Reload
Making a Metallica album is no easy feat; there are no shortcuts when it comes to capturing the band\'s massive sound on tape. Metallica had initially envisioned *Load*—its first non-thrash album—as a double CD. But when reality hit and it proved both too much for fans to process at one time and too much for the band to complete at once, *Reload* was made into a distinct 76-minute follow-up. Naturally, the sound here is similar to *Load*, where the band abandoned its thrash rhythms and excessively speedy guitar solos for a bluesier sound that was closer to traditional hard rock. “The Memory Remains” features a haunting cameo from Marianne Faithfull that underpins the creepiness. “The Unforgiven II” serves as a sequel to a track on *Metallica*, a.k.a. The Black Album. “Better Than You” nearly shuffles as it moves effortlessly through the verses before hitting the hard-on metallic chorus. Best of all is the haunted vibe of “Where the Wild Things Are,” where the group captures a heaviness that doesn’t rely on overstating its case.
Metallica recorded so much material for Load -- their first album in five years -- that they had to leave many songs unfinished, otherwise they would have missed their deadline.