Metallica LOAD discussion.

Yes, I know, another METALLICA thread! Do we really need another one? Probably not but, oh well. I watched the VH1 Behind the Music video on Metallica last night and have been going through their entire catalog and quite enjoying it.

I'm listening to "LOAD" right now. Really like "Until it Sleeps". Good song.

I hated Load when it first came out. Over time I've come to appreciate it more. It's not nearly as bad as I remember it being. I think part of the reason for the initial disappointment was that it just wasn't what I was hoping for from Metallica. Metal in general was in a pit of despair at the time (1996) and I think I was really hoping Metallica would pull out a really great metal album. Instead we were given this. Even though I don't usually judge on looks, I think the band photo may have contributed a bit to my initial disdain for the album as well. These were no longer the guys with long hair in jeans and a t-shirt, now they were these rich looking jack-asses wearing suite jackets and make-up, in some cases looking extremely gay.

However, in retrospect, it's a good, heavy, rock/metal album. I wonder how many others absolutely hated this album ten years ago, but like it now. I know many people still hate it. What's your opinion on "Load"?

You may now commence the stoning!

ultmetal wrote:

I wonder how many others absolutely hated this album ten years ago, but like it now. I know many people still hate it. What's your opinion on "Load"?

I absluely hated it when it came out, and now, I absolutely dislikes it. Perhaps I had over-expectations about a Metallica album, and perhaps I was a fool.

Just never carred about this album and i think i will never do.

Originally when it came out my friend brought the cassette along in my car, after 4 songs I threw it out the window. I really hated it then. Still don't like it at all now either, just can't get into it.

It's an OK album. Just OK. Bleeding Me is a great song though.

In my opinion it isn't as bad as many people says, as it has couple good songs, but it also has many bad songs.

Well, I didn't get into Metallica until '98 or so. So I wasn't there for their 80s work, so I wasn't going to get over the new stuff.

That said, I think it's fairly average. Not horrible, certainly doesn't compare to their previous albums, but not horrible at all. 'Until It Sleeps', 'King Nothing', and 'Hero of the Day' are my favorites from Load.

I've always said if you took the best from Load and the best from ReLoad, you'd have a really good album. Unfortunately, IMO, we got two average albums.

i don't mind it. if metallica would have released load and reload as a single album with 10 songs it would have been great. until it sleeps and king nothing are cool

I think Load and ReLoad are great albums.


- I agree, "Until it Sleeps" is a really good song, and has a nasty feel to it. However, I much prefer the live performance on this song, especially the performance on "Cunning Stunts" (call them sell-outs, but Metallica still put out an amazing stage show!). The production and master of the song on the album, is a bit too slow and...well, mellow. Ult, have you heard the live version on "Cunning Stunts"? Do you have the DVD? - I recommend it, it's a great show.

Overall, Load/ReLoad are great albums, but they would be even more kick-ass and...I will be as bold and say "Metal", if it had a dirtier and more metallic production - On some songs, "Until it Sleeps" in particular, the production really takes away from the overall greatness.

- I also really liked "Mama Said" - Sure, it's a downright country/blues rock song, but man is it good - Hetfield's lyrics are still written very well, and he sings it perfectly, also live.

Another great rocker is "King Nothing" - Very cool punkish song, and has an overall Motorhead vibe, quite like "Fuel".

Overall, they are great albums, and certainly is not an experiment gone bad - For what they are, they are great albums.

Some good songs (Until It Sleeps and King Nothing) but even then they just weren't what I came to expect from Metallica. Enter Sandman got me into heavy metal and by the time Load came out I was emerced deeply in the metal world. With metal declining in popularity I firgured Metallica would come out with another killer metal album and instead they released an O.K. modern hard rock album. I felt betrayed (the hair wasn't a factor, but maybe the way they were dressed was) and could not forgive them. At the time metal needed them to show the world that we were still strong and Load just didn't cut it. Metallica getting less metal just solidified to the world that metal was dying (it wasn't of course, it just went underground-but mainstream didn't know that). Reload really p*ssed me off with The Unforgiven II, the origional is one of my favorite metal songs EVER and the sequal just plain sucked. One of these days I might give both another shot (maybe if Metallica pulls a Megadeth on us) but there is so much more out there that I can't be bothered at this time.

i listened to both albums last week and i really enjoyed them as always. i was only seven when they came out so i can listen to them now without the disapointment after all the hype

helli even like st.anger

TheGooch wrote:

helli even like st.anger

Now THAT is a Metallica album I can say no good about.

Load and Reload are both decent rock albums and if they were released by ANYONE ELSE other than Metallica, they might not be so bad. But they are Metallica albums, and basing them on the band's past efforts, they are terrible. Along with changing their sound, changing their look further isolated the hard-core fans and it became hard for me to accept this "new" Metallica. For me, those 2 albums made me change my opinion of the band and lose the respect I once had for 'em. Whereas I would buy anything they put out on the 1st day of release without question, not hearing a single note. After that, I was hesitant to purchase anything new without reading some reviews or hearing a song or 2. They suckered me back with the covers album and I bought St. Anger. Now after that mess, they need to prove themselves to me.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me again, shame on me.

I haven't listened to it in ages, so I can't really comment.

Although the mere fact that I haven't listened to it in ages should be comment enough, I guess.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I haven't listened to it in ages, so I can't really comment.

Although the mere fact that I haven't listened to it in ages should be comment enough, I guess.

I hadn't really listened to Metallica in some time. It was nice hearing them again after such a long time and enjoying every album...so far.

It's nowhere near as bad as most people say it is...solid heavy Rock songs...good playing, good production...were it any other band it would not have been as hated by some as it was/is...

Fat Freddy wrote:

I haven't listened to it in ages, so I can't really comment.

Although the mere fact that I haven't listened to it in ages should be comment enough, I guess.

Right said Freddy!

i liked Load, Reload, & alot of St Anger... if you feel like punching me, that's fine. only please stay away from the groin area.

I absolutly love LOAD. I remember being utterly dissapointed with the "Until It Sleeps" single (as it came before the album), and it became a trend with the metal crowd to dislike it (we erroniously called it grunge!!?!!). But, I am a sucker for good songs, and soon found myself liking the songs, and when the album hit the shelves, I liked most of the songs on the album (save for "2X4" and "Cure"). At this point in life I was a party animal, drinking every weekend, and spending a lot of time together with one of my best frineds, who is an avid Metallica lover. We played the album over and over again, night after night, and I really grew to love the album. I still do today, but now I have a more distant "relationship" with it. I love the fact that this album could NOT have been recorded by any other band. Even if it sound soun a-typical Metallica, it still so very much IS just them. This is Hetfields soul on CD, this is the band puring their hearts out. Where "The Black Album" was commercial (I like it though), and maybe even calculated, "Load" is 100% honest.

I've always liked Load. I think I like it better than the Black album actually. But I never could get into Reload at all for some reason.

I like Load alot actually.

ultmetal wrote:

However, in retrospect, it's a good, heavy, rock/metal album. I wonder how many others absolutely hated this album ten years ago, but like it now. I know many people still hate it. What's your opinion on "Load"?

I think Load and Reload are great albums. I was shocked when I first heard Load, of course, but I gave it a chance and I grew to love it. I still tend to think maybe the band should have released it under a different name, because it is vastly different than even the self-titled, let along the earlier stuff, but it's just a name.

After all this time, I still think Load and Reload are great rock albums. Yeah, there's a bit of metal here and there, but it's still rock and roll. I think the band were being honest with themselves here, and while the music was very different, the results were good. Unlike St. Anger.

All this LOAD talk has got me thinking I should dust that album off and give it a listen. As mentioned earlier, I haven't spun that thing in quite a while.

you should its worth it as i discovered the other day

I also really like Load and ReLoad. I think they are very unfairly underrated.