Load

Metallica followed up their blockbuster 1991 self-titled record with *Load*, a sludgy steamroller that pushed the band even further away from their speedy thrash-metal roots. In addition to wicked hard-rock rumbles such as \"King Nothing,\" the album contains menacing, slow-boiling psychedelic sprawls (\"Bleeding Me\"), bluesy classic rock (\"Poor Twisted Me\"), and a country-leaning porch ballad (\"Mama Said\"). The gouging grooves and grimy riffage of \"2 X 4\" even conjure the sound of grunge.

Check out our album review of Artist's Load on Rolling Stone.com.