For the past 15 years, I've been a huge non fan of Metallica...

[Sephiroth]

TL;DR? Fuck off, pleb.

1. you mad.

2. Slayer didn't have to change, and neither did others. Just look at how little changed Iron Maiden is today. A lack of change isn't always a bad thing. For those driven by more mainstream markets, the lack of keeping up with the masses is the kiss of death. But for those who reject it they can sometimes survive just as fine. The last time Iron Maiden was here, it was a full house. The last time Metallica was in the same venue, the same situation.........so both ways do work if you know what you're doing.

3. I hardly give Metallica credit for everyone going heavy. I think it happened organically as some types of metalheads wanted to distance themselves from the likes of what mainstream called "metal" (IE "hair metal"). And they sure as shit didn't do it to get more money thinking they could be Metallica rich. To the contrary, Skid Row went heavier knowing damn well it would lose them the groupie slut crowd. Even Judas Priest went heavier with Painkiller while not gdoing it for the sake of sales but for the sake of breaking away.

4. Breaking the formula RTL/MOP/AJFA had is not the same thing as switching gears to pander to different demographics.

5. Who frickin cares if they're a household name? Do you give any shits that Dimebag is not a household name? Me neither. Does that diminish his work? Nope. Sure they all work for fame, but to change shit to pander to it is something pop stars do, not metal bands.

6. Sure Metallica and GnR aren't comparable BUT insted of joining Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, and Alice in Chains on the Clash of the Titans tour let's tour with Axl instead. That'll be a great idea. Fuck what was already one of the best tours ever and could have been the single greatest tour ever. Let's make everyone put up with Axl's shit.


TL;DR they would have survived anyway because they made their mark, and people aren't paying to see them play their new shit

[RR2772]

Kind of agree but Flemming and Bob had enough jobs on their hand recording and in Bob's case mixing though Flemming did mix Lightning. They did not direct the style as demos where done before.

Bob just polished the sound to much.

For me I grew tired of the black album and still find it as boring as it is. The main thing is that it is to anti the '80s material it is not even funny and I do not want to own a copy of it for life.

[toejam]

You forget they got those haircuts as a show of solidarity after James got caught in the pyros.

Sure they did. James still had long hair for a couple years after that. There's footage with Jim Marshall from Metal Church playing guitar with them after the burn incident.

[RR2772]

They had long hair while recording load and reload! James has said the pyro might be why he can't grow hair to a certain lenght. What Lars excuse is I don't know.

[Rsmacker]

What Lars excuse is I don't know.

His fucking light-bulb head keeps growing through his hair.

[Chad]

They had long hair while recording load and reload! James has said the pyro might be why he can't grow hair to a certain lenght. What Lars excuse is I don't know.

James' pyro accident: 08/08/1992
Load release: 06/01/1996

They delayed their "show of solidarity" almost 4 years?

[leftykingv2]

Kill em all is a great record. I was a huge Metallica fan for the longest time but like a lot of other people said after Justice they went to shit. Kirk with the freaking wah wah on every damn song. Lars is a giant twat as well. I mean think about Newstead. He left one of the easiest and best paying jobs in the world. Why do you think he did that? I know why. I am not going to say the P.C. answer all of Metallica and Newstead give either because it's bullshit. Newstead's new music is way harder than the shit Metallica is pumping out now or since Justice. Simply put he didn't want to play "Powder puff pussy bang sellout garbage" anymore. He figured fuck it I can play to five thousand people every night and play honest good hard rockin stuff or I can stay in the machine that pumps out shit that's softer than baby powder and continue to not have a say in my own career and lose my musical integrity just to play bigger arenas and have a bigger bank account. I respect him for walking and telling the "Two assholes". (James&Lars) to get bent. Metallica's music now days is about as hard as a dude who whispers to kittens while drinking wine coolers and taking bubble baths in "Garnier Fructis."

[leftykingv2]

James' pyro accident: 08/08/1992
Load release: 06/01/1996

They delayed their "show of solidarity" almost 4 years?

That solidarity thing is bullshit anyway. If they were so one for all and all for one Lars and James would let someone else who was actually in the band speak their mind or have an equal fucking vote for once. Even Kirk whose been in the band for a long ass time knows not to speak out of turn to Hetfield or Ulrich. He's their pet monkey boy and Newstead had enough of playing "shine monkey shine."

[Sephiroth]

Bob just polished the sound to much.

For me I grew tired of the black album and still find it as boring as it is. The main thing is that it is to anti the '80s material it is not even funny and I do not want to own a copy of it for life.

I love the polish on the black album. On a high-powered stereo system the difference in sound quality over previous Metallica albums is apparent as hell. It's the direction of the music that gets me.

Even Kirk whose been in the band for a long ass time knows not to speak out of turn to Hetfield or Ulrich. He's their pet monkey boy and Newstead had enough of playing "shine monkey shine."

That's a sad thing. I still remember the "some Kind of Monster" movie with Lars basically calling Kirk selfish because on St. Trashcan Kirk wanted to do what Kirk does and solo, which disagreed with Lars's "vision" for a nu-metal style album, so Lars shit the bed until Kirk agreed to just do what Lars wanted.....because Lars getting his way without regard to anyone is totally not selfish.

And Voivod has been a personal favorite of mine since the 80's, Newsted got to be there for Denis D'Amour's final stretch in this world, and I hope Newsted had lots of fun while with them.

[Gartron]

I was a massive Metallica nut swinger back in the 80's and I agree with every word the 'Smaker said, if they hadn't evolved they would be gone...we'd be talking about why Metallica disappeared when they had the world at their feet. (or blaming grunge for killing them off)

for my taste their first 4 albums were the best , but I still enjoyed Load, reload and Garage Inc..they were still very much Metallica...the main difference was that I wasn't a spotty 15 year old boy any more!

[leftykingv2]

I was a massive Metallica nut swinger back in the 80's and I agree with every word the 'Smaker said, if they hadn't evolved they would be gone...we'd be talking about why Metallica disappeared when they had the world at their feet. (or blaming grunge for killing them off)

for my taste their first 4 albums were the best , but I still enjoyed Load, reload and Garage Inc..they were still very much Metallica...the main difference was that I wasn't a spotty 15 year old boy any more!

They've "evolved" alright....Into a giant steaming pile of mastodon dung. Their music shouldn't even be allowed in the same genre as "Metal" anymore.

[Razor]

Kill em all is a great record. I was a huge Metallica fan for the longest time but like a lot of other people said after Justice they went to shit. Kirk with the freaking wah wah on every damn song. Lars is a giant twat as well. I mean think about Newstead. He left one of the easiest and best paying jobs in the world. Why do you think he did that? I know why. I am not going to say the P.C. answer all of Metallica and Newstead give either because it's bullshit. Newstead's new music is way harder than the shit Metallica is pumping out now or since Justice. Simply put he didn't want to play "Powder puff pussy bang sellout garbage" anymore. He figured fuck it I can play to five thousand people every night and play honest good hard rockin stuff or I can stay in the machine that pumps out shit that's softer than baby powder and continue to not have a say in my own career and lose my musical integrity just to play bigger arenas and have a bigger bank account. I respect him for walking and telling the "Two assholes". (James&Lars) to get bent. Metallica's music now days is about as hard as a dude who whispers to kittens while drinking wine coolers and taking bubble baths in "Garnier Fructis."

This right here says it all, sums it up nicely, and describes me too. I still want to punch babies and eat kittens when I hear The Thing That Should Not Be. Metallica lost me after the Black album. Like everyone else, my favs are KEA, RTL and MOP. They lost me at Load and everything else since. As said before, Metallica died a hard slow death when Cliff passed away. Metallica is now as fake and poser as they raged about on the Cliff Em All video, and they've been that way for near twenty years now. I'm one of those in the minority that liked the Black album.

[CowboyFromHell]

They've "evolved" alright....Into a giant steaming pile of mastodon dung. Their music shouldn't even be allowed in the same genre as "Metal" anymore.

Like em or not they've survived this long for a reason. Evolution is a strange thing, Things don't always turn out the way you want them to or may even like but there's no arguing how many people own Metallica CDs, new or old.

[leftykingv2]

Like em or not they've survived this long for a reason. Evolution is a strange thing, Things don't always turn out the way you want them to or may even like but there's no arguing how many people own Metallica CDs, new or old.

That's true because I still own all their albums. Even though I haven't liked anything since Justice. Every time they release a new album I still go out and buy it when it drops just because I am still hoping against hope that they'll turn it around and recapture what made me fall in love with their music so many years ago. Even with as much as I dislike what they've been doing I guess I'll always be a fan to some extent. I am not going to sit here and lie by saying I don't catch their concerts when they come into town either. They do still put on a damn fine show and no matter how much I can't stand 90% of their new music they ALWAYS sound just like what ever they record.

[akoch]

I listened to them back in the day and certainly liked the band a lot. Stopped just before and around the black album. Have not been ever since, and yes switching the radio station if they come up.