Flashback Friday: Metallica

Every Friday on my drive to work I listen to an album from my past; Flashback Friday. The selection criteria is as follows:

1. The album must have been on steady repeat at some point in my life

2. The album must be over 10 years old

3. No skipping tracks.

Artist: Metallica

Album: Metallica (The black Album)

We missed one! Sorry everyone, Coachella was calling. I did see AC/DC perform on Friday so that kind of counts as Flashback Friday right?

Anyways, the selection for today’s drive was Metallica, and their black album. Thankfully for me and everyone else on the road this morning, traffic was not that bad because Metallica goes zero to 100 real quick, and all the aggression of the music could have translated into my driving. All of the “real” Metallica fans out there are going to pine on and on about how “Master of Puppets” is the best Metallica album, or extol the virtues of “Ride the Lightning”, but I don’t care. All of the old Metallica albums are great, but the black album is the most fun and it makes me feel young again. Sorry, not sorry, my formative years did not occur in the 1980’s.

The first track on the album is “Enter Sandman” and everyone knows how “Enter Sandman” begins. Sandman transcends music and bleeds into various other segments of the popular culture. Marino Rivera may have defined the song for Yankee fans everywhere, but the first thought those famous guitar chords project in my brain are youthful summers, playfully headbanging around a pool, with the black album blasting out of a boombox. The fast paced music hitting our eardrums and pumping adrenaline through our preteen veins. The fond memories and pounding drums have me tapping my feet and steering wheel with reckless abandon.

When the lonely cowboy guitar of “The Unforgiven” begins to play, visuals from the music video dance through my head. What really plays in my head is some amalgamation of all the videos from this album. The music videos have such a coherent theme and style, regardless of what song is playing I always see the semi-truck from “Enter Sandman” running over a bed. Details and specifics of the videos may fade away, but the memory remains.

There is no filler on this album. All of the songs sound so good. They each carry on the metal pace of the entire album. The basslines rip though the speakers priming your body for the powerful speed drumming of Lars Ulrich, and just when you think there is a moment to rest, a guitar solo electrifies you. The one constant sound paired with the music is James Hetfield’s gravelly voice, crashing over you like someone reciting a worn out campfire story. Each member of Metallica was firing on all cylinders for this album.

An underrated joy on this album is “Don’t Tread On Me”. I haven’t listened to this song in ages, but the second I hear it, the guitar riff awakens like the Kraken from the deepest depths of my memory. I might as well be racing in the Indianapolis 500 as hug the turns through the canyons of Los Angeles. “Don’t Tread On Me” is followed by another underrated jam in “Through The Never”. There may be some slight headbanging going on in the car right now. It might look like a steady reaffirming nod, but to me it’s headbanging.

As I continue on my journey it amazes me how many quality songs are on the black album. Hits like “Nothing Else Matters” to deep cuts like “My Friend Misery” all bring the trademark Metallica sound and never quit. There is no worse song on this album. I don’t want to skip over anything, each song is unique yet the same never missing a beat. This album is pretty close to perfect, younger me did make some good choices.

There was no need for coffee on this commute; Metallica was all the morning pick me up I needed. However, it was more than just the music that got me going, thinking of the many rock ‘n’ roll memories I shared with this album started today’s journey on the right foot. There may be better Metallica albums, there may even be other Metallica albums I like better, but the black album will always have a special place in my heart.