In 1991, an album was released that was to take the hedge-trimmers to the bouffant of hair metal, putting the skid marks in Axl Rose’s shorts; an album that became a monolith that endures to this day. This album is of course not Nirvana’s Nevermind, often credited as prompting a fundamental shift in mainstream American heavy guitar music, but Metallica’s riff-blasting phantasmagoria, their self-titled fifth long-player, known henceforth as their Black Album, the subject of the new edition of our Low Culture podcast. John shares his thoughts about the moving gig at Villa Park that saw the legends of metal, including Metallica, unite to pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath (note – this episode was recorded before the death of Ozzy). The Black Album is Luke’s favourite record by Metallica, yet he’s often encountered a bit of a sniffy reaction to this from some of their fans, and those sleepless nights of anxiety and humiliation are assuaged by John’s explanation of why that might be. For John, Metallica were the band who got him into metal; for Luke, it was how this album seemed to fit with other things he was into as a teenager, weirdly including early Manic Street Preachers or the Bad Seeds, and was a record he used to dance to at electroclash and fruiting nightclub Trash 20-odd years ago. Amidst all that, the groove of The Black Album made a lot of sense. John challenges received wisdom, such as that it isn’t a metal album, or that Metallica were badly produced – he argues that it’s more that Bob Rock disciplined (though some say bullied) into becoming more focused than they’d ever been. “It’s Bob Rock who kicked the prog out of them,” as John puts it. This is an album that showcases just what an intelligent band Metallica were as they emerged from the tragedy of Cliff Burton’s death. This however comes with the slight caveat of the grim nationalistic USA USA undertones of ‘Don’t Tread On Me’, even if it is a really useful track to play out loud on your phone should you encounter a cougar during a walk up a lonely, remote path. John and Luke also offer a top tip – every band with a preternaturally talented guitarist needs someone in the room telling them to calm down.
Thanks to John Tatlock for editing the podcast, and all of you for supporting the work of tQ. Subscribers can log in to listen to the podcast below, or find it on their usual podcast platforms.
