In 2022, Bruce Dickinson , vocalist of Iron Maiden , gave his opinion on Metallica 's Black Album . Released in 1991, the American band's fifth studio album was a watershed moment in heavy metal, completely changing the group's direction.
In an interview with Classic Rock that year, Dickinson said [transcription via Whiplash ]: “It’s one of those seminal records that hits the mark perfectly. Very well produced, and every note is totally under control. I admire what they did with those songs, it was very effective and undoubtedly helped push metal into the mainstream. I know it wasn’t Mutt Lange who produced it, but Bob Rock had that same style, of keeping everything under tight control.”
In the same conversation, Bruce Dickinson also commented that his band would never do anything like Metallica did with the Black Album . "We could never make an album like that because we're not that controlled, and we don't want to be. With us, the wheels would fall off the bus and we'd end up firing the producer," he joked.
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