When I attended St. Clair College of Arts and Technologies for Journalism in the late nineties I was able to experience the Metallica album boom. Load came out my last year of high school. Reload came out my first year of college. So you know I wrote a review for the album. It never saw print, but it did get a decent mark. I wish I still had a copy of the review just for comparison.
Now, I want to be very up front. Kill 'Em All and Reload are my two favourite Metallica albums. The only reason that Kill 'Em All comes first is due to it's release date. Otherwise a list of my top five albums would go: 1) Kill 'Em All, 1) Reload, 3) Master Of Puppets 3) Garage Inc. 5) LuLu.
Okay, I'm totally screwing with you on the LuLu front. I can't make up my mind about number five.
The album opens with Fuel, which is a full throttle track dedicated to the thrill of high speed hot rod action. You can hear the tires grabbing the pavement, and ripping up down the road. The white knuckle adrenaline junkie, is heard all over the music without the lyrics saying a word. Pretty much lyrically the song can be summed up with the end of the song. "Gimmie Fuel.... On I burn, on and on / Gimmie Fire.... On I burn, on and on / My Desire.... / Ohhh, On I Burn / Fuel is pumping engines / Burning hard, loose & clean / And I burn / Churning my direction / Quench my thirst with Gasoline / Gimme Fuel / Gimme Fire / Gimme that which I desire / Ooh / On I Burn!"
After that comes the Memory Remains, a song that I've had to defend more than once. The problem is that this song is not Metal, as most people think of Metal now, or did at the time of Reload's release. However, this song is Hard Rock, or what may be considered Classic Metal. Memory Remains is a song I could picture Led Zeppelin doing, or even Rainbow. I also love the Marian Faithful chanting parts in the song. I think they sound fantastic. It's even better live though, when the crowd performs that part.
Devil's Dance is one of my favourite tracks on the album. It's big, thick, heavy and oozing all kinds of darkness out of the speakers. "Yeah / I feel you too / Feel / Those things you do / In your eyes I see a fire that burns to free the you / That's wanting through / Deep inside you know, seeds I plant will grow / One day you will see / And dare to come down to me / Yeah, c'mon, c'mon, now take the chance / That's right / Let's dance / Snake / I am the snake / Tempting / That bite you take / Let me make your mind / Leave yourself behind / ...Be not afraid / I got what you need, hunger I will feed / One day you will see / And dare to come down to me / Yeah c'mon, c'mon, now take the chance / hahaa / Come dancccaa!" After that point the song moves into a slithering, snapping solo, that is pure temptation. After that the song just keeps spreading the flames of the beast. This is a Black Sabbathesque track. Once of those tracks that shows Metallica's roots well.
I'll never forget how much bullshit and trash talking I had to listen to when Unforgiven II came out. For starters there was the, "Why did they need to make a two?" Then there was the, "It sounds country" Plus a whole host of complaints and issues that I think are complete bullshit. I actually prefer this version to the original. I like the feel, texture, spirit, and musicianship to this track. It's much thicker and fuller sounding, and James sounds much more passionate. This song has a lot of heart.
I think at this point I should mention that I think the production on this album is amazing. It doesn't sound over produced, you can picture Metallica being able to perform almost all of the tracks live, as it sounds on the album, and most importantly everything sounds clear and balanced. Bob Rock is a fantastic producer, and this album is one of his master pieces as far as I'm concerned. What you hear with headphones, is the same as what you hear roaring out of the stereo speakers. It's the perfect Hard Rock album production.
Better Than You is the first track on the album that might be considered filler. It's a fantastic track that I constantly enjoy, but it's a bit typical, or "stock" as Lars might say. If you are more than just a casual listener you can hear the experimentation of styles and concepts that are buried in the music. Lyrically, the title covers it all.
I know people that would argue that Slither is also filler like, but I think those people are morons. This is one of those few tracks where you can hear and feel a vibe of The Doors. The first thing about this song I really like is that it starts off with the chorus, and then moves into the verse. There's a complete topsy turvey twisted and interetwining element to this track. It's like a cluster of snakes all moving within itself.
"Hit dirt, shake tree / Split sky, part sea / Strip smile, lose cool / Bleed the day and break the rule / Live to win, dare to fail / Eat the dirt and bite the nail / Then make me miss you / Then make me miss you / So wash your face away with dirt / It don't feel good until it hurts / So take this world and shake it / Come squeeze and suck the day / Come carpe diem baby / Draw lead, piss wine / Sink teeth, all mine / Stoke fire, break neck / Suffer through this, cheat on death / Hug the curve, lose the time / Tear the map and shoot the sign / Then make me miss you / ou yeah / Then make me miss you / So wash your face away with dirt / It don't feel good until it hurts / So take this world and shake it / Come squeeze and suck the day / Come carpe diem baby / Yeah suck it!!!" At this point Carpe Diem Baby goes from sounding like Bob Dylan rockin' out with Hulk like gamma rage, to Metallica getting all swaggery and almost teasingly taunting. Then it's back to more poetic verses. "Live to win, dare to fail / Eat dirt, bite the nail / Strip smile, lose cool / Bleed the day and break the rule / Hug the curve, loose the time / Tear the map and shoot the sign / Then make me miss you / Come on, come on / Then make me miss you / So wash your face away with dirt / It don't feel good until it hurts / So take this world and shake it / Come squeeze and suck the day / Come make me miss you / Come carpe diem baby." This is one of those songs that has such a Country/Blues undertone that it could never be considered real Metal. But it is some bad ass Hard Rock.
Bad Seed is 4:05 of riffing, grooving, and moving. You can almost hear James holding out his middle finger at Lars the whole time he's singing the song. I don't think that's what was going on, but you can easily picture it. The only turn off to this song is the background vocals, which sound a little too Grunge/Alternative for me, but they fit the song very well.
I find it amazing how of all the songs for Jason Newstead to have a writing credit on it's Where The Wild Things Are. That was my view at the time this album came out anyway. After hearing music Jason has done since leaving Metallica it makes total sense. This is by far the second most unique song on this album. This is one of those tracks that anyone that is only half ass listening would instantly dislike. It's textured, layered, and has a dynamic that doesn't corrispond to almost any other standard to which Metallica can be held. This is one of the reasons I totally dig the song.
When I think about Reload I think of it as an album of thirds. The first third is made up of the first four tracks, Fuel to Unfogiven II. These would be the radio tracks for the most part. These are the freindly tracks that everyone will probably listen to.
The middle third ends with Where The Wild Things Are. I consider that the filler/experiemntal section. I only think filler because of the songs not having any type of commercial appeal, or real fan following. No one says Bad Seed or Carpe Diem Baby are their favourite songs. On the other hand, no one trash talks them really either.
The last third of the album is made up of shredding bad assery. In fact if it weren't for one track, which I will get to, the last third could be considered the Metal third.
Prince Charming is one of those tracks that I love. It's a bit typical, and has a slightly dated style, but the guitar work is great to listen to. It's just all flair, style, and raw power. This is one of those tracks that uses an almost Joe Perry like techinique, when Kirk Hammett isn't shredding his heart out. It's one of my favourites when I let the album play out.
Low Man's Lyric, the most unique and artistic song on this album. I love this track and will defend it to the end. It's 7:37 of pure brutal honesty. Musically it's just so moving. Lyrically this track is a story, which is something that Metallica normally tends to shy from, and shouldn't. "My eyes seek reality / My fingers seek my veins / There's a dog at your back step / He must come in from the rain / I fall cause I let go / The let me low has right of way / So my eyes seek reality / And my fingers seek my veins / The trash fire is warm / But nowhere safe from the storm / And I can't bear to see / What I've let me be / So wicked and worn / So as I write to you / Of what is done and to do / Maybe you'll understand / And won't cry for this man / cause low man is due / Please forgive me / My eyes seek reality / My fingers feel for faith / Touch clean with a dirty hand / I touch the clean to the waste / The trash fire is warm / But nowhere safe from the storm / And I can't bear to see / What I've let me be / So wicked and worn / So as I write to you / Of what is done and to do / Maybe you'll understand / and won't cry for this man / cause low man is due / Please forgive me / Please forgive me / Please forgive me / So low the sky is all I see / All I want from you is forgive me / So you bring this poor dog in from the rain / Though he just wants right back out again / And I cry, to the alleyway / Confess all to the rain / But I lie, lie straight to the mirror / The one I've broken, to match my face / The trash fire is warm / But nowhere safe from the storm / And I can't bear to see / What I've let me be / So wicked and worn / So as I write to you / Of what is done and to do / Maybe you'll understand / And won't cry for this man / cause low man is due / Please forgive me / Please forgive me / So low the sky is all I see / All I want from you is forgive me / So you bring this poor dog in from the rain / Though he just wants right back out again / My eyes seek reality / My fingers seek my veins". I think it's the length of of time James spends rubbing our noses in the sick destitution of being the low man that turns most people off this track. That and the completely different musical style. I on the other hand welcome it.
Then it's on to a song that describes itself perfectly. Attitude is a song that Drew (my brother from another mother) and I should have, and could have written at the same time this album came out. It's raw anger and energy bouncing off the walls waiting to be unleashed. This is one of those tracks that you could picture being used in a million Hollywood shoot out scenes if Metallica let Hollywood have access to their music.
Everytime I hear Lars take a cheap shot at Fixxxer I want to punch him in the face. The problem is this is one of those tracks where he's little more than a metronome (which describes his drumming more than half the time), and it's slower than his factory prebuilt double bass drum at 140 tempo is use to. This is a song that builds, grows, and blossoms into an epic beast. Kirk's guitar work is fantastic and the instrumentation on this track is top notch. This is my favourite song on the album, and it's the perfect way to close it all off. I also find a lot of personal meaning within the lyrics, but those are a pale second to when the music starts to really take front stage around the four minute marker. Then when Kirk opens up his solo at the five minute marker leading into the heavy rhythm jam out around 5:30, before Kirk starts bouncing back and forth with James for almost a minute. Then the lyrics continue softly before the song explodes into a rage of musical expression. This is one of those types of songs I live for.
Between the excellent production, which I find spellbinding, the passion or the musicianship, and the emotional depth, pre therapy, of the lyrics this album grabs me in ways that I find escape many Metalheads, which is why I think so many people look down on this album. However, this album is everything I love from a classic Hard Rock album. This is an album that reminds me of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffitti or Black Sabbath's Masters of Reality.
I would suggest this album to any serious collector of music.
9/10 - content
10/10 - production
10/10 - personal bias
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