20th Anniversary of "The Black Album" by Metallica

As of today, Metallica fans (and heavy metal/hard rock fans...hell, just straight up music fans in general) have now enjoyed 20 years of the band's massively successful self-titled fifth album, also affectionately referred to as "The Black Album" given the dark cover art seen to the left. Released on August 12, 1991, it was an instant success both critically and monetarily, with rave reviews in countless publications and a debut as the number one highest selling album in over ten countries. It was no blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair either: The Black Album remained in Billboard's Top 200 (the top 200 albums sold in North America in a given week) for nearly 300 weeks straight, well into the late 90s. Its worldwide sales are currently somewhere around the 22 million mark. Damn!

As you can imagine, The Black Album has gone on to achieve legendary status as a quintessential rock album that pretty much everyone and their mother has heard, largely in part to its five hit singles (Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam, and Sad But True) that are played everywhere to this day, Metallica's live concerts included. Some older Metallica fans may have been alienated by its stripped down song arrangements and the daringly soft ballad-style "Nothing Else Matters", but by and large, the album has been an incredible achievement the likes of which most musicians can only dream of. It pushed Metallica into the stratosphere, and knowing their humble beginnings and the hard work and passion they (continue to) put into their career, I must say...those guys really deserved it.

On a personal note, The Black Album is far from my favorite by Metallica. Controversially, I actually prefer the follow up album Load. Yeah, try to wrap your brain around that. Still, I can respect all that it achieved for the band, and there's plenty about it that I'll always love. With some of the most personal lyrics and powerful vocals of his career, this may be the Metallica album where singer/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield shines most. I still love hearing him belt out "I'm your life - AND I NO LONGER CA-AAAARE" in the final verse of Sad But True. He has such a characterful vocal delivery, and here, it's in its peak. Also of note are the catchy solos of Kirk Hammett and a layered mix with incredible depth. Twenty years in, the album still sounds amazing.

There are plenty of metal fans out there that immediately frown at the very mention of Metallica, but even through controversial (for no reason) haircuts, experimentation in style, a lone drummer's anti-downloading campaign, and the drama-filled St. Anger era, I've stuck by. Metallica means a lot to me. They were the first band to really get me interested in music...in both listening and performing. I wouldn't be a musician today without their influence. Through Metallica, I was opened up to a whole new world of expression. To the uninitiated, it might sound silly, but it's been a priceless experience. I love those guys and I'm very happy that they made it through the more awkward years of their career and are still relevant. They're still out there giving it their all. I'm proud of all Metallica has accomplished, and I'm more than pleased to tip my hat to The Black Album, an album important not just to their career, but to millions of people the world over. Well done.