Classic Albums (TV Series) Metallica: The Black Album (2001) User Reviews

A behind-the-scenes look at Metallica in the studio

[Stinson-2 · 8/10 · 30 June 2005]

Watching how Metallica created and recorded the Black Album with Bob Rock was an inspiration. I never thought much of these guys before, but I now have a much better appreciation of their work since seeing this video.

Certainly Metallica fans would benefit by watching this video. You get a good sense of what drives them. Although perhaps not the most articulate individuals, they come across as genuinely concerned with how they communicate with and stay true to their fan base.

Musicians will find this video particularly valuable. You get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. Despite, their initial reluctance at working with a big-name producer, Bob Rock brings his bag of production tricks to the project and eventually earns the band's respect.

Overall, this is a good video for rock music fans to watch, even if you don't like heavy metal.

Agree and Disagree with the previous review

[MF210 · 8/10 · 22 October 2004]

My Rating: *** out of ****.

I disagree with the reviewer saying that The Black Album is not a classic. I certainly think it is. It contains some of the best songwriting Metallica has ever done. Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters, and Of Wolf and Man. I also believe Holier Than Thou, Don't Tread on Me, The God That Failed, My Friend of Misery and The Struggle Within are underrated. The weakest song on the album is probably Through The Never but its still a great song. So yeah I completely disagree with you about The Black Album not being a classic.

What I do agree with you on is that its not the only Metallica album that deserves a DVD like this. I also agree with you that its not their best. Master of Puppets and ...And Justice For All are definitely superior. The songwriting is undeniably great on The Black Album but yeah it is superior on those two albums(Master of Puppets and One are my two favorite songs).

A case could be made that the Black Album is probably the most important album in Metallica's career. It is their most financially successful album and it gave them a ton of new fans. After The Black Album things were very much different for Metallica. They took a different step in their music and made the Load/Reload albums, probably the most criticized of all their albums (well maybe thats actually St. Anger but its close). For better or worse, The Black Album was a major turning point in their careers.

The DVD is definitely worth watching. I thought it gave a lot of interesting information about the songs. I enjoyed watching these guys talk about the album, I really just enjoy watching these guys. They are awesome. Lars Ulrich maybe a bit of a dick but he is hilarious. James Hetfield gives a lot of interesting background on some of the songs and he seems like a really cool guy. Kirk Hammett can certainly jam on the guitar. I liked that Jason Newstead got to talk about My Friend of Misery and to show off how talented he really is.

Overall, the DVD is worth watching and the album, in my opinion, is a must-have. The DVD maybe a little limited but it is interesting. I am really looking forward to the Some Kind of Monster documentary.

I just like Metallica documentaries

[SkullScreamerReturns · 7/10 · 21 November 2020]

This documentary looks back at the making of the famous black album. That is not my personal favorite Metallica album but nevertheless I enjoyed the show. I've seen several documentaries about Metallica and these are just interesting guys that are always fun to watch no matter what they are up to.

If you're new to documentaries like this and haven't seen many, I suggest to start with "Some kind of Monster" and "A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica" for example. But if you like Metallica and especially this particular album, this one is an interesting watch too. The only minus is that it's a little bit short. (If you watch it on dvd be sure to check out if there are bonus materials. I found some extra interviews there.)

The wrong album

[Cochise83 · 26 April 2004]

Having been a Metallica fan for as long as I can remember, this was something I had to see. It's basically about the writing, the recording and the impact of the Black Album, Metallica's best selling album of all time. And that's exactly what's wrong with it. It's seen now as a classic album by mainstream "rock" lovers, but it is not Metallica's best album, not by a long shot. There's nothing wrong with the interviews, even though some of them could have been a little longer for my taste, but the material on the Black Album just isn't strong enough to carry the label "Classic Album." With the exception of Enter Sandman, Wherever I May Roam and Sad But True, the entire album is miles away from the quality reached on Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, and some parts of ...And Justice For All. No doubt the Black Album was a turning point in Metallica's career, launching them into the public eye, creating a whole new horde of fans which adore them. Kirk Hammet himself describes the Black Album as Metallica's Dark Side Of The Moon, the epic classic by Pink Floyd, but there's a glitch in his reasoning. Sure, it was Pink Floyd's best selling album ever, but it was also their best, which can't be said of the Black Album. Overall, worth the watch if you like the album. Three stars out of five

A must see for the fans!

[CrazZ · 10/10 · 21 June 2003]

This is truly a must see documentary for the fans of Metallica. It explains the whole history behind the Black Album up until the decision of doing the S&M album. It explains the why and when of each song from The Black Album. A true classic!

A great insight into a band that has had its fair share of ups and downs

[CubeRic9000 · 8/10 · 4 May 2008]

Firstly, I must say that I saw Some Kind Of Monster before I saw this Classic Album doco, so my attachment to the inner workings of this band was already well established.

This doco it seems was made right before the implosion that was Some Kind Of Monster, and really works to capture the tension between the band, and the egotistical traits that they would try to rub out in the future. Many parts of this doco spell out the conflict that exists within the band, but there is also a genuine feel (especially from Lars and James) that they'll sort the problems out themselves. They always have......

The reality was something very different.

I think the character's body language and comments within this doco bring so much richness to the overall piece. From James, Lars, Kirk and Jason, to Bob Rock and Randy Staub (Engineer), I got a real sense of how difficult the recording of this album was for the six of them, its as though they find it just as difficult to revisit and talk about. There is definitely a lot to be read through Bob Rock's comments, and he becomes one of, if not the most integral character in this doco.

The doco provides brilliant insight into the Black Album. It delves deep into the technicalities of the recording and mixing. Looking at individual track developments and the problems that arose. The bonus features on the DVD are just as good as the doco itself, and I guess the only reason they weren't included was due to time limitations. Its almost like the bonus features are part 2 of the doco....excellent!

I believe this Classic Album doco differs from many of the others, and therefore gives it a much more emotional delivery. This doco looks at a band that is still actively recording, and by no means at the end of their career. In Metallica's case, when this doco was made, I guess it was right on the back of the Load/Reload and S&M backlash. It was a band that knew they had albums left in them, but had been hit with so much criticism, that going forward seemed all the more difficult.

So here, they are asked to feature in a doco on their 'classic album'. As much as I'm sure they appreciated the accolade, it would have brought up many questions in their heads about the point of pushing forward. If someone is telling you the album you made 10yrs ago is your classic album, then there is a definite belief that there is not much else left to come. I think this reflects through the band members in the doco. Its not a sense of remembering 'how good we are' (as it feels in many other 'Classic Album' docos, where the band has long since retired/disbanded), but more of a sense of revisiting 'how good we were'. And therefore begs the question what has gone wrong since.

I guess to summarise, this Classic Album doco for me was made at such a poignant time in the career of Metallica, that it is a must have for any serious fan, as it provides so much insight into the past, the present, and most powerfully, what was yet to come.

Long Live Metallica!