Originally released August 12, 1991
Reissued September 10, 2021
Blackened
2xLP (2021 Remaster)
Is there an album more synonymous with Heavy Metal than Metallica's self-titled fifth album? You could probably point to the early works of Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden, though their ubiquity stems from their integral part in the genesis of Metal as we know it. Instead, the legend of The Black Album, as it's colloquially known, is tied to it's cultural omnipresence as the longest charting metal album of all time (and the third highest charting album of all time, full stop), and the first album in the Soundscan era to surpass 16 million units. Here's a crazy stat: The Black Album charted for almost 600 consecutive weeks. That is absolutely bonkers. What's even more impressive is that it was effectively a new sound for the group, who had spent their previous four albums thrashing about like Henry Rollins at a Fortune 500 summit. In that sense, the Black Album acts as a sort of course correct for American Metal, where it returned to the trudging, dirge-like heaviness of Metallica's aforementioned progenitors. It's also the crucial reference point for every time you've pulled off some hardcore hooliganary, curled your ring and middle finger into the palm of your hand and said to whoever happens to be in your immediate vicinity "That was metal AF." Thank you, Lars.