What is Mikael Åkerfeldt's opinion on Metallica?

[GT2000]

It's cool reading from people who liked the Black Album - and who, in fact got into metal because of it.
Generational thing I guess... I was positively devastated when that piece of shit dropped.

Back in my day, Metallica were gods. I got into them during Ride the Lighthing days. I can't tell you how depressed I was when the Black Album came out.
It was just such a terrible new chapter for the band. It grated as well having these giggly pop-fans suddenly loving the band, and having to 'dance' to Enter Sandman at clubs was just awful and demoralising....

To keep it in perspective, though - they DID drop four classic albums prior to that. So they deserved the big pay day that came out of the Black Album.

 

[Luann]

Hate is overrated here.

notworthynotworthynotworthy

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

I think Justice is their best album, and regardless of what anyone else says, I still like Load. Reload is kinda blah, though.

 

[Wander]

I think Justice is their best album, and regardless of what anyone else says, I still like Load. Reload is kinda blah, though.

I also think that Load is decent album for what it is. (and that is not aggressive metal, mind you) I sometimes even pop it in my CD player to listen to a couple of songs.

 

[Nightmare_Heaven]

Load is a great rock album.

as for the rest, I used to be a massive Metallica fan, and I still think they're great. Black album may be mainstream as fuck, but there's good songs. its a metal album for everyone.

Justice is my favourite though. that album dominates from start to finish.

 

[metal_wrath]

The biggest reason I can't get into Metallica is = boring. Also the singers voice and lyrics are somewhat funny to me. I would probably rather listen to Limp Bizkit. uke:

I just really hate Metallica, and I wanted to let you all know.

I mean if Mikael likes them, that's fine.

+1

 

[Carl Hungus]

If a person can honestly listen to Orion and say it's crap then there is no hope for them.

 

[James Hetfield]

I think yes, he enjoy the sound of my band.
I still play awesome live, so yeah.

 

[metal_wrath]

I think yes, he enjoy the sound of my band.
I still play awesome live, so yeah.

Lol

Didn't know James Hetfield lived in Brasil...

btw,

SCREEEEEAAAAAAAAAAM for me BRAZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rezard]

Metallica is a great band, and actually there are certain parts that remind me of Opeth, mostly the folk guitar/distorted guitar stuff... there aren't THAT many metal bands which do this kind of thing.

 

[dwoakee]

If a person can honestly listen to Orion and say it's crap then there is no hope for them.

I wouldn't say it's crap ... it's a nice little instrumental but nothing spectacular.

 

[Ruun]

metallica is a band

 

[parasubvert]

The reason I ask is because I know EVERYONE has an opinion about them and how they have changed over the years. You either love em or hate. For me, Opeth and Metallica are my all time two favorite bands.

Though I don't listen to Metallica much anymore, Metallica was once my favorite band -- my first favorite band, actually. I grew up with them, and consider them the baseline of why I came to love metal as a genre.

Over the years I've matured to love many genres and related bands, but sometimes I long to see Metallica continue where they left off with Justice. They clearly got sick of playing of longer, progressive songs. Thus the black album switched in favor of simpler structures. This obviously helped their career a lot, even as old fans lost respect. After this they just got lazy and decided to write (for lack of a better term) 'boogie metal' .... which, for what it was, was OK at times, just not 'great' -- I didn't mind Load, and some of Reload, or Garage Inc, but it wasn't really the same.

Opeth was the first band for me to really "capture" the epic feel of early Metallica - back when I really think they were a progressive band - and take it much, much further. While thrash ragers like Battery and Whiplash are my simple favorites, the depth came from "prog" tunes like Call of Kthulu, Orion, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets, Sanitarium, Blackened, One, etc. I realize they're not what one would normally consider 'prog', as they had different roots, but that same oddness of it all is what makes Mike's songwriting so interesting. He's synthesizing all of these strands of influence into a very unique brew.

I've often felt that Opeth's career tracks Metallica's in some respects -- Metallica took a niche genre (Thrash), pwned it, and somehow became the largest band in the world doing it. Yeah, they eventually got lazy and fat, but, hey, power corrupts. Anyway - if there's ever a band to bring elements of black or death metal to legitimacy in mainstream music, Opeth likely is it. Now, some may not care or give a shit about whether this stuff is popular or not, and generally I empathize, but also think it is a rare artistic feat to be able to straddle the line between 'accessible', 'innovative', and 'wtf was that?'.

 

[Reelo]

No matter what I might be thinking about the current state of Metallica, their past work from the 80s has been somewhat of a soundtrack to my teen years. It saddens me all the more that they turned to crap now. Seriously, they are only a pale copy (or even parody) of their former glory now.

But as far as Orion goes, no song Metallica has ever written comes close to this one. The sound of the guitars and bass has (to my knowledge) never been done again, the riffs are just awesome and the melodies, also and especially on bass, are one-of-a-kind. It's my favourite Met-song by far...

 

[dwoakee]

Though I don't listen to Metallica much anymore, ...

hey, good post! My view's pretty similar ...

 

[Mantraschism]

Several months ago, I gave them another chance. They used to be my favorite band, and now I could hardly care less. I found myself liking 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Master of Puppets' better now than I used to, though. Other than that, I just come away from listening to Metallica feeling rather... meh.

 

[Frosties]

... After this they just got lazy...

... Yeah, they eventually got lazy and fat, but, hey, power corrupts.

Bullshit - they were/are far from lazy. They tour far more than most bands. And songs like Outlaw Torn, Fixxxer, Bleeding Me and a lot of others are just as "complicated" as their earlier stuff.

You may not like them, but they are NOT lazy.

And the only person to gain weight was James.

 

[Carl Hungus]

I agree that they have become lazy because it takes a minimum of 5 years to come up with new material. Actually, it took more than that between the Black Album and St. Anger because basically the Loads were one massive album with the same sound. From 1991 to 2003 they basically had one album that they released.

Maybe "lazy" isn't accurate, but man they have struggled with the creative process for a long time now.

I still have delusions that some day they will pick up where Justice left off... but damn, that's 20 years ago now.

Can you guys imagine if they had continued in the direction of Justice but taken it even further? It's too bad they were to concerned about writing songs that are easier to play live.

 

[SeViMeTaL]

metallica is one of my fave band i'll go to see them on 27th of july

 

[Jackehh]

I cant listen to most of metallica's record, pre-justice because of shitty vocals and after it because their music felt so uninspired.

I love and justice for all, my only purchased album with metallica and it was definately their peak in my opinion. undeniably their older records had some really great riffs, master of puppets, for whom the bell tolls not to mention orion but and justice for all is the first album where james can actually sing and where they still have inspired, well written riffs.

Strangely enough St: Anger is probably my second favorite album and I get a lot of criticism for this. But I've come to llike it because of the "raw" sound that it has and its also very different from the entitled "boogie-metal". St: Anger wasnt a dissapointment in my opinion, it was quite refreshing and also different from their previous releases.