2003
Having seen Some Kind Of Monster, the movie that documents the making of this album...It was hard to take this album seriously...at this point in their careers. That coupled with the universally bad reviews...and my having lost interest in Metallica years before...I never gave this album a full listen. Here it is almost 2012 and I'm listening to the whole album for the first time. I don't think it's as bad a people have led me to believe. It does have two major flaws. The sound of the snare drum, which sounds like a basketball being bounced on a sheet of aluminum throughout the entire album. #2 The lyrics and James Hetfields singing of them. The lyrics are probably only bothersome about half the time. If you forget that Metallica existed before 1991 then this album is pretty good. The songs sound like a band rockin' out. They're heavy. They groove, but sometimes go on a little too long. They have sections that could be removed to make thing a little bit more concise. No solos.
