Artist: METALLICA
Album: LOAD (CD)

Release date: 1996
EAN/UPS: 0731453261822
Media type: CD

The album marked the band's return to the musical landscape, approximately five years after the release of their international smash success, Metallica. Load saw the band embrace a collective sound and identity far removed from their thrash metal roots. As on previous releases, the fourteen songs that would eventually make up the album began as rough demos created by principal songwriters James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich in Ulrich's basement recording studio, "The Dungeon." The band took over 30 demos into The Plant Studios in the spring of 1995 where they would work for approximately the next year. Once again, Metallica teamed up with famed producer Bob Rock, who had been at the helm during the recording process for Metallica.

The songwriting dispenses almost entirely with the thrash metal style that characterized the band's sound in the 1980s. In place of staccato riffs, Hetfield and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett experimented with more blues based tones and styles. As the group had become friends with country star Waylon Jennings prior to the recording of Load, he is often credited as influential to the album's new sound, particularly songs like "Mama Said." Additionally, Ulrich adopted a minimalist approach to his drum recording, abandoning the speed and complex double bass patterns of previous albums. Hetfield displayed a lyrical evolution as well, writing what many feel to be his most personal and introspective lyrics. "Until it Sleeps," the album's lead single, addressed his father's losing battle with cancer, while "Mama Said" explored his relationship with his mother. All of this marked a departure from the political and social overtones of albums like ...And Justice for All and Master of Puppets.

The album also marked the first appearance of a new Metallica logo, rounding off the stabbing edges of the first and last letters of the band's earlier 1980s logo. The M from the original logo was used to make a shaken-like symbol known as the "ninja star" which was used as an alternate logo on this and future albums as well as other related artwork. The album featured an expansive booklet which contained many photos of the band. The booklet only contained select lyrics from each song in contrast to Metallica's previous studio albums which included complete song lyrics. Additionally, the interior artwork revolved around images of inkblots, a theme which would carry over to ReLoad and the covers for the singles released from the two albums.

The cover of the album is original artwork entitled "Semen and Blood III." It is one of three photographic studies by Andres Serrano created in 1990 by mingling the artist's own semen and bovine blood between two sheets of Plexiglas.

This was Metallica's longest studio album, clocking in at 78:59. Initial pressings of the album were affixed with stickers that boasted its long playtime, simply reading "78:59."

"The Outlaw Torn" had to be shortened by about one minute to fit on the album. The full version was released on a single for "The Memory Remains" as "The Outlaw Torn (Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version)" with a running time of 10:48. An explanation was given on the single's back cover:

When we were doing the final sequencing of the 'LOAD' album, the record company told us that we couldn't go a second past 78.59, or your CD's wouldn't play without potentially skipping. With our 14 songs, we were running about 30 seconds over, and something had to give, so the cool-ass jam at the end of 'Outlaw' got chopped (ARRRGGGHHH!!). Here is the full version as it was written, recorded and meant to be.

All songs written and composed by James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich, except where noted.

TRACKLIST:

1. "Ain't My Bitch" (Hetfield, Ulrich) 5:04
2. "2 Ч 4" 5:28
3. "The House Jack Built" 6:39
4. "Until It Sleeps" (Hetfield, Ulrich) 4:30
5. "King Nothing" 5:27
6. "Hero of the Day" 4:22
7. "Bleeding Me" 8:18
8. "Cure" 4:54
9. "Poor Twisted Me" (Hetfield, Ulrich) 4:00
10. "Wasting My Hate" 3:57
11. "Mama Said" (Hetfield, Ulrich) 5:19
12. "Thorn Within" 5:51
13. "Ronnie" (Hetfield, Ulrich) 5:17
14. "The Outlaw Torn" (Hetfield, Ulrich) 9:49

LINE-UP:

James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar
Lars Ulrich – drums
Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
Jason Newsted – bass