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In Defence Of: Load & Reload-Era Metallica…..

Load. Reload. Unload!

Whilst Metallica may well be the biggest metal band on the planet, it’s also fair to say that not many bands divide the opinion of their fanbase quite like the four horsemen do…..with much of this irate ire directed towards their much maligned mid-90’s Load & Reload era.

However, the burning question is that with the benefit of well over a quarter of a century’s worth of hindsight, were these albums really all that that bad? We think, for the most part, they most certainly weren’t!

Here’s our argument:

What did Load and its sister album Reload have to offer us? For a start, virtually all traces of metal had been removed, leading Lars Ulrich to joke – prior to the release of Load – that they should change their name to Rocktallica (funny).

Drastic departure in identity and sound aside, both albums are clearly home to great songs. “King Nothing” is commercial metal at its finest, with big riffs and bigger hooks combining with a chorus dutifully designed to be belted out at festivals the world over; Load’s “Enter Sandman” if you will. The same can be said for Reload‘s commercially successful “The Memory Remains” while Load‘s “Until It Sleeps” has proven itself to be an enduring, delightfully dark, terrifically twisted, neo-gothic rock ballad.

During this period, Metallica were noticeably looser. James Hetfield may have been revered for his sledgehammer right wrist and taut, precise riffing but his riffs now felt grubbier (an understandable response to grunge’s grip, perhaps), while Lars Ulrich adopted the Phil Rudd ‘less is more’ style of drumming and, after the unparalleled success of The Black Album, it’s not really surprising that Metallica were feeling experimental. The shackles were well and truly off and it was time to indulge themselves in other influences aside from the NWOBHM and the thrash boom they themselves birthed; namely 70’s hard rock, country and folk.

Never one to shy away from dark subject matter, over these two albums James Hetfield also clearly excelled himself as a lyricist. The public view of James Hetfield was as a straight talking, hard drinking, take no shit, metal alpha male but this persona was about to take a left-field turn. It’s well known that his parents were strict Christian Scientists – which led to his Mother’s death due to not seeking treatment for cancer – however, bar the likes of “Dyers Eve” and “The God That Failed,” his lyrics were rarely autobiographical….but all that was about to change. Over the course of these two albums, James Hetfield bared his very heart and soul and a lot of his pain seemed to stem from his childhood. “Fixxxer” had Hetfield imploring “can you heal what Father’s done, or cut this rope and let us roam, just when all seems fine, and I’m pain free, you jab another pin, jab another pin in me”, a revealing insight far removed from much of  what had come before.

And so it continued. “Low Mans Lyric” had him begging for forgiveness, while admitting he is beyond help. During “Until It Sleeps” he proclaimed “and the dirt still stains me, so wash me ’til I’m clean” and then further admitting “and the hate still shapes me, so hold me until it sleeps”. Meanwhile in the intensely personal “Mama Said”, Hetfield stated “I need your arms to welcome me, but a cold stone’s all that I see”. Looking back at his lyrics now, it is clear that he was a deeply troubled and pained individual and it was potentially the first time someone so influential in the metal sphere had exposed their personal thoughts on tape to such an extent.

Lyrics aside, by 1996, James had also fully refined his vocal style. Gone was the feral bark of earlier releases and in its place was a croon full of emotion and, shock-horror, sensitivity…..backed up with bite to it when needed, though! The result was a performance that perhaps should have received plaudits for its bravery and self-assurance.

We’re not not going to pretend that these albums are without their flaws. In fact, bar a few songs on the noticeably weaker Reload, it’s clear that the sometimes messy results are what happens when you lack the common sense to keep semi-unrealised ideas in the rehearsal room. However, bad albums they most certainly are not.

Such is the disdain for these albums, that just the mere mention on social media that they ‘actually aren’t that bad’ results in sections of the metal world becoming so apoplectic, they involuntarily void their bowels; a comical response given how much time has passed, and how blatantly worthy these albums are when compared to much of the 90’s risible metal/rock output.

Just for shits and giggles, here’s our take on what a more cohesive version of Load / Reload would look like if the two albums had been trimmed down to just the one release:

Ain’t My Bitch
The House That Jack Built
The Memory Remains
Until It Sleeps
King Nothing
Hero Of The Day
Bleeding Me
Wasting My Hate
Mama Said
Low Mans Lyric
The Outlaw Torn
Fixxxer

(I’d throw in “Fuel” and “Where The Wild Things Are” too – Ed)

Perhaps, if released in this form, the world would have been kinder to an era that’s really not as bad as it’s often labelled.

Metallica's Load and Reload: an interview with cover artist Andres Serrano  | Louder

Feel free to tell us how wrong we are in the comments below…..

About Gavin O'Connor (161 Articles)
Lifelong Heavy Metal fan. First got into Quo and Leppard, when I was 9 or so I first heard Megadeth and that was me hooked

7 Comments on In Defence Of: Load & Reload-Era Metallica…..

  1. God help me, but I really like Load and find ReLoad at least listenable (unlike St Anger). I still throw both of them on to this day. I’d have tried to find room for Thorn Within and Poor Twisted Me on that playlist, but it sits right with me regardless.

    • Thanks for taking time to read the article and comment mate. I think they definitely get some undeserved abuse and Load especially is not as bad as it’s made out to be

  2. Great shortlist at the end, but would have liked to have seen Fuel thrown in there too!

  3. IMO Load would have been better served by a different opener. I’d maybe throw Fuel at the start of the Load / Reload version instead of Ain’t my bitch but the rest looks good to me!

  4. These two albums came out in the pinacle of my teeanage years: high school. I thought they were amazing at the time and still enjoy them. In fact, I thought Bleeding Me, The Outlaw Torn, and Fixxxer are in my top 10 Metallica songs. I think when this album came out, the emotional aspect of these albums were a comfort to those angsty teenage years.

  5. Old article – but just had to add… these two are at the top of my Metallica best-of list. James seems more personal, accessible, and it’s like he’s sitting in your living room rocking his soul out in front of a group of friends – just letting it pour out of him. I laugh at the idea of it being “not-metal”.. hell – Tom Waits “Hell Broke Luce” is more metal than most so-called metal bands will ever be.

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  1. Watch Metallica Perform Deep Cut ‘Fixxxer’ For The First Time Ever – The DJ Sessions

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