and occasionally more epic thrash metal, but the "semi-new sound" on this album doesn't bother me. In fact, lots of times when a band experiments around it doesn't bother me. What matters is the decency of the songwriting, and yes, "The Black Album" is full of great songwriting, talent and fun, along with a still-thrashy appeal.
"Enter Sandman" starts things off with a famous guitar riff and the horror-theme lyrics. A great guitar solo is included along with an awesome, shout-a-long chorus.
"Sad But True" is a slower, heavier song that's in the vein of bands like Pantera and Soundgarden. A catchy and somewhat melodic riff chugs and stomps its way through with more great verses and choruses.
"Holier Than Thou" is a faster-paced, more upbeat and a bit more progressive song than the previous two, with a chorus that'll replay itself in your head for a long time.
"The Unforgiven" is along the epic ballad lines of "Sanitarium", "Fade to Black" and "One", only instead, the verses are heavy and the chorus is balladic. Interesting twist, indeed.
"Wherever I May Roam" is a lengthy, epic mid-paced song with a foreign sounding guitar riff that sets a late-night atmosphere. Very cool and adventurous lyrics accompany, as well.
"Don't Tread On Me" has a staccato sort of march to it with more chugging guitar riffs and pounding drums.
"Through the Never" has more adventurous, epic lyrics, and even though I haven't listened to this particular song in a while, it's definitely up to par with the other songs here.
"Nothing Else Matters" is a beautiful ballad with great guitar work, orchestration and singing, and it's probably one of Metallica's most famous songs.
"Of Wolf and Man" has a sort of swashbuckling, on-a-ship feel to it with more great guitar riffs and some of James's best singing around.
"The God That Failed" features downtuned guitars, and James's frustration with the death of his mother. You can even tell from the melody of the song the anger and sadness from his personal loss. I imagine this song must have been hard for him to write.
"My Friend of Misery" is the longest song on the album, at almost seven minutes, and features *gasp!* basswork by Jason Newsted! Haha, but yeah, this is another solid song.
"The Struggle Within" is one of my favorite songs on the entire album. It's got a lengthy, larger-than-life epic opener and fast guitar riffs, along with an awesome, lengthy guitar solos, and the rhythm and groove from the verses and chorus make it absolutely awesome.
So even though this isn't Metallica's Number One greatest album, it's still high up there. The overall feel of the album is heavy, fun, epic, fist-pumping, occasionally dark, and overall excellent. I'd recommend this to all metal fans and rock fans, as it is a classic. Let's hope Metallica's upcoming studio album is just as great! Thanks for the time, and peace.

Truly Epic
Metallica are one of those bands that have given us a sound that can last a life time, no matter who you're talking to or where they're from everybody has at least heard of Metallica. Their music is loud, they're energetic and they're truly something great and James Hetfield along with Lars Ulrich gave us possibly their most famous song with Enter Sandman. They are genuinely a cult status band and have a fan base that would possibly even go as far as dying for this band and that's no surprise as they are truly at the status of being god-like.

One awesome album and is one that would really express the true greatness of Metallica's work and this is expressed through the fact that commercially this is their most successful album.

My Top 5

1. Enter Sandman
2. Holier Than Thou
3. Of Wolf And Man
4. Nothing Else Matters
5. Through The Never.

metallica last great album
this is a cool album. i owned a fairly worned tape of it that i bought used for 2 bucks. some good songs on here are, enter sandman, sad but true, holier than thou, and lots of other songs. not much more too say good album buy cd today
i still have too...