If I had kept my Jr. High School notebooks, I'm sure I'd have seen Metallica logos all over it, myself. Seems to be a trope, here!
Oh, is it metal discovery story time?!
The gateway for me was Iced Earth, having heard about them through some proto-internet AOL chat room for metal music. My Dad happened to be going to Europe for business, and I asked him to get me a CD of theirs while he was over there, as I heard Europe actually had metal CDs. He came back with Something Wicked This Way Comes, which I listened to over and over for about two weeks straight. Then he pulled out Days of Purgatory, which he had bought at the same time but held on to to give me later. I couldn't believe it. So, thanks Dad!
But that was the moment I realized that metal music EXISTS outside of my immediate sphere. That a whole
universe of music is created and enjoyed all over the world, and those who spent their time living within the confines of what is presented to them in their every day are completely missing out from the riches that are out there, if you take the time to look.
I stepped out of the cave, threw on my headphones, and never looked back.
I liked Load and still do, actually. I really haven't liked much after that, but Load wasn't a metal album or anything...it was almost like a side project for them, which was my opinion at the time. I could get into it but I always went back to their early stuff.
I tell ya, I threw that on the other day, and it is better than I remember. The songs are a little cheesy--especially Hetfield's occasionally
ridiculous vocal mannerisms--but they're incredibly well-written, and the production, the actual
sounds on the record, are fucking phenomenal.
If nothing else, Load is
professional.
Ready to get nostalgic?
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHVv7Mz2_Bo&ob=av3n[/ame]