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They seem to have lost all the momentum they had been cultivating since the beginning with Kill 'Em All .
By Eliberto Batista, WikiBrother
I don't like Load and Reload . In fact, all so-called metalheads should hate those albums. No, hate, not hate is the extreme; let's say few metal fans are head over heels for such creations. And it's no wonder: the fathers of Thrash Metal – let's face it, that's a lie. It's just a distorted label given by the media. Metallica is not the father of Thrash. Metallica didn't create it. What's true is that their contribution to this genre, as well as to other branches of metal, is undeniable – they seem to have lost all the energy they had been cultivating since the beginning with Kill 'Em All . Add the strange haircuts. The result was a controversial album without the typical Thrash feel. Not satisfied, they released Reload .
The fact is that lately I've been giving these albums a chance – perhaps motivated by personal reasons; thirsting for music that is sometimes calm, sometimes energetic; songs with profound lyrics – perhaps even life lessons. I ended up stumbling upon Load . Actually, I stumbled upon one song from that album; the last one, to be more precise: “The Outlaw Torn”.
"The Outlaw Torn" is far from the band's best work. But what really captivated me is that, with a little research, I saw that they played it on Symphony & Metallica (quite controversial as well, but that's not relevant here). In fact, they didn't just "play" it; James and company made the song an unforgettable performance. Even watching it on my computer screen, I feel an energy. The real energy is in the solo, which starts off quite calmly with the orchestra playing softly and culminates in an enraged Lars unleashing all his anger on the drums while Kirk's fingers are barely visible. I'd venture to say that the song – or perhaps just the section in question – is progressive. It's almost psychedelic. And psychedelia is a good way to "let your mind wander." Especially if the intention is to forget problems – as I said, all this is due to personal issues.
After that song, my curiosity about Load increased considerably, and I decided to look for their other songs. I ended up coming across "Ronnie." The song is controversial. It tells the story of a boy who killed his classmates. And, to make matters worse, another boy named Ronald Pituch killed his mother and an eleven-year-old child because he understood the song as a message for him.
But what would rock and metal be without controversy? Anyway, “Ronnie” starts with a killer guitar riff. No, it's not a riff from “Seek & Destroy” or “Disposable Heroes,” but it's an instrumental arrangement that's, at the very least, interesting. Add to that certain impactful verses such as: “But blood stained the sun red today .” Incidentally, in this part of the song, James's range takes on a different air – a good air, but not his usual one. It's good. And the passage after the solo – a narrative, in short – ends with several “down” sounds. The sound is impeccable. Ronnie is one of the best, in my opinion – and never played live, which is a shame.
Continuing my crusade, I came across "Mama Said." I'm not particularly fond of it. Metallica knows how to write ballads – unlike other metalheads, I'm fascinated by "Fade to Black." Take, for example, the performance of this song in Moscow in 1991. There's no way to express the grandeur of this song live through mere words – but "Mama Said" isn't a ballad. It's more of a country song. And there you have it. As much as all headbangers hate to admit it, in its early days, Heavy Metal was intimately linked to country music. Look up Mr. Rob Halford's opinion to understand what I'm talking about. I don't know if Metallica intended this when composing the song. Maybe not. But the fact is, it's listenable, and the lyrics offer a reflection – outdated, it's true, but profound: leaving home, leaving the mother's nest. It's part of the maturation process. I think James and Lars played more of an advisory role than a musician's. Half a point for them.
Finally, there's "Bleeding Me." It's by far the best track on the album. Along with the solo in "The Outlaw Torn," "Bleeding Me" is the kind of song that gives your mind wings and allows you to ignore all your problems. The chorus is exciting and very profound. However, once again, what stands out most isn't the studio track, but some live versions. Two in particular: the performance at Woodstock in 1999 – the guitar passage preceding the verses, "I am the beast that bleeds the feast," – and, once again, on S&M . I think James's vocal range has never been better than on this album, which is why it catches my attention.
Load definitely deserves attention. Unlike Reload . To be honest, I preferred Load to Reload . But even so, there are three songs that deserve some consideration: “Fuel”, “The Unforgiven II”, and “The Memory Remains”. And the others? No, not the others. These three have something different, something appealing.
Take, for example, “Fuel” – it’s infectious. It’s not Metal, but I can listen to it in my car while I’m speeding. “The Unforgiven II” has beautiful lyrics – it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first one, it’s true, but it still allows for deep reflection. What lyrics could be more beautiful than: “speak the words I wanna hear to make my demons run” ?
And lastly, “The Memory Remains.” The video alone speaks for itself. And, as usual, check out Metallica's 2009 concert in Mexico. It's beautiful (I don't think there's another word to describe it) when the audience chants several “nana na nana” even after the band has stopped playing. Fascinating.
In short, talking about Load and Reload is a tired subject. Texts that address this topic are often full of clichés. But I think it's interesting to spend some of our time reading about it in order to increase our discernment between what is "good" music and what is "bad" music. I don't like Load or Reload – but I can hear some of their music.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.