Metallica Reload CD

Metallica: James Hetfield (vocals, guitar); Kirk Hammett (guitar); Jason Newsted (bass); Lars Ulrich (drums).
Additional personnel: Marianne Faithfull (vocals); Bernardo Begalli (violin); David Miles (hurdy-gurdy); Jim McGillveray (percussion).
Producers: Bob Rock, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich.
Recorded at The Plant Studios, Sausilto, California between May 1995 and February 1996 and from July to October 1997.
"Fuel" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. "Better Than You" won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
Metallica recorded so much material for Load -- their first album in five years -- that they had to leave many songs unfinished, otherwise they would have missed their deadline. During the supporting tour for Load, they continued to work on the unfinished material, as well as write new songs, and they soon had enough material for a new album, Reload. The title suggests that Reload simply is a retread of its predecessor, and in many ways that's correct -- there's still too much bone-headed, heavy Southern rock for it to be anything other than the sequel to Load -- but there's enough left curves to make it a better record. Marianne Faithfull's backing vocals on "The Memory Remains" complement the weird, uneasy melody, and "Where the Wild Things Are" has an eerie menace that Metallica never achieved on Load. There are also a couple of ballads and country-rockers that don't work quite so well (it's never a good idea to have an explicit sequel, as on "The Unforgiven II"), and that, along with a few plodding Metallica-by-numbers, is what keeps Reload from being a full success. Still, the towering closer, "Fixxxer," along with handful of cuts that successfully push the outer edges of Metallica's sound, make the record worthwhile. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
When Metallica recorded 1996's LOAD, the studio sessions were fruitful enough for the band to put out two records. A year and a half later, RELOAD is the inevitable follow-up. Stretching beyond Metallica's speed metal roots, RELOAD is a continuation of the experimentation that dismayed many old fans and welcomed in many new ones. As a result, many Metallica firsts are reached on their eighth album. Some anomalies include recruiting the legendary Marianne Faithfull to contribute backing vocals on "The Memory Remains" and the addition of hurdy-gurdy and violin to the mix of the wistful "Low Man's Lyric." Throughout all this experimentation, Metallica still plays hard and fast, particularly on the metal groove of "Fuel" and the relentless pounding of "Where The Wild Things Are," (a title borrowed from children's author Maurice Sendak). Metallica continues to reinvent itself in a genre where mediocrity is always just around the corner.Rolling Stone (12/11/97, pp.75-76) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...more influenced by bluesy rock & roll than by any '90s trend....strongly rooted in the group's apocalyptic metal sound....The biggest change is an increased emphasis on rhythm..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/21/97, p.136) - "...the boys are back in frown, gnarling their way through bristly thrashers and slithery ballads recorded during and after the LOAD sessions. RELOAD continues their journey into stripped-down maturity while toying with fresh melodic textures..."
- Rating: B
Musician (2/98, p.83) - "...greasy, driving, full of fat grooves, lyric and rhythmic hooks, and sonic curveballs....captures one of rock's greatest bands at its peak..."