ppl who call them overrated get on my fuckin nerves because they deserve every piece or respect they get! if you hate them, go fucking write me a better album than master of puppets! i know sabbath and zeppelin invented metal, and i know judas preist and maiden stripped the blues away from it, but metallica sped it up, and took it too another level. god fuckin bless em and i hope the new album is great, and if not, fuck it, i'll still be a fan!
The reason why people hate Metallica isnt solely based on their material. They started out as long haired skateboarding kids hanging out writing metal because they loved it and overtime became one of the most greedy corrupt money hungry bands ever and pawns of the music industry . Heres how I see it:
Kill em All - Master of Puppets
The glory years. This was when these guys were fucking inspired. They cared about what they were doing and really felt like they could conquer the world. They didnt care about money, they just wanted to reach as many people as they could and have a good time doing it. They wanted to "fuck up the system" They had the perfect lineup and even opened up for Ozzy on tour with MOP. Things were looking good.
...and Justice for All
BAM !!! Cliff Burton gets killed in a tragic accident and the guys lose a bit of their spirit with him. Cliff was almost a mentor to the rest of the guys, he partied it up but he always seemed to be the most responsible one. He listened to classical music and just really considered music to be an artform. And Justice was almost like a tribute to the death of Cliff and Metallica's former self. They did what they did in the first 3 albums but did it to the extreme. Longer songs, heavier parts, and the most technical stuff they could come up with. They wanted to go out with a bang. Ironically Cliffs death was also apparent in that Cd because even though Jason was around you can barely hear any bass.
Black Album
The turning point. Metallica's artistic integrity died with Cliff but their desire to get their music heard was stronger than ever. They did whatever they had to to make sure that anyone and everyone had a chance to hear of Metallica. They wrote short radio friendly songs, two ballads, and released almost every song as a single right when grunge was starting to gain popularity. They went on tour and stayed there for 2 years straight. Uh Oh, bring in the money. The black album made Metallica what they are today. They went from a pretty popular and respected metal band like Opeth and turned into one of the biggest bands in the world through the corse of one album.
Loads- S&M/Garage Ink.
These guys were now on top. They were rolling in cash and liked that feeling. They decided to become a rock band, they cut their hair, wore eyeliner, and changed their entire image. Look at the pictures iside the Load booklet. They made videos like "Hero of the Day" and wrote songs like that horrible acoustic country one about his dead mother. Worse of all, they sued the people that got them there. They went to all that trouble with the black album to get popular and now they were turning their back on the people who just wanted to hear it. They had dollar signs in their eyes and greed in their hearts. They didnt give a shit about music. The music was just a tool for them to make more money. They did stupid projects like making a Cd entirely of covers and playing with an orchestra. They were running out of steem and that led to...
St. Anger
James decided it wasnt working. He went to rehab and the band was hualted for a while. When he came back they tried to gain back their old enthusiasm and show that they still had it and wernt just a bunch of old rich dudes who play guitar. They tried so hard in fact that it ruined the whole thing. They tried to make a point with the production making it sound raw and garage bandish, they tried to make longer songs, they tried to throw the heaviness back in, but its all fake. All I hear when I hear St. Anger is fake screaming out at me. They lost it when they sold their soul.
Thats why people hate Metallica. They are the perfect example of what the music industry will do if you let it. Itll suck you in and destroy everything you stand for and believe. They became what they hated. They are holding onto their past achievments and unfortunately that reputation will still have people buying what they make, even if their next few albums are St. Anger clones. The chances of them ever getting back that flame they started with are extremely unlikely.