On this day (June 4) in 1996, Metallica released their sixth studio album, Load. It saw them repeating the chart success of their 1991 self-titled album, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. However, it was less popular among fans upon release. The record saw the thrash metal giants slipping into a more mainstream-friendly style more in line with popular alternative rock acts.
Videos by American Songwriter
Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album showed fans around the world that the band was looking to try something new. Thrash metal was a powerful genre in the 1980s, but as the decade came to a close, it began to wane in popularity. At the same time, they didn’t want to be known as the kind of band that makes the same record over and over. While some fans had objections, they could still hear the band’s Bay Area DNA in the songs. Load, however, was a different animal.
[RELATED: The Often Overlooked Metallica Album from the 1990s You Need to Revisit]
The musical landscape changed drastically between the releases of Metallica and Load. Seattle-based bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam made grunge a dominant force in rock world. In a bid to keep up with the ever-changing world, Metallica moved away from metal and toward hard rock, effectively softening their sound. They pulled from a wide range of genres including Southern rock, blues, country rock, and grunge to inform that new album’s sound.
Nearly three decades after its release, many fans can admit that Load was a solid album. However, they rank it and the two albums the band released after it–Reload and St. Anger–at the bottom of their discography.
James Hetfield Wasn’t Full on Board with Metallica’s Load Era Changes
In a 2017 interview, James Hetfield reflected on how compromises within the band led Metallica to record Load and its follow up Reload.
Hetfield explained that compromise is important to keep Metallica running smoothly. When members of the band disagree on something, they do their best to find common ground. “As far as doing something that doesn’t feel right, I’m sure there’s been a few times that it’s happened–the Load and Reload era, for me, was one of those,” he said. “I wasn’t 100% on with it, but I would say that it was a compromise,” he explained.
Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich were behind the experimental period in the band’s history. While Hetfield wasn’t fond of what they wanted to do, he decided to follow their lead. Discussing his thought process at the time, he said, “You guys are extremely passionate about this, so I’ll jump on board, because if the four of us are into it, it’s going to be better.”
“There’s no regrets,” he said of the band’s output in the mid-1990s. “At the time, it felt like the right thing to do.”
Featured Image by Niels van Iperen/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.