Heavier Than Heaven

This album is quite simply, a real surprise album. The dying beast of thrash metal has suddenly been given the elixir of life by a vintage performance by the metal band of the planet! Some people might beg to differ, but roaring, growling, monster vocals, a sea of blazing guitars, pounding drums and a fresh rawness gives this album an almost surreal feel. Bristling with aggression and intensity this album takes off like a fire-breathing monster spewing destruction and fury in its wake! The opening track ‘Frantic’ is just what it is!! The album is so aptly named ‘ST.ANGER’ which is the next track. Then comes ‘Some Kind of Monster’ with Hetfield’s voice like the rough and tough of old, the monstrosity and the intensity of it all is elevating. However the highlight of the album is the power anthem ‘Dirty Window’. Hetfield growls like a monster, the guitar and drums spit anger and venom. ‘Invisible Kid’ is quite simply astounding. ‘The Unnamed Feeling’ is a fire-cracker on the album and ‘All within My Hands’ is a perfect finisher. Metallica sounds harder, louder and thrashier than ever and Ulrich’s drums sound as if he is intent on destroying a sewer pipe. This definitely is a landmark album whose significance will be felt later.

Enter the new era- Metallica shed their extremisms and entered a new era of smaller songs, more melodious riffs and radio friendly music. This was the starting of a new era and a lot of diehard fans didn’t exactly welcome the change. Yet all the tracks were straight from the top drawer. ‘Enter Sandman’ a track about bogeymen and fears was a great beginning to the most successful Metallica album of all times. ‘Sad but True’ with a pro-Sabbath like militaristic march was another great track. Next is the ‘Unforgiven’, which became a monster hit. Then came ‘Wherever I may Roam’ which was pure head-banging stuff. This is the thrashiest song in the album. ‘Nothing Else Matter’ was a very risky and soulful rendition by Hetfield. It was highly sensitive and deep. It dealt with love and is a very unusual track by a band intent on serious issues. ‘Struggle Within’ was a suitable ending to an album that took Metallica to the top of the charts and established their supremacy as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Though maybe not as defining or as complex as ‘Master of Puppets’, the Black album made Metallica known to a whole new legion of fans who didn’t exactly welcome extreme thrash.

The sister of Load, ‘Reload’ is a suitable follow up to load. ‘Fuel’ a high octane adrenaline rushing opener takes our breath away completely. Then comes ‘The Memory Remains’, another great track which deals about coping with fame and the after effects of fame. A great video on a revolving set on L.A. airport and support vocals by Marianne Faithfull made the track special. ‘The Unforgiven2’ is a worthy sequel to ‘The Unforgiven’ with great lyrics. ‘Devil’s Dance’ has become a concert favorite over a period of time. ‘Low Man’s Lyric’ a soulful Irish bar song is a real surprise on the album. Though ‘Reload’ has some great songs one can’t help but feel we had an album that were to have the best of ‘Load’ and ‘Reload’ that album would have been a real stunner. Nevertheless both the videos for ‘The Unforgiven2’ and ‘The Memory Remains’ were really top stuff and the album was as good, if not better than her sister ‘Load’. The real highlight is the final track ‘Fixxxer’ which is, in my opinion, the best finishing song in a Metallica album. Polished vocals, the occasional ‘wah-wah’ of the guitar makes this album stylish. On the whole this was an under-rated album.

‘Load’ (96’) was the most controversial Metallica album of all times. Gone was the extreme thrash, long wailing guitars and blazing bass. This album was looked down by a lot of Metallica fans who wanted another ‘MOP’, but if the band was to survive they had to reinvent themselves, and ‘reinvent’ they certainly did! This album contains some real gems. ‘Ain’t my Bitch’ is a typical fury opener with the usual beast like hunger and the blazing guitars. This album has more subtle, milder riffs and yet remains as heavy as the pre-Black album days! ‘Until it Sleeps’ is a great track, but the highlight of the album is ‘King Nothing’ that questions the priorities and attitudes of men who think they are ‘X’tra special and constantly want a lot of things. ‘Hero of the Day’ and ‘Bleeding me’ are great tracks with brought out the subtleties to the fore along with Hetfield’s polished vocals. The most underrated track of the album is the finisher ‘The Outlaw Torn’ which is a haunting track that has brooding lyrics and an excellent vocal performance by James Hetfield. A great album, where the Metallica bravely took a new path and changed the usual attire to nattier, sharper dressing, ‘Load’ was an interesting stop on the Metallica train.