Reload is the seventh studio album by the American thrash/heavy metal band, Metallica. The album lasts a duration of 76:00. It was released on November 18, 1997 under the record label known as Elektra Records.

Lineup:

James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Kirk Hammett – lead guitar

Jason Newsted – bass

Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion

Additional Musicians:

Marianne Faithfull – additional vocals on "The Memory Remains"

Bernardo Bigalli – violin on "Low Man's Lyric"

David Miles – hurdy-gurdy on "Low Man's Lyric"

Jim McGillveray – percussion

Production:

Bob Rock, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich – producers

Brian Dobbs, Randy Staub – engineers

Bernardo Bigalli, Darren Grahn, Kent Matcke, Gary Winger – assistant engineers

Mike Fraser, Randy Staub – mixing

George Marino – mastering

Paul DeCarli, Mike Gillies, Darren Grahn – digital editing

Andie Airfix – design

Anton Corbijn – photography

Andres Serrano – artwork

Background:

Reload shows Metallica's continued use of hard rock and southern rock. Load and Reload were initially supposed to be released as a double album, so it is no surprise that they have a similar overall sound. I have often said if you took the best songs from each record and made it one album, it would actually be one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time.

The band decided to bring back Bob Rock to produce his third with the band. Reload is very similar to Load as far as musical direction. Metallica stripped down their sound to a more simple hard rock driven sound. In my opinion, Reload executes this style more consistently than Load was able to.

Reload debuted at 1 on the Billboard 200 and it remained on the chart for 75 weeks. The album has since gone 4x Platinum in the United States. Each track will be rated as follows: Awful, Very Poor, Poor, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Good, Great, and Superb. Here are my thoughts on each track:

Track Listing:

1. "Fuel" 4:29

"Fuel" is perfectly placed as the opener of this album. I love the raw energy and speed of the entire song. James Hetfield sounds really great as well. The chorus is catchy and is definitely one of the more memorable parts of the song. The guitar solo is also a excellent touch.

Grade: Great

2. "The Memory Remains" 4:39

This is definitely one of the best songs from the album. I love the slow paced drumming and the guitar riffs. The chorus is very catchy and memorable. Kirk Hammett's overall guitar work is really great throughout this song's run time. The strange additional vocals on this track definitely take some getting used to, but I do not mind them now. The guitar solo is also pretty great because of its nice distortion effects.

Grade: Great

3. "Devil's Dance" 5:18

This song has some awesome groove to it. I love the opening bass line combined with the great guitar riff. I love Hetfield's vocals as well because of the somewhat eerie delivery he utilizes. The chorus is fantastic as so many on this album are. Kirk Hammett plays another strange guitar solo with tons of distortion to make the song that much better.

Grade: Great

4. "The Unforgiven II" 6:36

Did we really need a sequel to "The Unforgiven." Not really, but this song is pretty great. I love Hetfield's vocals and the emotion of the entire song. The chorus is probably the best from the entire album. The guitar work is subtle, but perfectly fits the entire emotional feel of the entire track. Kirk Hammett also plays one of my favorite guitar solos from the entire album.

Grade: Great

5. "Better Than You" 5:21

I am not a big fan of this song. It has a pretty memorable chorus, but the rest of the track is so mediocre. The song is somewhat of a bore because of its repetitive uneventful nature. The guitar solo even feels somewhat derivative. This is definitely a song that I skip when listening to this album.

Grade: Poor

6. "Slither" 5:13

"Slither" is one of the most unique tracks from the album. I love the groove driven guitar riffs throughout this entire song. The distortion used on Hetfield's voice during the voice is also an excellent touch. The guitar solo is the last piece that makes this song one of the better tracks from the album.

Grade: Great

7. "Carpe Diem Baby" 6:12

This is the exact definition of a grower. The more I listen to this track, the more I like it. I love the slowed drum beat and groove driven guitar riffing in the song. The chorus builds to a nice vocal peak when James sings "carpe diem baby." There are also some great moments that will induce head banging that occur just before the terrific guitar solo. "Carpe Diem Baby" has grown a lot on me over the years.

Grade: Good

8. "Bad Seed" 4:05

The guitar riffs are really groove driven during this song. I do not really care for the other elements of the song though. The chorus is okay, but definitely one of the weakest from the album and the song really drags for only being four minutes.

Grade: Below Average

9. "Where the Wild Things Are" 6:54

Now comes another grower from the album. The emotional vocals are fantastic and the guitar riffs are also very nice. The chorus is definitely one of the album's finest. The vocals are eerie and unsettling and really add some atmosphere to the song. The guitar solo is absolutely fantastic as so many Hammett solos are. I used to not enjoy this song that much, but now I see it as one of the best from the entire album.

Grade: Great

10. "Prince Charming" 6:05

I love the beginning guitar riffs that open this track. It is definitely one of the faster paced tracks from the album. The chorus is also pretty catchy and easy to sing along to. Hetfield's vocals have a lot of personality, which helps me get into the track a lot more. The first guitar solo is very distorted, but I like it quite a bit. Hammett throws in another to end the track on a very high note.

Grade: Good

11. "Low Man's Lyric" 7:36

This is the most beautiful song from the entire album. I love Hetfield's vocal delivery during the song, because I can just hear all of the emotion in his voice. The additional instrumentation on the track is an excellent touch as well. The emotional lyrics combined with the perfect style of music make this one of Metallica's most underrated "ballads."

Grade: Great

12. "Attitude" 5:16

This is a pretty groovy and catchy track. I love the guitar riffs that are in this faster paced track. The chorus is one of my favorite parts thanks to its catchy lyrics and musical rhythm. The guitar solo is another strong one from the album. It may be simple, but "Attitude" is a good song.

Grade: Good

13. "Fixxxer" 8:15

Now comes the strongest track from the entire album. This song is very atmospheric and unique. I love the guitar riffs thanks to their distortion and overall sound. I love Hetfield's vocal delivery because of the clear emotion in his voice and his powerful delivery. The chorus is very strong and is one of my absolute favorites from the album. The guitar soloing is phenomenal as well. Everything on this song seems to come together to make perfection on this track. This is definitely one of the strongest closing tracks the strongest to an album that the band has ever done.

Grade: Superb

My Verdict:

Reload is severely underappreciated by music fans and critiques alike. I used to not enjoy this album, but the tracks get better with every listen. This album has so many really good songs throughout. I love the groovy guitar riffs, the drumming, and the lyrics of so many songs. To all of the fans that refuse to appreciate this album because it is not a thrash metal album, I recommend giving it a chance and listen to it multiple times. This is one of those albums that grows on a listener a lot after many listens.

Rating: 8 / 10