Load (album)

Metallica released their fifth studio album Metallica in August 1991.^[1] A major commercial success, it debuted at number one in the United States and the United Kingdom, among others,^[2] becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time with estimated sales of 30 million copies worldwide.^[3] With the album, Metallica became one of the biggest rock bands in the world.^[2][4] From 1991 to 1993, the band toured Metallica, performing 266 concerts across three concert tours. Another tour followed in mid-1994 to promote the live album Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993).^[5]

Throughout early 1994, the band members spent time away from each other: lead vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield devoted time to hunting; guitarist Kirk Hammett studied film, jazz, and Asian arts at San Francisco State University; bassist Jason Newsted created his own recording studio, The Chophouse; and drummer Lars Ulrich took the band's label, Elektra Records, to court in hopes of breaking their contract following a disagreement with the label's new management.^[6][7][8] The two parties eventually reached an agreement, with Metallica staying with Elektra under a new contract.^[6][9]

In the summer of 1994, Hetfield and Ulrich worked as a duo in the latter's basement recording studio, The Dungeon, observing the band members' demos recorded on the road over the past two years.^[10] Full-band rehearsals began in October and finished in January 1995.^[10][11] At this point, the band members' influences ranged outside of heavy metal: Hetfield immersed himself in American songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave, and American folk and country music; Hammett grew interest in David Bowie's works with Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, and the blues music of Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, and Howlin' Wolf; Newsted grew fond of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More, particularly the bass playing of the former's Flea; and Ulrich was enjoying Britpop groups such as Oasis.^[10][12] The wide range of influences proved productive for the band. By the time the proper recording sessions began, they had almost 30 completed songs.^[13]

The recording sessions for the new album began in May 1995 at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California.^[15] The sessions reunited Metallica with producer Bob Rock and engineer Randy Staub from Metallica.^[16] Despite having clashed during the production of Metallica, the band and Rock had settled their differences in the following years while on tour and decided to work together again.^[17] Hetfield explained that Rock "tends to help us dig deeper. We tell him what we're after and he tries to help us achieve that".^[18] He credited Rock with helping him deliver stronger vocal performances.^[17] The recording atmosphere was productive,^[16] and the band's songwriting process became looser and more relaxed compared to previous albums. Hetfield attributed this to the break the band members took from each other that allowed each member to "grow up on our own and come back with a little more respect for each other".^[14] Newsted agreed: "The studio thing has definitely gotten more comfortable. ... I think since everybody has their own life, separate life really strong in its own way with their own set of friends, I think we're really comfortable when we do get together and things like this."^[19]

Encouraged by Ulrich,^[15] Hammett played rhythm guitar for the first time on a Metallica album, having previously only played lead parts while Hetfield played all rhythm parts. Hammett said this was done to achieve "a looser sound".^[20] He ultimately became more influential in the songwriting process, sharing co-writing credits with Hetfield and Ulrich on seven of the final album's fourteen tracks.^[21] Newsted, on the other hand, felt isolated as the other band members, particularly Hetfield, dismissed his song ideas. He said at the time: "I feel more satisfied putting my bass parts on James' cool writing than I would getting five of my songs on the record".^[21] Nevertheless, Newsted felt trapped within Metallica and began working on his own side projects such as IR8. An IR8 demo tape ended up being played on a San Fransisco radio station, which angered Hetfield and Ulrich.^[8] Newsted explained to them: "You guys are always getting to be out there doing your thing. And I always want to back you up. But somehow, somewhere, I gotta let my shit out."^[8] Newsted nevertheless did not want bad blood between them, acknowledging Metallica as Hetfield and Ulrich's band and a carefree attitude towards songwriting credits, because "I still put my signature on it".^[8]

Metallica worked for most of the next year with a break for the summer festival season.^[11] A short tour commenced in August, during which the band debuted two new songs, "2 X 4" and "Devil's Dance".^[22] In November, Hetfield learned of his father's cancer diagnosis and briefly departed for Wyoming to be with him, using the time away to write lyrics.^[15] The following month, Metallica made an appearance at Whisky a Go Go honoring the 50th birthday of Motörhead singer Lemmy, performing several Motörhead covers.^[22] In January 1996, with so many new songs recorded, the band decided to scrap the idea of a double album and release the material as two separate albums. This was decided for multiple reasons. Firstly, the band would have had to back out of the 1996 Lollapalooza festival to complete production of the double album.^[16] Secondly, a double album only counts as one album on your contract, according to Ulrich, so "this way it counts as two [and] we get the pot of gold at the end even quicker!"^[23] Lastly, the workload tired the members out. Hetfield said at the time: "As time went on we realized that we couldn't tackle all of it at once; we were like nine months into the recording and weren't even done with half of the songs. It was too hard to focus."^[20] So, half the songs would be released first as Load and the other half as Reload the following year.^[24]

Concerned about the long recording process, Elektra Records set May 1, 1996 as the mastering date for the upcoming album.^[15] From March to April 1996,^[25] the band was in New York City recording overdubs and commencing mixing at Right Track Studios, with further mixing being done at nearby Quad Recording Studios.^[11] The band invited local journalists to these sessions to hear previews of the new album.^[15] Hetfield's father died in late February 1996, after which Hetfield returned to New York to finish recording. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he stated that he "went back to when [former Metallica bassist] Cliff [Burton] died" and "got some of the feelings out through the music".^[8]

At 78 minutes and 59 seconds in length, Load is Metallica's longest studio album.^[26] The long length was marketed by Elektra through advertisements on MTV and stickers affixed to initial pressings of the album itself.^[17] "The Outlaw Torn" had to be shortened by one minute to fit on the album;^[26] the full version of the track was released on the Reload single "The Memory Remains" as "The Outlaw Torn (Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version)", with a running time of 10:48.^[27]

The cover of Load is an original artwork titled Semen and Blood III. It is one of three photographic studies created by New York artist Andres Serrano in 1990 by mingling bovine blood and his own semen between two sheets of Plexiglas.^[8] Hammett came across the photo in an art book of Serrano's work titled Body and Soul that he purchased from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He said at the time that at first glance, he thought it resembled hot-rod flames due to a similar tattoo he had.^[8] Recalling the abstract art and psychedelia of a 1960s gig poster,^[26] the image depicts an amoeba-like blend of strawberry-red and creamy white tones swirling against a mottled black background.^[8] Serrano had known of the band but was unaware of their music.^[55] He appreciated the collaboration and believed it would help expand his audience.^[8] Hammett wanted the picture as Load's cover artwork because he thought it was "beautiful" and "it was the form, not the content, that was great".^[8] One of Serrano's artworks was also used for the cover of Load's follow-up Reload the following year.^[55]

Not all band members liked the photo. While Ulrich loved it,^[8] Newsted hated it and refused to discuss it in interviews. Hammett believed Newsted "cared too much about what the fans think", although he did not want fan reactions to "dictate or censor" what he did.^[8] Hetfield felt indifferent about the artwork and was more concerned about potential backlash from retailers who would refuse to sell the album over the cover.^[8][56] In 2009, Hetfield expressed his dislike of the artwork, calling it a "piss-take" around art made "for the sake of shocking others".^[57] Due to the band's differing views, a compromise was reached wherein the artwork's title would not appear in the album's liner notes, but Serrano remained credited as the cover artist.^[8] In a 2018 interview, Ulrich maintained his appreciation for the Load and Reload covers, calling them his favorite Metallica album covers.^[58]

Load featured a new Metallica logo that simplified and modernized its appearance, going from "metal" to "alternative".^[59] The album booklet featured photographs of the band by former U2 and Depeche Mode collaborator Anton Corbijn.^[59] With Load, the band adopted a new image that strayed away from their metal roots. They wore short hair, tailored shirts, leather jackets, and make-up.^[16][15] At certain press events, Hammett and Ulrich kissed each other.^[16]

When Load was unveiled in May 1996, fan reactions were mixed, with many criticizing Metallica's new image and change in sound.^[16] Some regarded it as a betrayal of the band's heavy metal roots.^[15] Hammett said: "I think we made a really fucking great album, and people aren't going to walk away from our music even if they think we look like 'poofs'. At the end of the day, it all begins and ends with the music. I think we're now much more than a heavy metal band."^[15] In a 1999 interview, Ulrich described the heavy-metal audience as "very conservative" and resistant to change, saying, "If at the end of the day someone's opinion of us comes down to whether we're wearing leather jackets, then they shouldn't be buying the records."^[60] In 2022, Rock commended the band for not caring what the fans think and doing "what they feel is right for them".^[61]

Load was released on June 4, 1996,^[b][63] through Elektra Records in the United States and Vertigo Records in the United Kingdom and Europe,^[64] in CD, cassette, and double LP formats.^[17] The album was a commercial success, debuting and spending four consecutive weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.^[65] The album sold 680,000 units in its first week, making it the biggest opening week for Metallica as well as the biggest debut of 1996.^[66] It was certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping five million copies in the United States.^[67] Load also attained number one positions in the U.K.,^[68] Australia,^[69] Austria,^[70] Belgium Flanders,^[71] Czech Republic,^[72] Denmark,^[73] the Netherlands,^[74] Finland,^[75] France,^[76] Germany,^[77] Hungary,^[78] New Zealand,^[79] Norway,^[80] Portugal,^[81] Scotland,^[82] Sweden,^[83] and Switzerland.^[84] Load reached number two in Belgium Wallonia,^[85] Ireland,^[86] Italy,^[87] and Spain,^[88] and number eight in Zimbabwe.^[89] Nevertheless, according to Wall, overall sales were less than half of Metallica.^[90]

Tour

Metallica performed various fanclub-only shows in June, after which they performed at the 1996 Lollapalooza festival.^[101] Metallica's appearance at the festival was controversial; longtime fans of the band accused them of selling out, while regular festival attendees believed their appearance was hijacking the music and culture the festival had been originally designed to reject.^[102] Metallica performed at the festival as a headliner, sharing the bill with Soundgarden, the Ramones, Rancid, and Screaming Trees.^[43]

After the Lollapalooza shows, Metallica embarked on the Poor Touring Me tour,^[101] which spanned 19 countries and ran 125 concerts from September 6, 1996, to May 28, 1997.^[24] According to Newsted, "We wanted to take the music to a new generation of Metallica fans."^[101] The tour began in Europe, where the band made appearances on the British television show Later... with Jools Holland and at the European MTV Awards in November.^[101] The American leg began in late December and spanned the entire Unites States and Canada.^[103] The band enjoyed their time on the road, with Ulrich stating the band was in the best physical and mental shapes of their career.^[104] Ulrich and Hetfield married their respective girlfriends in January and August 1997, respectively.^[105]

At the end of the tour, Metallica announced Load's follow-up album, Reload, to be released in November.^[106] Reload was composed of outtakes from the Load sessions, with additional recording sessions taking place from July to October 1997.^[24] Upon its release, like Load, Reload was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.^[107]

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[38]
Drowned in Sound	9/10[108]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[109]
Entertainment Weekly	B[37]
Los Angeles Times	[110]
NME	7/10[111]
Q	[111]
Rolling Stone	[112]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[113]
The Village Voice	C+[114]

Close

Load received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Positive reviews praised the band's performances and welcomed the change in sound.^[37][115] Musician magazine's Mac Randall said that "The boys are more into cohesion now, more interested in the slow increase of momentum."^[115] Rolling Stone's David Fricke believed that longtime fans should get over the change in image and appreciate the band's growth with "easily the heaviest record of the year".^[112] Q enthused, "These boys set up their tents in the darkest place of all, in the naked horror of their own heads... Metallica are still awesome... What is new is streamlined attack, the focus and, yes, the tunes."^[111] Entertainment Weekly's David Browne wrote that the band "approach each song on Load with grim, teeth-gritting determination" and exhibit "subtle" signs of emotional growth.^[37] Kerrang! editor Phil Alexander wrote that Metallica has "let their individual talents breathe" and with Load, the band "still tower over the competition with audacity and power".^[116]

Others were more mixed on Load. Some critics felt that the band's experimentations made them less forward-thinking and conventional,^[38][40] failing to push the band forward creatively.^[37][117] Jon Pareles of The New York Times remarked that "for the first time, Metallica sounds as if it's looking over its shoulder, wondering where it fits in the era of grunge".^[40] Howard Cohen of the Miami Herald felt that Load sounded "tame" compared to Metallica's previous records,^[117] which Browne attributed to the "clean but parched production".^[37] Melody Maker expressed reservations about Load's heaviness compared to its predecessors: "A Metallica album is traditionally an exhausting event. It should rock you to exhaustion, leave you brutalised and drained. This one is no exception. It is, however, the first Metallica album to make me wonder at any point, 'What the fuck was that?' It's as if the jackboot grinding the human face were to take occasional breaks for a pedicure."^[118] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said "this is just a metal record with less solo room, which is good because it concentrates their chops, and more singing, which isn't because they can't."^[114] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered Load repetitive, uninteresting and poorly executed.^[38] One of Metallica's contemporaries, Slayer's Kerry King, expressed his dislike for Load in a 1996 interview with Kerrang! magazine, saying that the music lacks "attitude" and "fire".^[119]

Opinions on Load and Reload have been mixed in the years and decades following its release. Both albums have typically placed low in lists ranking Metallica's studio albums.^{[30][120][121][33][122]} Many commentators agree that Load is bloated^[42] and overlong.^{[123][121][124]} Author Paul Stenning wrote that several songs sound like extended jams rather than having coherent structures.^[31] Metal Hammer's Paul Brannigan said that Load's main fault was "quality control", containing tracks that can be considered "throwaway" and "mediocre".^[15] Some have argued Load and Reload could have been one "pretty good" album but the band was "too loose" regarding editing.^[125][122] In his 2004 biography of the band, Joel McIver argues that with the experimentation, Metallica lost sight of themselves and what they succeed at best: "heavy metal with power, aggression, and kill".^[39] Others have shown appreciation for Load. In 2022, Louder's Terry Bezer called the album underrated and Metallica's "last great album".^[36] The following year, Loudwire's Jon Wiederhorn argued that the songs on Load are "solid and well-composed" and the album rewards repeated listens.^[28]

The band has held mixed opinions on the Load and Reload period in subsequent decades. Hetfield felt he was following Hammett and Ulrich's vision and did not believe in the idea of revamping their image.^[126] He felt that the large number of songs "diluted the potency of the poison of Metallica".^[127] Hetfield also believed that former bassist Cliff Burton, if still alive, would likely have disapproved of the direction the band took for the two albums.^[127] Nevertheless, Hetfield did not regret the period because it "felt like the right thing to do" at the time.^[126] When interviewed in 2002, Ulrich said he liked some of the material from Load and Reload and was more disappointed that fans reacted poorly to the music based on the band members' new image rather than the music itself.^[128] By 2003, Ulrich agreed that the two albums could have been condensed into one, but felt that at the time, he and Hetfield wanted to release all the newly-written songs and lacked "an edit button on our instrument panel".^[15] Reflecting on Load, Hammett said that pushing boundaries and surprising fans is part of Metallica's creative identity. He acknowledged that taking risks can either be rewarding or damaging, but ultimately, the band stayed true to themselves by experimenting and letting the music guide them.^[28]

Load will be reissued as a super deluxe box set on June 13, 2025. Described in a press release as "an ambitious and comprehensive time capsule of 1995–1997 era Metallica", the super deluxe set includes previously unreleased demos, rough mixes, videos, live recordings, and more. The physical release is spread across 15 CDs, six vinyl records, four DVDs, a 128-page hardcover book, and additional materials. The reissue also includes a new remaster of the original album by Reuben Cohen and the original extended version of "The Outlaw Torn", which was edited down due to manufacturing limits.^[129][130]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[63][131]

Metallica

• James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "2 X 4", "The House Jack Built", "King Nothing", "Thorn Within" and "The Outlaw Torn"^[45]
• Kirk Hammett – lead and rhythm guitar^[20][45]
• Jason Newsted – bass, fretless bass on "Until It Sleeps"^[132]
• Lars Ulrich – drums

Production