the black album tour

Around the world in 300 dates: Metallica’s black album tour – in pictures

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Metallica’s self-titled 1991 album, known to fans as ‘the black album’ , helped turn the rock band into global stars. Photographer Ross Halfin accompanied them on an epic tour

Thu 20 Jan 2022 07.00 GMT

Kirk Hammett at a soundcheck in Copenhagen – the first show of the tour

James Hetfield, Faro, Portugal

Lars Ulrich, Faro, Portugal

Kirk Hammett, Faro, Portugal

Jason Newsted, Faro, Portugal

Ross Halfin (left) with Lars Ulrich, Moscow

St James Club, Paris

West Hollywood, first press shoot for the album

Jason Newsted, Copenhagen

James Hetfield, Turin, Italy

Day on the Green, Oakland Coliseum, California

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Metallica’s Black Album: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

By Dan Epstein

Dan Epstein

Colloquially known as the Black Album, Metallica ‘s self-titled fifth album still towers over the modern hard-rock and metal landscape like a giant obsidian monolith. Released 25 years ago today, Metallica – which sold more than 650,000 copies in its first week of release, and spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 in the late summer of 1991 – has gone on to sell over 16 million copies in the U.S. alone, making it the best-selling album of the last quarter-century. And while it’s hard to believe that there is a headbanger alive who doesn’t already own it, the album continues to outpace most new metal releases in terms of sales, moving an average of 5,000 copies a week.

Despite (or perhaps because of) its phenomenal success, Metallica continues to be a well-gnawed bone of contention among the band’s hardcore fans, with many believing that radio-friendly hard-rock anthems like “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters” utterly betrayed the thrash metal promise of Metallica’s first four albums. But the band members themselves (along with producer Bob Rock) remain convinced that the album’s more streamlined direction was a necessary step in Metallica’s musical evolution. And hey, 16 million fans can’t be wrong, right?

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album’s release, here are some lesser-known facts about Metallica .

1. The band began writing shorter, simpler songs partly because of how bored their fans looked during their concerts.

While the members of Metallica largely felt that they’d taken their progressive-thrash concept as far as they could with 1988’s …And Justice for All , they’d also realized that they’d been testing the patience of their live audiences with epic, convoluted songs like the album’s nearly 10-minute title cut.

“We realized that the general consensus was that songs were too fucking long,” lead guitarist Kirk Hammett told Rolling Stone in 1991 . “Everyone [in the crowd] would have these long faces, and I’d think, ‘Goddamn, they’re not enjoying it as much as we are.'” Hammett acknowledged that the band was becoming bored with the songs’ intricate arrangements, as well. “I remember getting offstage one night after playing ‘Justice’ and one of us saying, ‘Fuck, that’s the last time we ever play that fucking song!'”

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Hooky, sinister and hard-grooving, “Enter Sandman” perfectly encapsulated Metallica’s new direction. But rather than slowly transitioning towards a fresh approach, the band dove right in during the initial writing sessions for Metallica, taking a simple bluesy guitar lick from Hammett and quickly hammering it into what would become their biggest hit.

” ‘Enter Sandman’ was the first thing we came up with when we sat down for the songwriting process in July 1990,” drummer Lars Ulrich recalled in 2014 . “The 10-minute, fucking progressive, 12-tempo-changes side of Metallica had run its course after …And Justice For All . We wanted to streamline and simplify things. We wrote the song in a day or two. All the bits of ‘Enter Sandman’ are derived from the main riff.”

3. James Hetfield ‘s lyrics for “Enter Sandman” were originally about crib death.

Though the music for “Enter Sandman” was the first thing the band wrote for Metallica , frontman and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield wouldn’t finish the song’s lyrics until much later. Originally envisioning the song as being about an infant mysteriously dying in its crib, Hetfield was asked by the band and their management – via producer Bob Rock – to tone down the lyrics.

“At first, based on the music and the riff, the band and their management thought it could be the first single,” Rock recalled in 2011 . “Then they heard James’ lyrics and realized the song was about crib death. That didn’t go over so well. …

“I sat down with James and talked to him about his words,” Rock continued. “I told him, ‘What you have is great, but it can be better. Does it have to be so literal?’ Not that I was thinking about the single; I just wanted him to make the song great. It was a process, him learning to say what he wanted but in a more poetic and open sort of way. He rewrote some lyrics and it was all there … the first single.”

4. Metallica picked Bob Rock to produce the record, despite not being big fans of the bands he’d previously worked with.

The band’s decision to hire producer Bob Rock to helm Metallica was a controversial one, since the Canadian producer and engineer was best known at the time for his studio work with Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Kingdom Come, the Cult and Loverboy, five bands with just about zero thrash cachet. But the members of Metallica were more interested in the way he’d made those bands sound, rather than the music those bands had made with him.

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“With Bob, we wanted a good mix,” Ulrich told journalist Garry Sharpe-Young in an interview for 2007’s Metal: The Definitive Guide . “We wanted that big sound at the bottom end, and I don’t care if that song is on a Bon Jovi record, a Cult record or a Metallica record. The sound is the sound and we needed that.”

5. The Black Album marked the first time that Metallica used three different guitar tunings on the same album.

While many hard-rock and metal bands through the years have used alternate tunings to achieve a heavier sound, Metallica had largely kept their guitars in regular E standard tuning before 1991, the only exception being “The Thing That Should Not Be” on 1986’s Master of Puppets (on which the guitars were dropped a full step and a half), and two cover songs on 1987’s The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited , where the band tuned down a full step. On Metallica, 10 of the album’s 12 songs once again utilized E standard tuning, but the band mixed it up a little more at Bob Rock’s behest, dropping the guitars to D standard for “Sad but True” and Eb for “The God That Failed.”

“I realized that every song, including this one, was in the key of E,” said Bob Rock of “Sad But True.” “I brought this to the band’s attention, and they said, ‘Well, isn’t E the lowest note?’ So I told them that on Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood , which I produced and Metallica loved, the band had tuned down to D. Metallica then tuned down to D, and that’s when the riff really became huge. It was this force that you just couldn’t stop, no matter what.”

6. The album also marked the first time that Metallica had ever recorded their basic tracks “live” together in the studio.

“We wanted a live feel [to the album],” James Hetfield told Guitar World in 1991. “In the past, Lars and I constructed the rhythm parts without Kirk and Jason, or Lars played to a click by himself. This time I wanted to try playing as a band unit in the studio. It lightens things up and you get more of a vibe. Everyone was in the same room and we were able to watch each other. That helped a lot, especially with some of the bass and lead stuff. It also helped that we’d played most of the songs for two months, even before we entered the studio.”

7. James Hetfield’s vocal performances on “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters” were directly inspired by Chris Isaak.

A huge international hit in late 1990 and early 1991, Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” also caught the ear of James Hetfield, who asked Bob Rock to help him emulate the singer’s moody vocals on two of Metallica’s slower tracks.

“He [Hetfield] said, ‘Bob, I’ve never really sang before – I’ve just kind yelled,'” Rock recalled in a 2015 interview with Chris Jericho . “He played me a Chris Isaak record, and he said, ‘On ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and ‘The Unforgiven,’ I want to sing. How do you sing like this?’ I said, ‘I’ll get you a great vocal sound, so you don’t have to double your vocals. What you hear in Chris Isaak’s voice is the nuances when he sings – he isn’t doubled. He’s actually performing. You perform.’ We set it up so he was comfortable and had a great vocal sound, and then he sang. Every day he got better, and he got comfortable with it. He became a great singer.”

8. Three out of four members of the band were going through divorces during the making of the album.

The dark and bluesy feel of Metallica wasn’t just the result of the band’s new musical choices. Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted were all singing the blues in their personal lives, as well.

“Lars, Jason and I were going through divorces,” Hammett told Playboy in 2001. “I was an emotional wreck. I was trying to take those feeling of guilt and failure and channel them into the music, to get something positive out of it. Jason and Lars were too, and I think that has a lot to do with why the Black Album sounds the way it does.”

9. Kirk Hammett appears in the video for “Nothing Else Matters” – but he doesn’t actually play on the track.

Originally written by James Hetfield as a love song to his then-girlfriend – and based around a musical figure that he discovered while absent-mindedly plucking his guitar strings during one of their phone conversations – “Nothing Else Matters” was a huge departure for Metallica. After hearing a rough version that Hetfield recorded for himself on a cassette tape, Ulrich convinced him that the band needed to record the song for Metallica ; Hetfield then recorded the song’s acoustic intro and bluesy guitar solo himself, making it one of the few Metallica tracks that Kirk Hammett doesn’t play on.

“I had to relearn that whole intro part to play by myself onstage,” Hammett recalled in 2012 , “which was a little bit intimidating for me at that point, [because] we never had a song that started that way.”

10. James Hetfield worried that “Nothing Else Matters” would make make Metallica fans “throw up.”

On August 3rd, 1991, Metallica took the unprecedented step of debuting their new album with a free listening party at Madison Square Garden . (“Our album played the Garden before we did,” Lars Ulrich would later joke.) With the exception of “Enter Sandman,” which had been released four days earlier, the 10,000 fans in attendance were hearing the music on Metallica for the first time – and James Hetfield was particularly worried about how they would react to “Nothing Else Matters.”

“I was just waiting for ‘Nothing Else Matters’ to come on,” Hetfield told Metallica Unbound author K.J. Doughton in 1992. “You know, to see if these people just look at each other and throw up! [ Laughs ] I was wondering how much peer pressure people were going to put on each other; people going, ‘Do you like this?’ ‘I dunno – do you like it?'” Happily for Hetfield, the song was well received. “People were pretty into it,” he recalled, “which was pretty amazing.”

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Metallica celebrate 30th anniversary of 'The Black Album' with two landmark releases

Metallica are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their blockbuster self-titled fifth studio album ‘metallica’ – aka the black album – with two landmark releases out today (10 september 2021)., the first of which is the metallica blacklist , overseen by executive producer giles martin, mastered at abbey road by frank arkwright and cut-to-vinyl by alex wharton. the black album spawned towering metal anthems including enter sandman, the unforgiven, nothing else matters , and to date it has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide., the black album remastered, metallica’s first release marking the three-decade milestone is a remastered reissue of the black album in multiple formats including 180-gram double vinyl lp, standard cd and 3 cd expanded edition, digital, and a sprawling limited edition deluxe box set containing more than 24 hours of music..

The Black Album (Remastered) Deluxe Box Set

The Black Album (Remastered) 3CD Expanded Edition

The Black Album (Remastered) CD

Listen to metallica's enter sandman remastered.

The Metallica Blacklist album

The Metallica Blacklist 7 Disc Vinyl

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Commonly referred to as “The Black Album”, Metallica’s self-titled record packed a bigger punch than ever before, upping the ante on heavy metal.

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Throughout the 80s, Metallica was instrumental in reshaping the metal landscape. But with their fifth, self-titled album (otherwise known as “The Black Album”), they changed what it meant to be a metal band entirely. Abandoning all the clichés and exhibitionism that was often associated with heavy metal, the San Francisco-based thrashers instead focused entirely on songcraft, preferring to let the music do the talking.

With 1988’s … And Justice For All , Metallica had taken its epic and often complex thrash as far as it would go. As lead guitarist Kirk Hammett explained to Rolling Stone in 1991, “We realized the general consensus was that the songs were too long. Everyone in the crowd would have these long faces, and I’d think, Goddamn, they’re not enjoying it as much as we are.” As drummer Lars Ulrich confirmed to Uncut in 2007, “The ten-minute, 12-tempo-changes side of Metallica had run its course. We wanted to streamline and simplify things.” They had reached thrash metal ’s glass ceiling and were ready to smash through it.

Listen to Metallica’s Black Album now.

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To pull off such a drastic shift in style, however, the band knew they needed a mighty sound that packed a powerful punch. And they knew just the producer to deliver it. Enter Bob Rock, and the first clue that Metallica was willing to put their reputation on the line to achieve their musical goals. Rock was famed for his work with Bon Jovi and The Cult, and Metallica had selected him for the sound he captured on Mötley Crüe’s Dr Feelgood . But anyone who thought Metallica was about to wimp out was very much mistaken.

Metallica ’s lead single and opening track, “Enter Sandman,” was the stuff of nightmares. It’s a take on a European fable in which the sandman brings children a peaceful sleep. In Metallica’s world, however, the idea of the sandman visiting in the night is terrifying. The first song written during the “Black Album” sessions, ‘Enter Sandman’ was built on one basic riff and set the standard for the less-is-more approach Metallica was aiming for on their fifth album.

They were, however, quick to prove they had lost none of their heaviosity in the slow, crushing riff of “Sad But True.” Their venomous bite, too, was no less potent, permeating the vigorous “Holier Than Thou” and caustic “Don’t Tread On Me,” while “Wherever I May Roam” showcases just what savvy songwriters the band had become. “Through The Never” offers a twisting and turning structure most like the band’s earlier material and yet still gets to the point in around four minutes.

One of the biggest bands of all time

Metallica learned the dynamics of songwriting early on, utilizing lighter moments in order to make the heavier parts sound colossal. On “The Black Album”, “The Unforgiven” offers respite while recalling the despair of the group’s then biggest hit, “One.” Even the ballad “Nothing Else Matters” gets a punch of Metallica brawn to ensure it never strays into cheesy territory. The crunching stomp of “Of Wolf And Man” and lurching grind of “The God That Failed,” meanwhile, pull things back into focus, leading to the harrowing “My Friend Of Misery” before the frenetic “The Struggle Within” brings Metallica’s self-titled album to a close.

Bob Rock encouraged Metallica to use the drums to drive each song forward instead of lagging behind the guitars. It was a technique that propelled the band into the stratosphere, and helped “The Black Album” sell 600,000 in its first week, hitting No.1 in 10 countries and topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks. As it edged toward spending 500 weeks on the chart, Metallica’s self-titled album became the world’s third longest-charting album ever. To date, it has sold an estimated 31 million physical copies worldwide and is certified 16-times platinum in the US.

Released, on August 12, 1991, with an all-black cover and, in keeping with its simplicity, without a title, “The Black Album” didn’t just underline Metallica’s status as the biggest metal band in the world, it turned them into one of the biggest bands of all time.

Listen to the 30th anniversary edition of The Black Album now.

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Metallica Streams Early Concert From The Historic Black Album Tour

By Andrew Magnotta @AndrewMagnotta

April 28, 2020

For the first time in the band's #MetallicaMonday concert series , the band has shared a concert film from before the turn of the century.

Whereas Metallica seemed determined to stick to concerts filmed in HD from the past decade by its in-house video crew, this week, the band shared a truly historic performance from November 1, 1991, in Muskegon, Michigan.

The Muskegon show was just the third concert of Metallica's 'Wherever We May Roam' tour in support of the self-titled Black Album, which had debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts about four months earlier.

Drummer Lars Ulrich introduced the concert, explaining that it was going to be one of the more raw shows presented during the #MetallicaMonday series, having been recorded to VHS tape from house cameras with audio taken straight from the front-of-house mixing board.

"Lot of crazy days, a lot of long rocker hair at the time and I think I may have played without a shirt on for pretty much that entire tour," Ulrich recalls.

The concert itself is a refresher of Metallica's particular brand of live mayhem as the band was just coming into its own as the world's biggest heavy rock act.

The setlist is something to behold, drawing solely from the band's first five albums. The show begins with "Enter Sandman," the proceeds through a battery of '80s classics, "Creeping Death," Harvester of Sorrow," "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," before returning to one of the Black Album's strongest tracks, "Sad But True."

Longtime Metallica fans will appreciate seeing bassist Jason Newsted rocking with the band in his prime. Newsted's energy onstage always rivaled that of the fans in the mosh pit, and watching him, it's no wonder he was eventually diagnosed chronic whiplash .

Check out the full concert in the video player above.!

Each #MetallicaMonday concert is an opportunity for fans to donate to the band's All Within My Hands foundation , which supports food banks across the world.

Photo: Getty Images

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Jay-Z's "The Black Album" turns 20 and is more relevant than ever

As hip-hop ages, jay-z's music continues to be timeless, by d. watkins.

Jay-Z's eighth studio album "The Black Album," turns 20 this year, which makes me feel like looking at retirement brochures because who knows where the time goes? 

I was 23 when the album dropped, with a waist and a healthy hairline and a ridiculous amount of optimism. 

"The Black Album," which was heavily promoted and marketed as Jay Z's last album was everything that 23-year-old me needed and the most consumed piece of art in my life three months before it dropped – all the way up till "Kingdom Come" in 2006, after he abruptly ended his rapping hiatus.  How did I the play the album months before it came out? 

Well, I wasn't connected or in the industry. It was a glorious time when the word streaming had nothing to do with music or TV shows. We didn't get albums from Tidal or Spotify, nope – to hear the latest everything, you had to go to the bootleg man. Every neighborhood had one, normally a toothpick-chewing dude in dark shades who drives a Honda Accord with non-factory rims and tinted windows. His merchandise is always stored in the trunk, under other items for sale like leather jackets and phony Chanel bags,  and he always, always has to complain about the price of something going up – normally gas or child support or lunch meat – before spitting something like, "Buy four for $20, nephew, and I'll give you the fifth one free! That's a deal because these CD prices are high!" 

The bootleg man never went by "Bootleg Man." They were normally called by a nickname attached to the item that they were most known for selling – like CD Randy or Gucci Bag Gary and Burberry Belinda. Yes these are actual people. I bought "The Black Album" from Leather Rob. Avirex or Pelle Pelle or whatever kind of leather you needed, Leather Rob had it. 

If a single Jay-Z album went platinum 20 times, I was probably responsible for 2% of those sales.

Before we get into a deep conversation about stealing art, I should say that I purchased every studio Jay-Z album from Sound Garden, my favorite record shop in Baltimore, and I lost those CD's, and loaned those CD's out and didn't get them back, and repurchased them over and over again. If a single Jay-Z album went platinum 20 times, I was probably responsible for 2% of those sales. I only bought the bootleg Jay-Z , because the album wasn't out yet, and I was such a fan, that I could not wait to hear it. 

"Buy four for $20 ,nephew, and I'll throw a DVD in for free," Leather Rob said with a raised eyebrow, "Have you seen 'The Alpo Story'?" 

"I don't care about Alpo. Take the $5," I responded, probably sounding like an addict. "Give me the Jay-Z joint." 

Artists had to be really tricky at the time, so "The Black Album" that I purchased from Leather Rob, wasn't the actual version that released in November, later that year. They knew that thousands of people like Leather Rob were all over America compiling albums made-up of their leaked music. So they had to put out phony versions in an effort to make sure fans got something new and fresh on the actual release date. 

The fake version didn't bother me so much. Again, I was the biggest Jay-Z fan in the world. I wanted to hear all of the leaked music as well as the stuff he wants us to hear, and that was enough to hold me over to the actual release date. 

My friends and I are treated the unpackaging of a Jay-Z album like a spiritual ceremony.

My friends and I treated the unpackaging of a Jay-Z album like a spiritual ceremony. We purchased our copies before posting up on the curb right in front of the record shop. There we'd tear the packaging off of the CD's, read the track list, and analyze the album's artwork before breaking off to listen to the album individually. Just in case you wanted to hear the same song 30 times in a row. 

Jay-Z's music were always perfect for riding. You had to take a trip around the neighborhood up and down your blocks before venturing into someone else's neighborhood and the Beltway and maybe another city. The best thing about Jay-Z albums is that no one ever gets all of the references at once; it's always some kind of tricky metaphor or complex double entendre that you won't understand until one month or one year or a decade later. I love every track on the album, and believe that if it was released today, it would still be extremely successful. 

The song "Moment of Clarity" offers one of the easier references, that could potentially help a beginner understand the beauty in the way Jay-Z puts songs together. 

If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be lyrically Talib Kweli Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense But I did 5 mill' – I ain't been rhyming like Common since ( Woo! ) When your cents got that much in common And you been hustling since your inception F**k perception!  Go with what makes sense Since I know what I'm up against We as rappers must decide what's most important And I can't help the poor if I'm one of them So I got rich and gave back, to me that's the win-win

In this stanza Jay-Z talks about his commitment to lyricism and how, at how he would opt out of mainstream to be that lyrically respected backpack rapper like Talib Kweli or actor Common who's rap name back in the day was Common Sense. But Jay-Z sold 5 million records, and hasn't been rhyming like "Common," since. Get it? He then ties it to the greater mission of creating for his community by honestly saying he cannot help the poor if he's not making money, and for him that's wins all the way around. 

My favorite track from the album is still "What More Can I Say." It's the second song on the album, and Jay really gets into his bag, giving himself his flowers at a time when the industry was acting like he wasn't the best to ever touch a microphone: 

With so many different flows This one's for this song The next one I'll switch up This one will get bit up These f**ks To lazy to make up s**t They crazy They don't paint pictures They just trace me You know what Soon they forget who they plucked They whole style from And try to reverse the outcome I'm like, cluck I'm not a biter I'm a writer For myself and others I say a B.I.G. verse I'm only biggin' up my brother  

In the verse he addresses the foolish people who say that he got his style from the late great Notorious B.I.G. While they were great friends who collaborated on some of the best songs in hip-hop history, you can clearly see the differences in their styles and approach. Jay has put some of Biggie's lines in his music, not because he didn't have anything to say himself, but to keep his late friend alive. In the tangled stanza he creatively plays with clucked and plucked and how other rappers don't paint pictures, they just trace them. 

Parts of the song get extremely cold, and the artist apologizes at the end:

God forgive me for my brash delivery But I remember vividly What these streets did to me So picture me Letting these clowns nit pick at me Paint me like a pickanniny

This was one of the bars that screamed directly at me, as I also vividly remember what the streets did to me­­; pain, addiction, suicide and mass murder felt like the foundation of my neighborhood. Jay-Z represented what it looked like and meant to make it out of these kinds of spaces, but at the same time he explained and questioned how or why should he or we get the opportunity to be seen and respected and loved with all of the madness in our past and entrenched into our realities.

I didn't get the pickanniny line until years later, when I learned about the Jim Crow South, the racist ideas, in combination with the racist imagery used to dehumanize Black people and define the Black experience. The artist was saying that he won't be treated like a clown or painted to be one. He took a hard stance on the idea of ownership, being your own boss and setting up the rules that you choose to live by, and he continues to follow those rules until this very day.

All ideas that are relevant now, more than ever. 

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D. Watkins is an Editor at Large for Salon. He is also a writer on the HBO limited series "We Own This City" and a professor at the University of Baltimore. Watkins is the author of the award-winning, New York Times best-selling memoirs “ The Beast Side: Living  (and Dying) While Black in America ”, " The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir ," " Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope " as well as " We Speak For Ourselves: How Woke Culture Prohibits Progress ." His new books, " Black Boy Smile: A Memoir in Moments ," and " The Wire: A Complete Visual History " are out now.

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How shorter, simpler songs and a bold vision helped the thrash pioneers make the biggest metal album of all time

By the end of the 1980s, heavy metal – and, in particular, thrash metal – had become something of a musical arms race. “It was all about impressing the other bands with your heaviness, with your speed, with your technical prowess,” Metallica frontman James Hetfield recalls to Guitar World . “Everyone wanted to come up with the heaviest riff on earth or the fastest song possible.” 

Given that Metallica had already spent most of the decade gleefully pushing the boundaries of heaviness, speed and technicality on each of their first four recordings – 1983’s Kill ’Em All , the following year’s Ride the Lightning , 1986’s Master of Puppets and 1988’s …And Justice for All – they decided that, for their fifth release, they’d try something a little different. “The next album,” guitarist Kirk Hammett says, “was going to be shorter, simpler songs.”

That album, officially released August 12, 1991, as Metallica, but better known as The Black Album, was, true to Hammett’s words, characterized by more concise and straightforward compositions, in particular when compared to its exceedingly proggy predecessor, …And Justice for All . But it was also much, much more.  

Working with a new producer, Bob Rock, who had recently helmed Mötley Crüe’s mainstream smash, 1989’s Dr. Feelgood , the band – which, in addition to Hetfield and Hammett included drummer Lars Ulrich and now ex-bassist Jason Newsted – crafted something that not only became the biggest heavy metal album of its day, but one that, at more than 35 million copies sold worldwide, is quite likely the most successful heavy metal album ever. 

Metallica topped the charts in 10 countries, including the U.S., and managed the seemingly conflicting feats of redefining the very sound of heavy metal (sure, the music was still heavy, speedy and technically proficient, but it was also hookier, groovier and, sometimes, even – gasp! – softer) while also rocketing Metallica up and out of the genre’s somewhat stifling sonic confines. 

Post-Black Album, Metallica were not just the biggest metal band going; they were an undeniable, unstoppable, unabashed global rock phenomenon.  The album’s hit singles – and there were a lot of ’em (like, Michael Jackson and Madonna levels of ’em) – need no introduction. Enter Sandman . Sad But True . Nothing Else Matters . The Unforgiven . Wherever I May Roam . 

If you’ve listened to rock or metal radio over the past 30 years, spent any time growing up watching something called MTV or woodshedding the tabs in various issues of this very magazine, you likely know them by heart.  

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But you’ll know them – along with The Black Album’s additional seven tracks – in a whole new way after listening to the new Metallica 30th anniversary reissue. Befitting a record as monumental as The Black Album, the amount of music on offer on the new release is, in a word, staggering. 

Metallica is available in various formats, including remastered standard CD and 3CD expanded editions, double vinyl LP, cassette and digital. 

But the motherload is the fully maxed-out Deluxe Box Set, comprised of 14 CDs packed with riffs , rehearsals, rough mixes, demos, interviews and live shows, six DVDs featuring outtakes, behind-the-scenes moments, official videos, home movies and even more live shows, a double vinyl LP of the newly remastered original album, a Sad But True picture disc and three live LPs (not to mention a plethora of additional goodies, including a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a Metallica lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets and a download card). 

The result is that, in addition to hearing the album’s 12 tracks in sonically pristine form, fans also can experience the songs at every stage of creation, from initial riffs to works in progress, rehearsal run-throughs to studio demos, unreleased alternate takes to live versions captured on stages in Los Angeles and London, New Mexico and Moscow. 

“It definitely pulls back the curtain,” Hammett says simply. What’s more, the reissue is accompanied by a second release, The Metallica Blacklist , featuring 53 artists from every corner of the music world – rock, pop, metal, country, indie, punk, hip-hop, jazz, electronic and more – tackling their favorite Black Album songs. 

So you get Metallica peers and acolytes like Ghost, Volbeat and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor paying their respects on renditions of Enter Sandman , Don’t Tread on Me and Holier Than Thou , respectively, but also Miley Cyrus ( Nothing Else Matters ), Kamasi Washington ( My Friend of Misery ), Jason Isbell ( Sad But True ), the HU ( Through the Never ), José Madero ( The Unforgiven ) and J. Balvin ( Wherever I May Roam ) showing their own unique Metallica love and demonstrating that, even today, the band’s reach knows no stylistic or geographical bounds. 

We had so much momentum behind us, we were willing to work, we were hungry as fuck and we knew that these songs were great Kirk Hammett

It’s a celebration of epic proportions, and one suitable for an album whose influence and enduring appeal is similarly unmatched. With that in mind, Guitar World took the rare opportunity to sit down with Hetfield and Hammett for an exclusive in-depth chat about the making of the legendary album, as well as that inimitable moment in time. 

“It was one of those things where the situation and the circumstances and just everything around you seemed to be exactly where it should be,” Hammett says. “We had so much momentum behind us, we were willing to work, we were hungry as fuck and we knew that these songs were great. We were a young band and we felt pretty unstoppable.” 

At the same time, he continues, “No one knew this was something they wanted until they heard it. But once they did, they were just like, ‘Oh, this is exactly what we want…’ ”  

As it turned out, it was also exactly what Metallica needed. “It gave us carte blanche to be whatever we wanted to be, and to go wherever we wanted to go,” Hetfield says about the record. “So we’re very aware of what The Black Album was, what it did and the doors it opened for us. And now we’re showing our respect for it.”

It’s been 30 years since the release of The Black Album. 30 years since Enter Sandman and Sad But True and Nothing Else Matters . 30 years since, essentially, Metallica became the biggest metal band, if not the biggest rock band, on the planet. Does it feel like it was that long ago?   

JAMES HETFIELD: [Laughs] “Well, because we’ve played these songs live so much, when we’re up there onstage it doesn’t seem like that long ago. But as far as talking about it or remembering things about it? It seems like a lifetime ago, for sure. I mean, we’ve gone through so many things as a band that most things seem really stretched out at this point. But the fact that the album is still relevant keeps it very present in my mind.” 

KIRK HAMMETT: “When I think about it historically, 30 years sounds like a long time. But you know, I’m reminded of The Black Album on a regular basis. And I think that goes for the four of us. It’s something that just kind of prevails. 

“You hear it on the radio and see it mentioned in the media, or I’ll be sitting on the beach and a car will go by and it’s cranking Sad But True . The album never really went away. It’s like, our last record, [2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct ], the cycle’s come and gone. But somehow The Black Album is still here!”

The thing that’s great about the new Metallica Deluxe Box Set – and you did a similar thing with the …And Justice for All and Master of Puppets anniversary releases – is that it really showcases “the process.” 

You can listen to say, Enter Sandman or The Unforgiven in its earliest “Riff Tape” form, and then follow the song’s progression via a “Writing in Progress” version, a pre-production rehearsal and various alternate takes, before winding up at the officially released studio version. 

It shines a light on the craftsmanship involved, and how, often, it’s through a series of seemingly minuscule tweaks that you arrive at something truly great.  

HETFIELD: “Sure. It’s little things like, ‘Maybe let’s go a half-step up or down over here.’ Or you add in some minor stuff over there, which was always pretty easy and natural for us to do. But with The Black Album maybe we were doing a little less of the minor thing and going a little more toward major-key changes, or toward more simple stuff. 

“And that was a challenge for us. But we were able, with Bob Rock’s help and each other’s help, to push ourselves into something that had a little more muscle, a little more depth, a little more thickness.” 

HAMMETT: “And it demonstrates that we’re not a band that just shows up, someone has a cool riff, and then at the end of the day the song is complete. It’s never, ever like that for us. Even right now, we’re working on an album – or, at least, we’re getting songs together – and it’s the same process. 

“Not one month ago, we were recording drum tracks and, literally, like three minutes before we recorded the drums, we were tweaking the song and changing the arrangement. We’ll say, ‘Maybe after that riff it should be a chromatic part instead of a whole-step thing.’ Or, ‘Maybe we play that riff two times instead of four times.’ Or, ‘Let’s play it three-and-a-half times.’ And we’ll look at each other and go, ‘How is it going to work to play it three-and-a-half times?’ 

“But then we work it out and we play it three-and-a-half times, you know? So that process has been with us for a long time. And those tweaks are important because that’s how we put our personality into the music. The more we tweak it, the more it sounds like Metallica. 

Kirk, you wrote the main Enter Sandman riff, and your early versions of it, which differ a bit from what we ultimately hear on The Black Album version, are included in the box set. How did you first come up with that riff? 

HAMMETT: “It was something that literally came to me at three o’clock in the morning. I had been listening to the new Soundgarden album at that time [ Louder Than Love ] and, you know, this was when grunge was at its earliest stage – we’re talking late 1989 or so. No one was even calling it grunge yet. But I was loving a lot of it, and it was influencing me somewhat. 

“And so I sat down and I said to myself, as I always do, ‘I want to write the next Smoke on the Water .’ And I just started messing around. I got the swing kind of feel going, and then I was thinking of Soundgarden and how they were using dropped tunings. 

“I wasn’t playing in a drop tuning, but with those tunings it’s often octave work – you get the low D, and then you go to the upper D and it sounds really heavy. I wasn’t in drop D, I was just in E, but I was messing around with the low and high octaves, and then I threw a tritone in there, an A#, went to the A, and that’s the riff that came out. 

It’s not the type of riff you likely would have presented for, say, Master of Puppets or …And Justice for All . 

HAMMETT: Well, now that I think about that riff more, I remember that when the first part of it came to me, I thought, ‘It sounds like it’s asking a question, and now I’ve got to resolve it.’ So that’s where the chunky chord part, with the G and F#, came in. And famously, when I originally wrote the riff [sings the riff in its original form], that chunky thing happened at the end of every line. 

“Then Lars said, ‘Repeat the first part.’ So we changed it to where we repeat the first part three times and then the chunky chords come in. That made it hookier and bouncier – less heavy metal. It made a good-sounding riff fucking great. 

“But if you think about the way the riff was originally – chunkier, more metal – you know, maybe it could have ended up on …And Justice for All .” 

The oft-told story has always been that The Black Album ’s tighter, more concise song arrangements and simpler riffs were a direct reaction to the extreme progressiveness of …And Justice for All . You wanted to pull back. D’you think this is accurate?  

HETFIELD: “It is. Justice was kind of a dead end. And we needed to not so much pull back, but rather to push through that dead end. And maybe get back to something. Because for me, a lot of the songs that I enjoyed covering or writing on, like, Kill ’Em All , they were a lot shorter, a little more simplistic. 

“And on Justice we had gone as far as we could with the complexity and with the showmanship. Then when we went out on tour and started playing those songs live, it was obvious that we lost the audience a little bit. We lost ourselves a little bit. We got a little caught up in the technicality of the playing and we couldn’t perform as much. 

“When you’re up there onstage, I mean, the music moves you and you want to be able to move around. And some of those parts were too difficult to do that with, at least for me they were. And I’m not the kind of musician that wants to just stand there at a microphone. I want to express the music through my body as well. So we had to ask ourselves, ‘Where else can we go from here?’

On Justice we had gone as far as we could with the complexity and with the showmanship... When we started playing those songs live, it was obvious that we lost the audience James Hetfield

HAMMETT: The song …And Justice for All , on that tour [Damaged Justice] we would play it at the end of the set and we used to joke about how long it was. You know, ‘It’s a good thing there’s some pyro at the end of it to wake everyone up!’ Because it’s so fucking progressive. 

“There’s, like, 36 parts to it, and the arrangement snakes and weaves and goes all over the place. So we were very aware of what we were asking from our fans from a technical standpoint with that album. And the decision to go in a different direction stemmed from realizing that and deciding we weren’t going to do that again.”

You made an explicit decision as a band to try something new.  

HAMMETT: “There was a very, very conscious effort with The Black Album to not have the songs turn out like the ones on …And Justice for All . We wanted to get to the point quicker and sooner. It was an exercise in restraint, which was progress for us. And at the other end of it, we went full-in on the recording of it and the execution of it. 

“It was probably the most extensive recording we ever did. And a lot of that was because we were working with Bob Rock for the first time, and we really wanted the album to sound above and beyond anything we’d ever done.”   

It certainly sounds different than …And Justice for All. You can hear Jason’s bass, for starters.

HAMMETT: “We knew we had to get as far away from the sound of …And Justice For All as possible. Because we knew the sound of that record was…unique. [Laughs] And it wasn’t something we were really interested in sustaining. It was an experiment, you know? 

“But people ask me all the time if we’re ever going to remaster that album with bass, and the answer to that is, adamantly, no. That’s like having Leonardo da Vinci paint glasses on the Mona Lisa or something. It’s just not something you do with art. That was then and this is now. You don’t add now to then.”  

Bob Rock has said over the years that he found the experience of recording The Black Album a difficult process. Do you remember it that way?  

HETFIELD: “You know, I hear Bob talk about that a lot, and I hear about it from the other guys. But no, I don’t remember it that way. It was just part of our growth. Maybe it was difficult for him because he knew where he wanted us to go. Whereas we knew where we didn’t want to go, but we didn’t really know where we wanted to go. [Laughs] 

It might’ve been difficult to work with us at that time. I do not deny that whatsoever. We were very close-minded, very fearful. Very insecure about giving up any control

“So it might’ve been difficult to work with us at that time. I do not deny that whatsoever. We were very close-minded, very fearful. Very insecure about giving up any control. Very insecure about our actual talent playing-wise and singing-wise. And that usually sends me into a place of fear, of anger, of posturing, all those things. So Bob did have to fight through a lot of those walls we kept putting up out of sheer fear, really.” 

You talk about being fearful and insecure during The Black Album sessions, but one area where you demonstrated a real fearlessness was in the lyrics. You began to explore difficult personal subject matter, in particular on songs like The God That Failed and The Unforgiven . 

It’s especially courageous given that thrash metal, particularly at that time, was more about coming from a place of strength rather than vulnerability, and looking outward rather than inward.

HETFIELD: “I think that, just like we started to go to a different place with the music after Justice, I knew I didn’t want to just be a storyteller or a documentarian, only going over external things. And I did discover that if I’m singing about what’s going on inside me it can’t really be wrong. 

Most lyrics on The Black Album are the beginnings of me uncovering my struggles as a human on this planet, and dealing with stresses, with fame, with addiction, with family, with travel, with all that James Hetfield

“If I’m writing a song about a historical thing, which we had done before, I can certainly get facts wrong. And not that that matters – this is all art at the end of the day. But if I’m writing from the inside out, it’s going to connect with more people. So the lyrics became a lot more personal. They became a lot more of a therapy. And writing that way became more of a lifestyle and an expression for me. 

“Songs like Nothing Else Matters and The God That Failed and The Struggle Within and The Unforgiven … I mean, most of them on The Black Album are the beginnings of me uncovering my struggles as a human on this planet, and dealing with stresses, with fame, with addiction, with family, with travel, with all that stuff. It became a lot more of an outlet. I felt like I belonged a lot more by doing that.”

Kirk, from a guitar perspective I think of The Black Album as the first Metallica record where the wah pedal is an essential component of your lead sound. Ever since, it’s been something of a calling card for you. What led you to embrace the wah so wholeheartedly on that record?

HAMMETT: “I think a lot of that was just a culmination of having been on tour for …And Justice for All and just having fun on stage, stepping on my wah for a lead break, or in between songs, or whatever. But when I really think about the solos on The Black Album, I came up with all of them within about a week – Enter Sandman , I had that one complete by the second or third time we played it. 

“Because when the songs are strong, the solos come easy. And back then, I’d compose a solo and then, if it felt appropriate in the studio, I’d bring in the wah and see if it brought anything more out. But I’ve never really written a guitar solo with a wah pedal. It’s always been after the fact. And it’s only been to get more intensity and more emotion out of the sound. 

“I’m not from, like, the Eric Clapton school of wah, where I step on it on every downbeat. I don’t think anyone really does that anymore, anyway.”  

As a band, you were pushing out on your musical boundaries in so many ways on The Black Album . There’s unusual sonic ear candy all over the record. There’s orchestration. There are full-on ballads. You were open to taking the music in any direction at that point in time. 

HETFIELD: “Yes, very much so. I’ve always been an explorer in that sense, and I’ve always loved the production side of it – the layering and the sonics and even the orchestration of it. That’s why I loved bands like Queen growing up. And Bob was more of an experienced producer, obviously, than we were. 

“We fashioned ourselves as producers, Lars and I. [Laughs] But it’s just because we knew what we wanted and that was it. There was not any openness. There wasn’t any depth or knowledge, sonically. So Bob taught us a lot about that, and I was so excited to open his toy box of different sounds, different gear, different pedals, different percussive aspects…” 

HAMMETT: “You know, there’s prominent percussion all over the place. There’s a shaker and an egg on every single track on that album. It’s real subtle, but if you listen for it, you can hear it. There’s a French horn in the beginning of The Unforgiven . 

“I mean, I fucking didn’t know what a fucking French horn was. We had no idea what a French horn was. But we were like, “Okay!” And these were ideas that were brought to us by Bob Rock. But any opportunity to make the songs more unique, more individual, more intense, we did it.”  

What gear were you using in the studio? 

HAMMETT: I used my black [Gibson] Flying V that I always used, and I also had my ESP ‘Caution’ Strat and my ESP ‘Zorlac’ Strat. I also had my black Jackson Randy Rhoads Flying V. My ’89 Les Paul Custom with EMG pickups. A Gibson ES-295. A Tom Anderson guitar. And at the very end of the sessions I got my ESP Spider [Eclipse], which is like a Les Paul Special or Junior kind of shape. 

“I remember the day I got it I took it out of the case and said to Bob, “Let’s do some solos with my brand-new spankin’ guitar!” I used it for the solo to [the Anti-Nowhere League cover] So What , which was recorded during those sessions.  

To me, your clean parts on The Unforgiven sound so Strat-y. 

HAMMETT: Totally. Actually, that was my white ’63 Strat. And I used an old-school Echoplex for the delay on that song. You can also hear the white Strat at the end of “Enter Sandman” – those chord comps on the way out. I can’t remember what happened to that guitar. I might’ve traded it away. I wish I still had it.”  

How about guitar amps ? 

HAMMETT: “I was using a lot of Mesa/Boogie. And I had a Marshall. I had a Matchless. There was a Fender amp, a Wizard, there was Bradshaw. Basically, we were just blending them all, trying to get the best sound we could get.” 

How about you, James? 

HETFIELD: At that time for me it had always been, and always probably will be, my Mesa/Boogie Mark II C++. It’s the ‘Crunch Berries’ amp, and it’s been a part of my sound since we discovered Mesa/Boogie between Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets . It was that and my ESP Explorer with EMGs.”   

I’ve heard you say that you also tried out a variety of other guitars in addition to the ESP – a Gretsch White Falcon, a Fender Telecaster … 

HETFIELD: “Yes. Because I really did want to explore different sounds. Like you said earlier, the '80s metal scene was very insular and somewhat limiting in its thinking and in its acceptance and tolerance of other things. It felt like, you know, you get a heavy sound and a clean sound, and that’s it. And most of the metal bands at that time didn’t even have a clean sound. [Laughs] 

“There was a real craving to find middle ground. So there was the White Falcon, the Tele… Bob just opened up those gates and helped make us feel it was okay to do that.” 

There are so many Black Album songs that are now considered metal standards. Are there any cuts that each of you has a personal affinity for?  

HETFIELD: “Gosh, you know, there’s definitely a lot of go-to songs – it’s obvious on this Blacklist album, where you see a lot of people gravitating toward songs like Sandman and Nothing Else Matters . And I’m really grateful to the bands that reached out a little farther and went for songs like Don’t Tread on Me or The God That Failed . 

“But for me, I would say when I think of The Black Album, I think of Wherever I May Roam and The Unforgiven . Those two songs, they kind of tell the story of the times for us, I think. Especially The Unforgiven , which was very vulnerable and very revealing for me. And then Wherever I May Roam , that kind of encapsulated our quest for muscle, our quest for epic-ness and our quest for a solid mid-tempo song that would really get the crowd jumping. So those are the two that really get me.” 

HAMMETT: “For me it’s Of Wolf and Man . I love that song so much. I mean, c’mon – I love werewolves! And that riff, I remember I played it for Lars and James, and one of them said, ‘You’re playing it backwards.’ And I’m like, ‘No I’m not – what do you mean, backwards?’ And they said, ‘Well, that part should be in the front and that part should be in the back.’ 

“So we flipped the riff around. It could work both ways, but it happened to work better vocally this way. And actually, I remember we had a few riffs that we were jamming on during the …And Justice for All tour, and that one was one of them. Sad But True was another. Those riffs had been around for a while.”  

You can’t talk about The Black Album without also discussing the tour in support of it. Needless to say, it was massive. It included performances at Woodstock ’94 and the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, a controversial stadium run with Guns N’ Roses and, basically, sold-out shows all over the globe. By the time it was over, Metallica were one of the biggest rock acts in the world. 

HETFIELD: “At that time there was no fear as far as where we would go. We had, you know, round one, round two, and a lot of times round three in certain countries on that album. That kept us out there for three years. 

“The tour shirts, we were running out of room on them for all the dates – there were concert dates going down the sleeves. [Laughs] But we were on a quest to play the B, C and D markets to build up our fan base. And that’s where a lot of our fans were. Not that they weren’t in the big cities, but the big cities get jaded with music. 

“We wanted to go for more of the people that didn’t get music in their town a lot. That was important to us. And we did that not just in America but in most other countries that we were able to get into. We survived it, but it took its toll mentally, physically, no doubt spiritually. It toughened us up in some ways and it broke us down in other ways. But it’s an experience we’re grateful for.” 

HAMMETT: “The overall theme on that tour was, ‘Okay, we have the opportunity to do more shows. Wanna make the tour longer? Sure.’ ‘Okay, we have the opportunity to go into B markets and C markets. Wanna make the tour longer? Sure.’ We were into going to every place that we possibly could. 

“We even played in places that we couldn’t fit the stage into. We went to fucking Delaware. We played a theater in New Hampshire. We played every single state. And it was a huge undertaking. We had a multi-level stage that had three front rows. We had the “snake pit” [a ticketed section in the middle of the stage where fans were able to watch the band perform around them]. It was like one big playground, but instead of monkey bars we had stairs. It was insane. 

“And you know, everywhere we went, we were selling out. Which was crazy, because before us there were only a few bands that were doing those types of numbers. Def Leppard had sold, like 12 million copies of Hysteria , and they were playing multiple nights in multiple cities. Bon Jovi was doing the same thing. AC/DC too. We observed that. We wanted that. And we realized that to get there we needed a really big album. We had the big album, and so the stage was set for us to do it. 

“We took it to Japan, we took it to Europe, we took it to South America. By the time it was over we were a little worse for the wear, but it felt like a huge, momentous accomplishment.”  

When you look back on that time, what is the main thing you take away from the experience of making The Black Album and what that record did for the band both creatively and career-wise?  

HETFIELD: “The Black Album really was the master key to everything. We started to be recognized and talked about as a force to be reckoned with in the heavy metal world – and going beyond that, in the rock world, with bands like AC/DC and U2. 

“We were super-proud to be a part of that legacy and to be able to take Metallica to the next level. And what made it all the better was that the mainstream came to us. It was wild to be, you know, in the grocery store and someone’s mom would say, ‘Oh, my kids really love your music… and so do I.’ So what The Black Album did was… well, it made us really popular, basically. [Laughs]”  

The Black Album, it’s never-ending. It’s always here. I listen to that album and it doesn’t sound like 1991 to me. It feels like now Kirk Hammett

HAMMETT: “We knew the songs were special and the album was different. It almost felt like we left the music of those first four albums to sit where it was, and we turned a corner and went somewhere else. And doing The Black Album put the hunger in us to continue to do that with future albums. 

“We began to take huge risks with our music, and we did that because that’s what we did on The Black Album – we took big risks, and those big risks worked. And sure, The Black Album was really successful, but there’s a lot of different types of success. As successful as it was in terms of sales, it was equally successful to us creatively. Another real success is to see how the music is still living. 

“The Black Album, it’s never-ending. It’s always here. I listen to that album and it doesn’t sound like 1991 to me. You listen to …And Justice for All ? Okay, yeah, that’s 1988, ’89, for sure. Kill ’Em All ? That’s a product of the early '80s. But you listen to The Black Album? You listen to Sad But True or Enter Sandman or Nothing Else Matters ? It feels like now. At least it does to me. And that’s an amazing thing.”

• The remastered 30th Anniversary Black Album is out now via Blackened Recordings.

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Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.

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Metallica’s ‘Black Album’ Turns 30: Every Song Ranked From Worst to Best

Metallica’s self-titled fifth album (dubbed “The Black Album,” due to its artwork) is more than just a collection of songs; it was a cultural event.

By William Goodman

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Metallica ’s self-titled fifth album (dubbed “The Black Album,” due to its artwork) is more than just a collection of songs; it was a cultural event. When it dropped 30 years ago, on Aug. 12, 1991, the mega-selling LP fueled a pop culture moment, vaulted metal to the top of the charts, and altered the genre for all time.

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By the late 1980s, Metallica — singer-guitarist James Hetfield, guitar virtuoso Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, and bassist Jason Newsted, who replaced deceased low-ender Cliff Burton — were ready to shake up their sound. The band dropped four albums over the previous decade: 1983’s Kill ’Em All, 1984’s Ride the Lightning , 1986’s Master of Puppets , and 1988’s perennial fan-favorite  …And Justice for All . The latter had started to break Metallica out of their niche, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and being certified platinum by the RIAA, thanks in part to its music video for “One” landing in heavy MTV rotation.

Their pedal-to-the-metal thrash sound was finding an audience, and laying waste to the hair metal competition with its rough-and-tough riffage. But Hetfield and Co. wanted more — fame, fortune and all its trappings. But first, they needed to repackage their sound for the masses.

Enter producer Bob Rock. At first glance, he wasn’t a natural match: He was the studio whiz behind Bon Jovi’s decidedly not-metal Slippery When Wet , and albums from spandex-wearing clichés like Mötley Crüe and David Lee Roth. Not exactly Metallica’s brand of iron. But Hetfield wanted to go big, and that was Rock’s M.O.

Metallica Is Celebrating 'The Black Album's 30th Anniversary With a Reissue & Star-Studded Covers…

Recorded at One on One Studios in Los Angeles over eight months, Metallica ushered in a new, cleaner, fuller sound, far more focused than the progressive thrash of their four previous releases. And fans were there for it. On Aug. 12, 1991, headbangers around the globe lined up at their local record stores to join in a true musical event. “Enter Sandman,” released as the lead single on July 29, fanned the flames. By the end of its debut week, Metallica reached No. 1 in 10 countries and spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200. It has since become one of the best-selling albums worldwide, ever, going 16 times platinum. The number of records it holds is long; it’s become the fourth release in American history to enter the 550-week milestone on the Billboard 200, and is now the second longest-charting title in history. It won for best metal performance at the 1992 Grammys — the band’s third consecutive win in that category.

MTV played a role in its ubiquity and success. The band’s creepy music video for “Enter Sandman,” then omnipresent on the channel, won best rock video at the ’92 VMAs. Beavis, of Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head , was certainly a fan . For that matter, so was Otto from The Simpsons .

It was the album that made “Metallica” a byword for “metal.”

Buckle up — let’s revisit the album’s 12 tracks, ranking ’em all from worst to best. Devil horns up.

12. “Don’t Tread on Me”

“Don’t Tread on Me” is a triumphant battle cry with marshal drumming and distorted guitar riffage, which certainly sounds like the war song for a band of Vikings preparing to invade and plunder a foreign land. Which makes the lyrics more fitting: “So be it/ Threaten no more/ To secure peace is to prepare for war.” If only CDs and stereos existed in the Middle Ages.

11. “The Struggle Within”

The album closer opens with marching drums and Zelda -style guitar heroics that turn into a thrash metal speed demon, with Ulrich’s drumming leading into twists and turns. “Struggle within, it suits you fine/ Struggle within, your ruin/ Struggle within, you seal your own coffin/ Struggle within, the struggling within!” Hammett then unleashes another out-of-this-world riff that sparks fire.

10. “Holier than Thou”

Attention headbangers: This one is for you. (Well, they all are, but especially this one.) This polished thrash metal bar-brawler has Hetfield pointing fingers at the haters: “Before you judge me, take a look at you/ Can’t you find something better to do?/ Point the finger, slow to understand/ Arrogance and ignorance go hand in hand.” Didn’t your mom tell you never point fingers?

9. “My Friend of Misery”

Now here’s an appropriate topic for the hard-core metalheads: misery. “Misery/ You insist that the weight of the world/ Should be on your shoulders.” It’s a mammoth chugger with a melodic bass line that carries the song from shout to shout: “Misery/ There’s much more to life than what you see/ My friend of misery.” Hammett closes out the track with a tender guitar lick that morphs into a laser-beam riff pointed to the sky.

8. “Of Wolf and Man”

Because of course Metallica features a track about morphing into a wolf. How could it not? “Shape shift/ Nose to the wind,” Hetfield howls over another chug-chug-a-chug-chug rhythmic lick. “(Shape shift) Hair stands on the back of my neck/ (Shape shift) Wildness is the preservation of the world/ So seek the wolf in thyself.” It’s a bit corny, but tell that to Hammett’s howling-at-the-moon solo.

7. “The God That Failed”

It’s Hetfield’s meditation on the god that failed his mother, a Christian Scientist who refused medical treatment for cancer, believing that god would come to her rescue, only to die from the disease. “I hear faith in your cries/ Broken is the promise, betrayal/ The healing hand held back by the deepened nail/ Follow the God that failed.” The track is heavy on Newsted’s grimy bass crunch. But Hetfield’s message is clear: “Broken is the promise/ Betrayal, betrayal.”

6. “Through the Never”

This thrash metal blitz keeps the hard-core Metallica fans lusting for more. Ulrich’s drumming drives this track hard and fast, as Hammett lays down some barbed lines. The pace bobs and weaves, clattering to a pause then driving ahead at full speed. “Twisting, turning/ Through the never!”

5. “Wherever I May Roam”

Is that a sitar? Whoa, and a gong? Yep, Metallica open this tribute to their wandering lives on the road with an absolutely sinister sitar line that explodes as guitars amp up the riff, like cracking open the gates of hell. “Anywhere I roam/ Where I lay my head is home, yeah,” Hetfield seethes. “Off the beaten path I reign/ Roamer, wanderer, nomad, vagabond/ Call me what you will.”

4. “Sad But True”

Monster riffage, at your service. This is the epitome of Metallica’s meat-and-potatoes approach, following the more progressive thrash of their previous releases. The chugging guitar and marshal drumming of this track intersperses Hetfield’s call-and-response shouting, like he’s a metal drill sergeant: “Hey (Hey), I’m your life/ I’m the one who takes you there/ Hey (Hey), I’m your life/ I’m the one who cares/ They (They), they betray/ I’m your only true friend now/ They (They), they’ll betray/ I’m forever there.” Enter Hammett’s molten guitar lines, as Hetfield moans, “I’m your dream/ I’m your eyes/ I’m your pain… sad but true!”

3. “The Unforgiven”

Like “Nothing Else Matters,” this ballad flaunts Metallica’s most nuanced approach to their fifth album with acoustic guitars and melodic verses, exploding in titanic choruses and memorable lyrics. “Never free/ Never me/ So I dub thee unforgiven,” Hetfield testifies. The song has become core to Metallica’s career, even driving the band to write and record a pair of sequels with “The Unforgiven II” (on Reload ) and “The Unforgiven III” (on Death Magnetic ). The more the better.

2. “Enter Sandman”

Is there a more recognizable riff in metal? No. No, there is not. Rock’s production is front and center on this nightmarish rocker, layering guitars and slowly building a riff into a colossal wrecking ball. Hetfield barks the lyrics, which have become a cultural touchstone: “Sleep with one eye open/ Gripping your pillow tight/ Exit light/ Enter night/ Take my hand/ We’re off to Never Neverland!” Enter Hammett’s seething, feverish guitar lines. Few moments define Metallica quite like this one. Because of this song, Metallica isn’t just a metal band; they are metal.

1. “Nothing Else Matters”

It’s power balladry, Metallica-style. As the album’s third single, this iconic track flaunted Metallica’s newer, poppier sound. With Hetfield playing lead — Hammett doesn’t even play on the studio version of the track — “Nothing Else Matters” is a slow-burner about… love? What!? Yes, even Hetfield has a soft side: “So close, no matter how far/ Couldn’t be much more from the heart/ Forever trusting who we are/ And nothing else matters.” It’s certainly connected with fans, including other musicians. For the album’s 30th-anniversary reissue , Miley Cyrus enlisted Elton John, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and others for a cover of the searing hit. Because when it comes to metal, no other band matters.

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Underoath Announce ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety’ 20th Anniversary Tour

Clutch and rival sons announce 2024 north american tour, chevelle announce 2024 tour with tigercub, ice nine kills and in this moment announce 2024 tour, watch: anthrax play first show with former bassist dan lilker in 40 years, watch: ronnie wood joins the black crowes for faces’ “stay with me”, kerry king unleashes video for new single “residue”, aerosmith announce rescheduled 2024, 2025 peace out tour dates, slash, gibson reveal signature “jessica” les paul guitar, watch: megadeth perform ‘peace sells…but who’s buying’ deep cut for the first time since 2014, system of a down and deftones announce joint u.s. concert, architects release new single, add more north american tour dates, deep purple announce 2024 tour with yes, watch: motionless in white rock wrestlemania during rhea ripley’s entrance, the struts announce 2024 north american tour, dream theater announce 40th anniversary tour, porno for pyros release new song “fingernail”, better lovers unleash new single “the flowering”, tony levin, adrian belew, steve vai, and danny carey announce king crimson tribute tour, heart add 31 new shows to 2024 royal flush tour.

Metallica Announce ‘The Black Album’ Reissue For 30th Anniversary

Their legendary self-titled opus will get the full box set treatment.

Metallica have announced a massive reissue to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their magnum opus Metallica – better known as The Black Album . The packages arrive on September 10 as and  are available for pre-order now . The reissue will be “remastered for ultimate sound quality” available in multiple formats, including digital. Check out the photos and the trailer below.

“You knew it was coming, you’ve been patiently waiting, and finally  The Black Album  reissue  is here,” Metallica said in a statement. “Can you believe it’s been almost thirty years since its original release? Neither can we! Then off we went to hit the road for a massive 300+ show tour, and the ‘Tallica experience went to a whole new level.”

The Black Album reissue comes in wide variety of configurations, including 180-gram double vinyl LP, standard CD and 3CD expanded edition, and digital (including high-def versions).

There’s also the ultimate release for die-hard fans: a Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set containing over 24 hours of music including the album remastered on 180-gram 2LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, and live shows), 6 DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, and live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four different tour laminates, three unique lithos, three guitar picks, a Metallica lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card.

In addition to the reissue of  The Black Album , the band has also announced the release of  The Metallica Blacklist  which features an unprecedented 50+ artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, continents, and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite  Black Album  cut.  Read more, watch the trailer, and pre-order  The Metallica Blacklist .

Everyone who pre-orders any configuration of either release will receive digital instant grats delivered right to your inbox throughout the summer. Keep watching this site and our socials for lots of video and audio previews as well as all kinds of other  Black Album  related activities.

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Metallica Announce Massive ‘Black Album’ Reissue With Elton John, Corey Taylor, Miley Cyrus + More

Metallica have announced a massive reissue of the Black Album featuring covers from a total of 53 artists. Bands including Ghost , Weezer , Royal Blood , Volbeat and more will share their take on classic Metallica tracks, along with solo artists such as  Elton John , Corey Taylor and Miley Cyrus .

The new Blacklist album, along with a remastered version of the original Black Album , will both be released Sept. 10 via Blackened Recordings. “With contributions from countries all over the globe from the U.S. to Nigeria, there are tracks from singer-songwriters, country artists, electronic, and hip-hop artists alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music, and many, many more covering the entire spectrum from musicians we’ve shared the stage with, to some who were not even born yet when the original album was released!” Metallica write.

Additionally, 100 percent of the profits will be given to charity, split between Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and charities chosen by all 53 guest artists.

​“In addition to raising money for charity, we wanted to show that Metallica’s music transcends genres, distance, and cultures, and we like to think that – with everyone’s help – we’ve done just that. It was important to us that the artists could choose whichever song they most connected to; it didn’t matter if we already had multiple versions of a song, if an artist wanted to cover that song, so be it. We were honored to have artists of this caliber want to be a part of the project and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed putting it all together!"

See the full track listing for Blacklist below along with Metallica’s teaser clips for the new releases. Click here to pre-order Blacklist  and check out the Miley Cyrus cover of "Nothing Else Matters" with Watt, Elton John, Yo Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith below.

Blacklist Track Listing:

01.Enter Sandman (Alessia Cara & The Warning) 02. Enter Sandman (Mac DeMarco) 03. Enter Sandman (Ghost) 04. Enter Sandman (Juanes) 05. Enter Sandman (Rina Sawayama) 06. Enter Sandman (Weezer) 07. Sad But True (Sam Fender) 08. Sad But True (Jason Isbell) 09. Sad But True (Mexican Institute of Sound feat. La Perla & Gera MX) 10. Sad But True (Royal Blood) 11. Sad But True (St. Vincent) 12. Sad But True (White Reaper) 13. Sad But True (YB)

CD TWO: 01. Holier Than Thou (Biffy Clyro) 02. Holier Than Thou (The Chats) 03. Holier Than Thou (OFF!) 04. Holier Than Thou (PUP) 05. Holier Than Thou (Corey Taylor) 06. The Unforgiven (Cage The Elephant) 07. The Unforgiven (Vishal Dadlani, DIVINE, Shor Police) 08. The Unforgiven (Diet Cig) 09. The Unforgiven (Flatbush Zombies feat. DJ Scratch) 10. The Unforgiven (Ha*Ash) 11. The Unforgiven (José Madero) 12. The Unforgiven (Moses Sumney)

CD THREE: 01. Wherever I May Roam (J Balvin) 02. Wherever I May Roam (Chase & Status feat. BackRoad Gee) 03. Wherever I May Roam (The Neptunes) 04. Wherever I May Roam (Jon Pardi) 05. Don’t Tread On Else Matters (SebastiAn) 06. Don’t Tread On Me (Portugal. The Man) 07. Don’t Tread On Me (Volbeat) 08. Through The Never (The HU) 09. Through The Never (Tomi Owó) 10. Nothing Else Matters (Phoebe Bridgers) 11. Nothing Else Matters (Miley Cyrus feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith) 12. Nothing Else Matters (Dave Gahan) 13. Nothing Else Matters (Mickey Guyton) 14. Nothing Else Matters (Dermot Kennedy) 15. Nothing Else Matters (Mon Laferte)

CD FOUR: 01. Nothing Else Matters (Igor Levit) 02. Nothing Else Matters (My Morning Jacket) 03. Nothing Else Matters (PG Roxette) 04. Nothing Else Matters (Darius Rucker) 05. Nothing Else Matters (Chris Stapleton) 06. Nothing Else Matters (TRESOR) 07. Of Wolf And Man (Goodnight, Texas) 08. The God That Failed (IDLES) 09. The God That Failed (Imelda May) 10. My Friend Of Misery (Cherry Glazerr) 11. My Friend Of Misery (Izïa) 12. My Friend Of Misery (Kamasi Washington) 13. The Struggle Within (Rodrigo y Gabriela)

The Metallica Blacklist (Official Trailer)

Metallica: the black album (remastered) (official trailer), miley cyrus with watt, elton john, yo yo ma, robert trujillo and chad smith, "nothing else matters", these are the rock + metal bands touring in 2021, more from loudwire.

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Metallica (The Black Album) Remastered Deluxe Box Set - Digital Download

Metallica’s eponymous album, better known as The Black Album , is remastered! The Black Album is one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed records of all time, with global sales of over 35 million, and contains a series of unrelenting singles, Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam , and Sad But True .

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Includes Metallica (Remastered) and features unreleased content (live shows, rough mixes, demos, etc).

Liner Notes

• Enter Sandman
• Sad But True
• Holier Than Thou
• The Unforgiven
• Wherever I May Roam
• Don't Tread on Me
• Through the Never
• Nothing Else Matters
• Of Wolf and Man
• The God That Failed
• My Friend of Misery
• The Struggle Within

What's Included

Metallica (remastered), live at wembley stadium, london, england - april 20th, 1992.

• Enter Sandman 
• Sad But True 
• Nothing Else Matters 

LIVE AT TUSHINO AIRFIELD, MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1991

• The Ecstasy of Gold 
• Creeping Death 
• Harvester of Sorrow 
• Fade to Black 
• Master of Puppets 
• Seek & Destroy 
• For Whom the Bell Tolls 
• Whiplash 
• Last Caress 
• Am I Evil? 
• Battery 

RIFFS & DEMOS

• The Unforgiven (From James' Riff Tapes)
• Nothing Else Matters (From James' Riff Tapes)
• Sad But True (From James' Riff Tapes)
• Holier Than Thou (From James' Riff Tapes)
• Don't Tread on Me (From James' Riff Tapes)
• The Unforgiven (From James' Riff Tapes II)
• The Struggle Within (From James' Riff Tapes)
• The Unforgiven (From James' Riff Tapes III)
• The God That Failed (From James' Riff Tapes)
• Wherever I May Roam (From James' Riff Tapes)
• Enter Sandman (From Kirk's Riff Tapes)
• Through the Never (From Kirk's Riff Tapes)
• Of Wolf and Man (From Kirk's Riff Tapes)
• Enter Sandman (From Kirk's Riff Tapes II)
• My Friend of Misery (From Jason's Riff Tapes)
• Enter Sandman (July 6th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Sad But True (July 6th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• The God That Failed (July 6th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Don't Tread on Me (July 6th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• The Struggle Within (July 6th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Holier Than Thou (July 6th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Sad But True (July 10th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Sad But True (July 12th, 1990 Demo)
• Don't Tread on Me (July 12th, 1990 Demo)
• Enter Sandman (July 12th, 1990 Demo)
• Nothing Else Matters (July 12th, 1990 Demo)
• Of Wolf and Man (July 12th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Through the Never (July 12th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• The Struggle Within (July 24th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Wherever I May Roam (July 24th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Wherever I May Roam (July 30th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• The Struggle Within (July 30th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Enter Sandman (August 13th, 1990 Demo)
• Sad But True (August 13th, 1990 Demo)
• Don't Tread on Me (August 13th, 1990 Demo)
• Nothing Else Matters (August 13th, 1990 Demo)
• Holier Than Thou (August 13th, 1990 Demo)
• Wherever I May Roam (August 13th, 1990 Demo)
• The Struggle Within (August 13th, 1990 Demo)
• The God That Failed (August 22nd, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Of Wolf and Man (August 22nd, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• My Friend of Misery (August 29th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• The Unforgiven (August 29th, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• Through the Never (August 31st, 1990 Demo)
• Of Wolf and Man (August 31st, 1990 Demo)
• The God That Failed (August 31st, 1990 Demo)
• The Unforgiven (September 3rd, 1990, Writing in Progress)
• My Friend of Misery (September 3rd, 1990, Writing in Progress)

PRE-PRODUCTION REHEARSALS & RADIO EDITS

• Enter Sandman (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Sad But True (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Holier Than Thou (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Nothing Else Matters (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Wherever I May Roam (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Don't Tread on Me (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Through the Never (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• The Unforgiven (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Of Wolf and Man (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• The God That Failed (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• My Friend of Misery (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• The Struggle Within (Pre-Production Rehearsal)
• Enter Sandman (Radio Edit)
• The Unforgiven (Radio Edit)
• Nothing Else Matters (Radio Edit)
• Wherever I May Roam (Radio Edit)

ROUGH & ALTERNATE MIXES 

• So What (Early Take - October 12th, 1990)
• Killing Time (Take 18 - October 12th, 1990)
• Through the Never (Take 53 - October 22nd, 1990)
• Holier Than Thou (Take 9 - October 27th, 1990)
• My Friend of Misery (Take 4 - October 27th, 1990)
• The Struggle Within (Take 12 - November 10th, 1990)
• Of Wolf and Man (Take 2 - December 6th, 1990)
• The God That Failed (Take 26 - December 6th, 1990)
• Don't Tread on Me (Take 6 - December 15th, 1990)
• Enter Sandman (Take 15 - January 21st, 1991)
• Enter Sandman (Take 35 - January 21st, 1991)
• Late Night Skynyrd Jam (January 23rd, 1991)
• The Unforgiven (139 BPM Take - January 29th, 1991)
• Nothing Else Matters (Take 19 - January 29th, 1991)
• Sad But True (Take 36 - February 5th, 1991)
• Wherever I May Roam (Take 3 - February 5th, 1991)
• Enter Sandman (May 13th, 1991 Rough Mix)
• The God That Failed (May 13th, 1991 Rough Mix)
• The Struggle Within (May 13th, 1991 Rough Mix)
• The Unforgiven (May 14th, 1991 Rough Mix)
• Wherever I May Roam (May 14th, 1991 Rough Mix)
• Don't Tread on Me (May 14th, 1991 Rough Mix) 
• Through the Never (May 14th, 1991 Rough Mix)
• Sad But True (May 23rd, 1991 Rough Mix)
• Of Wolf and Man (June 2nd, 1991 Rough Mix)
• My Friend of Misery (June 2nd, 1991 Rough Mix)
• Holier Than Thou (June 2nd, 1991 Rough Mix)
• Nothing Else Matters (No Orchestra Mix - July 8th, 1991)
• Nothing Else Matters (Orchestra/Clean Guitar/Vocal Mix - July 8th, 1991)
• Nothing Else Matters (Elevator Version)

LIVE AT DAY ON THE GREEN, OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 12TH, 1991

• Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 
• Wherever I May Roam 
• Bass Solo 
• Through the Never 
• The Unforgiven 

LIVE AT ARCO ARENA, SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 11TH, 1992

• The Four Horsemen 
• Justice Medley 
• Drum Solo 
• Guitar Solo 
• Encore Jam 
• Encore Jam #2 

COVERS & B-SIDES

• Stone Cold Crazy (Remastered)
• So What (Remastered)
• Killing Time (Remastered)
• Stone Cold Crazy (James Hetfield live with Queen at Wembley Stadium, London, England - April 20th, 1992)
• Harvester of Sorrow (Live at The Liebenau, Graz, Austria - September 11th, 1991)
• Nothing Else Matters  (Live at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, NM - August 27th, 1992)

LIVE AT MAIMARKTGELÄNDE, MANNHEIM, GERMANY - MAY 22ND, 1993

• Of Wolf and Man 
• The Thing That Should Not Be 
• Disposable Heroes 
• Instrumental Medley 

Watch: TONY IOMMI And TONY MARTIN Discuss BLACK SABBATH's 'Headless Cross' Album Ahead Of 'Anno Domini' Release

A new video of Tony Martin and Tony Iommi discussing the BLACK SABBATH album "Headless Cross" can be seen below.

"Headless Cross" is included in the "Anno Domini 1989-1995" box set of the Martin -era BLACK SABBATH recordings, which will be made available on on May 31 via Rhino .

BLACK SABBATH 's history with singers Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio has been chronicled extensively through the years in multiple collections. Until now, no boxed set has focused on BLACK SABBATH 's time with Martin , the band's second-longest-serving singer.

Rhino explores this prolific period from the godfathers of heavy metal in a new collection that brings four albums back into print after an extended absence. "Anno Domini 1989-1995" will be released in four-LP and four-CD configurations. The set contains newly remastered versions of "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990) and "Cross Purposes" (1994),plus a new version of "Forbidden" (1995) that guitarist Tony Iommi remixed specially for the collection.

Several albums make their vinyl debut in the LP version of "Anno Domini" , while the CD version contains three exclusive bonus tracks: the B-side "Cloak & Dagger" and the Japan-only releases "What's The Use" and "Loser Gets It All" . A booklet comes with the set featuring photos, artwork, and liner notes by Hugh Gilmour . The collection also contains a "Headless Cross" poster and a replica concert book from the "Headless Cross" tour.

"Anno Domini" picks up BLACK SABBATH 's story in 1989, two decades and multiple lineup changes into the band's groundbreaking career as metal originators. At the time, membership had solidified around riffmaster and founding member Tony Iommi , legendary drummer Cozy Powell ( JEFF BECK , RAINBOW , WHITESNAKE ),singer Tony Martin , and longtime BLACK SABBATH collaborator and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls ( QUARTZ , BANDY LEGS ).

The group originally released "Headless Cross" in 1989 on I.R.S. Records , the first of four albums SABBATH recorded for the label. Praised by fans and critics alike, the band's 14th studio release produced three singles: "Devil And Daughter" , "Call Of The Wild" and the title track. Bassist Neil Murray ( WHITESNAKE , GARY MOORE ) joined for the "Headless Cross" tour and stayed to record SABBATH 's next album, 1990's "Tyr" . Named for the Norse god of war, the album explores similar mythological themes in songs like "The Battle Of Tyr" and "Valhalla" . On "The Sabbath Stones" , the band channels Old Testament fire and brimstone into a classic bruiser.

In 1992, following a successful world tour, this incarnation of BLACK SABBATH was put on hold when the band reunited temporarily with Ronnie James Dio . Two years later, Martin and Nicholls were back in the studio with Iommi to record 1994's "Cross Purposes" . The band was completed with the addition of founding SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bobby Rondinelli of RAINBOW .

The "Tyr" -era BLACK SABBATH lineup reunited in 1995 when Powell and Murray returned to record "Forbidden" . It was the band's 18th studio album, and its last for nearly 20 years. (In 2013, Iommi , Osbourne and Butler released BLACK SABBATH 's final studio album, "13" .) "Forbidden" , produced by Ernie C of BODY COUNT , the hard rock band fronted by rapper/actor/ SABBATH fan Ice-T , who appears on the song "Illusion Of Power" . Since its release, sonically improving the album has been one of Iommi 's pet projects.

He explains: "I was never happy with the guitar sound, and Cozy was definitely never happy with the drum sound… So, I thought it would be nice to do it for him in a way." He adds, "I just felt that, without changing any of the songs, there was an opportunity to go back and bring out some of the sounds and make it more what people would expect SABBATH to sound like."

Included in the set:

* "Headless Cross" , "Tyr" and "Cross Purposes" newly remastered * "Forbidden" newly remixed by Tony Iommi * 1989 "Headless Cross" tour replica concert book * 40-page book with photos, artwork and new liner notes * Replica color tour poster

Disc 1 – "Headless Cross"

01. The Gates Of Hell (2024 Remaster) 02. Headless Cross (2024 Remaster) 03. Devil & Daughter (2024 Remaster) 04. When Death Calls (2024 Remaster) 05. Kill In The Spirit World (2024 Remaster) 06. Call Of The Wild (2024 Remaster) 07. Black Moon (2024 Remaster) 08. Nightwing (2024 Remaster) 09. Cloak & Dagger (2024 Remaster)

Disc 2 – "Tyr"

01. Anno Mundi (2024 Remaster) 02. The Law Maker (2024 Remaster) 03. Jerusalem (2024 Remaster) 04. The Sabbath Stones (2024 Remaster) 05. The Battle Of Tyr (2024 Remaster) 06. Odin's Court (2024 Remaster) 07. Valhalla (2024 Remaster) 08. Feels Good To Me (2024 Remaster) 09. Heaven In Black (2024 Remaster)

Disc 3 – "Cross Purposes"

01. I Witness (2024 Remaster) 02. Cross Of Thorns (2024 Remaster) 03. Psychophobia (2024 Remaster) 04. Virtual Death (2024 Remaster) 05. Immaculate Deception (2024 Remaster) 06. Dying For Love (2024 Remaster) 07. Back To Eden (2024 Remaster) 08. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2024 Remaster) 09. Cardinal Sin (2024 Remaster) 10. Evil Eye (2024 Remaster) 11. What's The Use (2024 Remaster)

Disc 4 – "Forbidden" remix

01. Illusion Of Power 02. Get A Grip 03. Can't Get Close Enough 04. Shaking Off The Chains 05. I Won't Cry For You 06. Guilty As Hell 07. Sick And Tired 08. Rusty Angels 09. Forbidden 10. Kiss Of Death 11. Loser Gets It All

LP 1 – Side A

01. The Gates Of Hell (2024 Remaster) 02. Headless Cross (2024 Remaster) 03. Devil & Daughter (2024 Remaster) 04. When Death Calls (2024 Remaster)

LP 1 – Side B

01. Kill In The Spirit World (2024 Remaster) 02. Call Of The Wild (2024 Remaster) 03. Black Moon (2024 Remaster) 04. Nightwing (2024 Remaster)

LP 2 – Side A

01. Anno Mundi (2024 Remaster) 02. The Law Maker (2024 Remaster) 03. Jerusalem (2024 Remaster) 04. The Sabbath Stones (2024 Remaster)

LP 2 – Side B

01. The Battle Of Tyr (2024 Remaster) 02. Odin's Court (2024 Remaster) 03. Valhalla (2024 Remaster) 04. Feels Good To Me (2024 Remaster) 05. Heaven In Black (2024 Remaster)

LP 3 – Side A

01. I Witness (2024 Remaster) 02. Cross Of Thorns (2024 Remaster) 03. Psychophobia (2024 Remaster) 04. Virtual Death (2024 Remaster) 05. Immaculate Deception (2024 Remaster)

LP 3 – Side B

01. Dying For Love (2024 Remaster) 02. Back To Eden (2024 Remaster) 03. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2024 Remaster) 04. Cardinal Sin (2024 Remaster) 05. Evil Eye (2024 Remaster)

LP 4 – Side A

01. Illusion Of Power 02. Get A Grip 03. Can't Get Close Enough 04. Shaking Off The Chains 05. I Won't Cry For You

LP 4 – Side B

01. Guilty As Hell 02. Sick And Tired 03. Rusty Angels 04. Forbidden 05. Kiss Of Death

In the summer of 2022, Martin told "The Rock And Metal Profs: The History And Philosophy Of Rock And Metal" podcast that "two record labels" were going to re-release the albums he recorded with SABBATH . "I don't know when, and I don't know what it's gonna look like," he said. "There was some suggestion a while back that we might be able to put extra tracks and stuff on it. I did offer, and I went to see Tony Iommi and offered some things. And then he said we can't use anything new 'cause nothing new can be released under the BLACK SABBATH name. It can only be stuff that's got the original four members on it.

"I'm expecting it to be a remixed version of whatever the original was; that's what I'm expecting," Tony added. "So I await as you do to find out. Let me know if you hear it first."

When the interviewer expressed hope that the box set will include some live recordings from the Martin era of SABBATH , either in audio or video format, Tony said: "I recorded the writing session with… Eddie Van Halen came over and helped us write one of the tracks [for 1994's 'Cross Purposes' album]. And I had an eight-track recorder at the time in the 1980s, and I used to take it everywhere, this thing. I've got all of the writing sessions and rehearsals recorded. So I sent [ Iommi ] this, and he went, 'Wow! That's fucking great.' And I said, 'Well, you're welcome to use it, if you wanna put that on.' So, I don't know… Maybe you'll get that on there."

Martin added: "It's great to hear Eddie play."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden" -era bandmates were ousted when Iommi reunited with SABBATH 's fellow original members.

In January 2022, Martin reflected on his time with SABBATH during an appearance on "The Ron Keel Podcast" , saying: "It doesn't haunt me. It's not a bad thing. I've got a lot to be grateful for. SABBATH is the reason why you, and the world, knows about my voice. So there are things to be grateful for. It was hard work for me. I'm 12 years younger than the rest of the guys, so even just circle of friends was different — they're hanging out with Ian Gillan and Brian May , and my best friend is Dave down the road. So that was a gap. And also the experience — they were way ahead of me in experience, at least 12 years further up the road from me, and I never could quite catch them up; they will always have that much more experience than me. So that was hard work."

He continued: "When I first got the gig, it was actually 1986 that I was put on standby when they were with Glenn Hughes on the 'Seventh Star' album. And I don't know what the issues were, but something went wrong with Glenn and they put me on standby. That scared me to death, 'cause it's Glenn Hughes . I can't sing like Glenn Hughes ; nobody can sing like Glenn Hughes . Only Glenn Hughes can sing like Glenn Hughes . So that was really scary. Then they got Ray Gillen in. Then he left — he left to join BLUE MURDER with John Sykes , so they called me again and said, 'You'd better come down to the studio and try this out.' And they gave me one song, which was 'The Shining' off 'Eternal Idol' , and then two days later said, 'Okay. You've got the job. You've got a week to finish the album.' So right from the start it was scary — it was huge; suddenly being the frontman of BLACK SABBATH was just ridiculous. And yeah, the whole association with me and my voice lasted 11 years."

Seven years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH 's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."

In 2018, Iommi spent time in the studio remixing "Forbidden" for a future release. The LP, which features Martin , drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray , is often regarded as SABBATH 's worst studio recording.

In a 2012 interview with Über Röck , Martin said that he was "surprised" to see Iommi criticizing him in the guitarist's "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" book (referring to the Martin period, especially the touring phase following the release of "Cross Purposes" in 1994, Iommi lambasted his former singer as "unprofessional" and having "no stage presence"). Martin said: "I mean, they never said anything to me. Surely, if you've got a problem, the first person you should say something to is the person that's in the band with you... It sounds like a really stupid thing to say, as they didn't say anything to my face — and, if that's the case, then more fool them for not saying anything, because, you know, we could have fixed it. I said to them, endlessly, that if there was anything they wanted changed, done differently, just to say and we could fix it, but clearly, they didn't, they hadn't got the guts to, obviously, and to write about it in a book afterwards seems a bit daft to me. I'm not bitter about it, but it is surprising... It seems a bit stupid to say that after the event."

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What we know about Taylor Swift 'The Tortured Poets Department' album so far

T ick. Tick. Tick. Taylor Swift will release her 11th album on April 19, and here’s everything we know about “The Tortured Poets Department,” or "Tortured Poets" for short.

There are 16 tracks plus a different bonus track on four versions of the album (20 songs in total). At the Grammys, Swift announced version one would include "The Manuscript." At her concert in Melbourne, Australia, Swift announced a second version with the bonus track, "The Bolter." In Sydney, Australia, she announced a third version with the track "The Albatross." In Singapore, she announced a fourth and final version with the track "The Black Dog."

Post Malone and Florence and The Machine are two contributors on what appears to be a break-up album. The titles are brutal. Fans speculate the album is about Swift’s six-year relationship to English actor Joe Alwyn. Both stars kept the relationship out of the public eye. The back of the first version of the album reads, “I love you, it’s ruining me,” which may serve as a dagger-to-the-chest harbinger.

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Keep scrolling for an analysis of what the track titles may mean and be sure to sign-up for our free, weekly newsletter, "This Swift Beat." From behind-the-scenes stories to fan and influencer interviews to a recap of the weeks' events, this newsletter informs, inspires and creates community. You can sign-up for the  free newsletter here . 

The 'Tortured Poets Timetable'

Taylor Swift posted a timetable animation on Tuesday night revealing a music video announcement and highlighting 2 o'clock. The video posted to the singer's Instagram account begins in a "Midnights" room with the 10th album's vinyls scattered on the floor in a smattering of crumpled up papers. It then animates to a locked "Tortured Poets Department" door where two desks are seen, a typewriter and a cork-board with a calendar that reads "8 p.m. ET music video release!!" There is a tally bellow that adds up to 14, which could refer to a fortnight, or 14 days. Watch the video:

What tracks are on 'Tortured Poets Department'?

On April 11, the desktop version of Spotify released the track lengths for the album that's 65 minutes and 8 seconds. The longest song is "But Daddy, I Love Him" at 5:40, and the shortest song is "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" at 2:36. Bonus song lengths were not included.

Side A: 

• "Fortnight" (ft. Post Malone) 3:48
• "The Tortured Poets Department" 4:53
• "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" 3:23
• "Down Bad" 4:21

Side B: 

• "So Long, London" 4:22
• "But Daddy I Love Him" 5:40
• "Fresh Out the Slammer" 3:30
• "Florida!!!" (ft. Florence + The Machine) 3:35

Side C: 

• "Guilty as Sin?" 4:14
• "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?" 5:34
• "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" 2:36
• "loml" 4:37

Side D: 

• "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" 3:38
• "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" 4:05
• "The Alchemy" 3:16
• "Clara Bow" 3:36

Bonus: 

• "The Manuscript" (Bonus track, version 1)
• "The Bolter" ( Bonus track, version 2 )
• "The Albatross" ( Bonus track, version 3 )
• "The Black Dog" ( Bonus track, version 4 )

Five writers credited on 'Tortured Poets'

The composing credits were released on Apple Music on April 15. Per usual, Swift is credited as a composer on all tracks. On two, she is listed by herself: "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" Austin Post (Post Malone) helped with the song he is featured on, "Fortnight," and Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine) is credited on "Florida!!!"

Jack Antonoff, a co-producer of Swift's since her "1989" album, is credited with eight titles: "Fortnight," "The Tortured Poets Department," "Down Bad," "Fresh Out The Slammer," "Guilty As Sin?," "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)," "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" and "The Alchemy."

Aaron Dessner, a co-producer of Swift's since "Folklore," is credited with five tracks, "So Long, London," "But Daddy I Love Him," "loml," "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" and "Clara Bow."

Bonus tracks were not included.

Explicit tracks announced on Apple Music

Apple Music made the album — the streaming service has categorized it as "pop" — available for pre-order on March 18 showing that seven of the tracks include curse words, the most of any of Swift's former albums: "The Tortured Poets Department," "Down Bad," "But Daddy I Love Him," "Florida!!!," "loml," "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" and "the Smallest Man Who Ever Lived." The four bonus tracks were not included.

QR Code appears in Chicago

Painters in Chicago were seen April 15 on a green scissor lift in the River North district ( 25 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654 ) of the Windy City creating a QR code out of "ttpd" letters and "13" numbers. When people scanned the code with their phone cameras, it took them to a 13-second  YouTube short  attached to Swift's page.  A line of Swifties stood  on the curb below to capture photos and videos and plaster them over TikTok.

The YouTube short animates like a typewriter with the message "Error 321" and a faded "13."

Spotify library installation appears at The Grove in LA

I enter into evidence a slew of Easter egg clues at the Spotify pop-up installation. Fans noticed on the outer facing wall of the mini library six slots of vintage postal boxes are pulled out with flowers and invitations. The six slots are pulled out like morgue drawers and fans believe they may represent her six-year relationship to Alwyn.

Inside the exhibit, some of the books have the names of Swift's songs, "The Manuscript," "The Albatross" and "Fresh Out the Slammer." There is an old-style typewriter with the message, possibly lyrics, that Swift shared in her announcement post of "Tortured Poets": “And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / Tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink / All’s fair in love and poetry… Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department.”

A globe has a pin on Miami, Florida, where Swift will perform her Eras Tour on October 18-20. There is a vintage clock with the date Friday, Dec. 13. That is Swift's birthday, a day she has made announcements.

On Tuesday morning, a book display showed the lyric: "Even statues crumble if they're made to wait." By afternoon, the page was flipped to: "One less temptress. One less dagger to sharpen."

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Why announce the new album at the Grammys?

Taylor Swift loves numerology, especially when it comes to the number 13. On Feb. 4, the singer won her 13th career Grammy for pop vocal album .

"I want to say thank you to the fans," Swift said in her acceptance speech, "by telling you a secret that I've been keeping from you for the past two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19."

During her first Tokyo concert later that week, Swift said she intended to announce the album in Japan but switched to the Grammys.

"I had this plan in my head and I told my friends, I told Jack (Antonoff), but I hadn’t really told many other people," she said. "I thought, 'OK, so if I’m lucky enough to win one thing tonight, I’m just going to do it. I’m just going to announce my new album.'"

Version one of the album included the bonus track "The Manuscript."

What are 'The Bolter,' 'The Albatross' and 'The Black Dog'?

During night one in Melbourne, Swift spoke from the piano of her acoustic set, which she never does. (She usually finishes the guitar song and heads straight for the keys to play her second surprise song.)

"'Tortured Poets' is an album," she said to the packed stadium of 96,000 screaming fans, "I think more than any of my albums that I've ever made, I needed to make it. It was really a lifeline for me. Just the things I was going through, the things I was writing about. It kind of reminded me of why songwriting was something that actually gets me through my life."

Swift added a second vinyl with a different bonus track, "The Bolter." The back of the album has the words, "You don't get to tell me about sad."

Swift did the same thing in Sydney, announcing to 81,000 fans on night one her special edition "The Albatross." A third version of cover art included the phrase, "Am I allowed to cry?"

On night two in Singapore, she announced a fourth and final variant to a crowd of 60,000 titled "The Black Dog" with the phrase "Old habits die screaming."

What were the Easter eggs?

Hours before the Grammys, TaylorSwift.com “crashed” showing an “Error 321 Backend fetch failed.” Error 321 is a communication error that would appear on a fax machine with a poor telephone line connection. Below, “hneriergrd:” appeared to be an unscrambled version of “red herring,” which is a clue or piece of information intended to be misleading or distracting. And underneath that was “DPT: 123.” DPT backwards is TPD, "Tortured Poets Department."

The announcement follows the Eras Tour pattern of two rereleases then a new project. In 2021, she announced “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” before announcing “Midnights” in 2022. In 2023, she surprised Eras Tour audiences with artwork from “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” during two acoustic sets.

If she continues the pattern, “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” and her debut album may not be announced until next year. Or maybe there will be a glitch and she’ll coordinate “New Year’s Day,” a song off of the sixth album, with ringing in 2025.

What is the aesthetic of 'TTPD'?

Every era has a different color associated with it. This looks like this will be the “white heart” era as Swift has shared the emoji as her Instagram story highlight for TTPD. 

The motif of the album is like a scene from a black-and-white detective show from the early-to-mid 1900s. The faded photos and evidence folders seem to point to tracing evidence in the death of a relationship, which the titles echo. 

Coders found that the backend of Swift’s site included several words that match the vibe: “chairman,” “bruises,” “veins,” “cadence,” “apple cake,” “talisman,” “love bombs,” “muse,” “ink,” “evidence” and “fake.”

Why April 19th?

Swift is a mastermind and very intentional not just with songs, track titles and announcements, but also release dates. April 19 has two significances that may make it the perfect day for the debut of the 11th era. Historically, in 1775, April 19th was the day the American Revolutionary War started when shots rang out in Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, Massachusetts. Thus began the split of the U.S. from Great Britain, so long London. Again, it could be a metaphoric nod to her split from Alwyn.

April 19th is also "National Poetry and the Creative Mind Day."

What does this mean for the Eras Tour?

Swift has a break from the Eras Tour between March 9 (when she wraps a six-night stint in Singapore) and May 9 (when she begins again in Paris, France). The album will come out on April 19 which begs the question of how will it be incorporated into the three-plus-hour show? 

Will she take the 20 songs and make them a part of her surprise songs ? Will she add a new era? Will she open the show with "TTPD"? If that’s the case, will she cut from other eras or take this show to four hours? The Eras Tour continues to break records, boost local economies and evolve. Time won't fly, but it will tell the answers to these questions.

What could the track titles mean?

Nothing is confirmed or certain until the album comes out, but here are some possibilities of what Swift's 11th era may entail.

" Fortnight" (ft. Post Malone)

A fortnight is a two-week period or 14 days. Swift loves numerology, and her favorite number is 13. In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe (ahead of the Super Bowl), Post Malone said, "She's so sweet and so kind and talented and she hit me up and said, 'Let's do it.' And I was like, ‘Hell yeah.’”

He didn't discuss any other details but said he can't wait to hear it.

"The Tortured Poets Department"

Half of Swift’s albums have not had a title track including debut, “1989,” “Reputation,” “Folklore” and “Midnights." When Swift announced "TTPD," she tweeted out handwritten lyrics which may be on this track: “And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / Tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink / All’s fair in love and poetry… Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department.”

" My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys "

A title about self-sabotage. 

Merriam-Webster defines this slang as “in a bad state or condition” such as being depressed or “marked with strong and usually unrequited feelings of attraction, desire or infatuation.”

" So Long, London "

Track five on each of Swift’s albums is usually the most heart-wrenching. “So Long, London” is intentionally placed and may be an open, but tragic love letter to England’s capital.

" But Daddy I Love Him "

This line is iconic in the “Little Mermaid” when King Triton finds out that Ariel loves Prince Eric and he forbids her from pursuing him. It’s trying to convince an authoritative figure (…maybe even yourself) that your emotions outweigh logic and a relationship that’s run its course may still work.

" Fresh Out the Slammer "

The slammer is slang for jail or prison, metaphorically speaking, it’s getting out of a relationship. 

" Florida!!!" (ft. Florence + The Machine)

A week before her split with Alwyn, Swift switched the first song of her “Folklore” set from “Invisible String,” a song about two people being destined for one another, to “The 1,” a retrospective song about what might have been. Her first concert after news broke of the ended relationship was in Tampa, Florida. 

" Guilty as Sin? "

Guilty as sin is a matter of fact statement that someone is, without a doubt, culpable in a crime. The question mark in this track title shows the turmoil of knowing a certainty but then having to second guess it. This was also the name of a 1993 movie in which a female lawyer represents a man accused of killing his wife. As she digs into his past, she reaches a moral dilemma and grapples with the possibility of betraying her client. 

" Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? "

This title may be a nod to “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” The classic play, written in 1962 by Edward Albee, is a dark comedy about an older couple who invite young houseguests over for a dysfunctional and cruel night of fun of games. 

" I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) "

Call a therapist because there’s a lot to unpack with this title. It may be about a toxic relationship in which one party perceives the other as the problem or having defective qualities. It’s an assertion of wanting to control a situation.

“loml” stands for “love of my life.” This could be a reflective track filled with fond memories, or it could be a sarcastic and jaded take. Swift sometimes songs in the complete opposite direction of their titles, like in one of her most melancholic songs, “Happiness.” 

" I Can Do It With a Broken Heart "

Swift worked on the album for two years. She started writing it after “Midnights” in 2021. She wrote it during her massively successful Eras Tour. In 2022, Swift talked to Jimmy Fallon about “Midnights” and incessantly putting pen to paper. “I love writing songs, poems, stories, scripts,” she said. “In the last six or seven years, I’ve just been constantly making things. And the more things I make, the happier I am. So I’ve just continued to do it.” She can do what is expected of her and more, even with a shattered heart.

" The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived "

Calling someone a small man is to say they are ordinary without anything special: wealth, fame, power, etc. Adding the superlative “who ever lived” means there has never been anyone smaller… like ever.

" The Alchemy "

Alchemy is an ancient branch of chemical science and philosophy used to discover the possibility of a universal cure for diseases or a prolonged (maybe even indefinite) life. 

"Clara Bow "

The American actress appeared in 46 silent films. Investors knew fans would fill the seats if her name was in the credits. The black-and-white motif of "The Tortured Poets Department" matches a movie Bow would have starred in during the Roaring '20s.

"The Manuscript" (bonus track)

Is this clever word play for “Man U Script” or is this is a song meant to be the exclamation point of hard work on TTPD? Manuscripts are books, documents, or music pieces written by hand. There is a feeling of personalization, originality and ownership, something Swift has advocated for throughout her career and quest to reclaim her music. The physicality of a manuscript means created with your own hands.

"The Bolter" (bonus track)

Simply, a bolter can refer to leaving in a mad, hurried and nervous dash for the door. Merriam-Webster has a second definition of "a failed attempt to land on an aircraft carrier that occurs when an aircraft's tailhook misses the arresting gear on the carrier's deck so that the aircraft is required to take off again without stopping." This could point to a person rapidly exiting a relationship or the back-and-forth, on again, off again, miscommunication in a relationship.

"The Albatross" (bonus track)

An albatross is one of the largest seabirds with a white torso and long, slender, black-tipped wings. Some Swifties say this was recreated in Swift's Grammy dress with long, black gloves. The term can also reference something that causes deep concern or anxiety or greatly hinders accomplishment. Merriam-Webster's example sentence may hit the nail on the head for this song: "Fame has become an albatross that prevents her from leading a normal life."

"The Black Dog" (bonus track)

A "black dog" is a term referring to feelings of depression, great sadness and lack of energy, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. In English literature and folklore, a black dog was a legend of a demonic hellhound that served as an omen of death.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What we know about Taylor Swift 'The Tortured Poets Department' album so far

Watch Metallica remind everyone of the power of The Black Album courtesy of this pro-shot footage of them battering Detroit with Through The Never earlier this month

This has got to be one of The Black Album's best cuts, right?

Metallica recently wrapped up the first stage of their 2023 72 Seasons world tour with two blockbuster dates in Detroit, Michigan at Fort Field. As with all their city stop-offs on this latest run, the metal titans played two nights, with two completely separate setlists ensuring that no songs were played twice. On night one, which took place on Friday November 10, one of the stand-out cuts aired was Black Album classic Through The Never , and the band have posted some classy, pro-shot footage of the performance to their official YouTube channel.

Getting a huge response from the crowd as the song is announced, Metallica proceed to smash their way through one of the few songs from their 90s era to hark back to their thrash metal origins. Watch the performance for yourself below.

Released on August 12, 1991, Metallica's self-titled, fifth full-length LP, known as The Black Album , would become one of the biggest-selling rock albums of all time, shifting an eye-watering 30 million sales and earning platinum status around the world. Though divisive within Metallica's OG fanbase for its stark departure from thrash and shameless swerve towards a more polished, arena metal sound, it'd go on to be hugely influential in its own right, not least for the stellar production job provided by Bob Rock.

In 2021, in celebration of The Black Album 's 30th anniversary, Metallica unveiled The Blacklist , a collection of covers of Black Album tracks produced by a dizzyingly diverse selection of artists. Two artists chose to cover Through The Never - Mongolian metal favourites The Hu and Nigerian soul artist Tomi Owó.

Metallica resume their 72 Seasons tour next year with shows currently scheduled in Europea, North America and Mexico.

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Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He is also probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site. 

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The Black Crowes Bring Rock & Soul To Seattle On ‘Happiness Bastards Tour’ [Review/Photos]

“Monday night’s the new Saturday night!” Chris Robinson shouted out to the packed house at McCaw Hall , a downtown Seattle theatre typically used for for dance and performing arts. The weekday show was the ninth stop on The Black Crowes ‘ world tour in support of Happiness Bastards’ , the band’s first album in 15 years.

The drum set was perched above a pile of vintage guitar amps as a cardboard cutout of Chuck Berry looked out from behind. The rest of the band members had their nooks in an old-timey sideshow gallery. They started the night off with the ’70s glam rock reminiscent “Bedside Manners” and “Rats and Clowns”, the first two tracks on the new record. The rock and roll carnival continued as the previously estranged brothers indulged the crowd with a few of the band’s classics.

They paid homage to the roots of rock and roll with Bo Diddley ’s dirty, low-riding groove, “Road Runner”, and called out other artists from the rhythm and blues cradle of Georgia, one of those of course being Otis Redding . Everyone in the crowd sang along to the Redding classic “Hard to Handle” and continued to do so to another of the band’s staples, “She Talks to Angels”.

Chris Robinson’s gritty soulful voice is as powerful as ever—as are the rock and roll frontman moves he shook in front of the center-stage mirror as he and the band treated the crowd to two more heavy hitters, “Remedy” and “Jealous Again”, before closing the evening out with the beloved 2009 “Good Morning Captain”. The 90-minute show was a solid mix of new material and greatest hits—a true American rock and roll show from a true American rock and roll band!

Click below to view a gallery of photos from The Black Crowes at McCaw Hall in Seattle courtesy of photographer Dave Vann .

The Black Crowes  Happiness Bastards Tour continues Thursday in Chicago. For a full list of upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website .

Setlist: The Black Crowes | McCaw Hall | Seattle, WA | 4/15/24

Set: Bedside Manners, Rats and Clowns, Twice as Hard, Kept My Soul (first time played since 2010), Go Faster, Cross Your Fingers, Road Runner (Bo Diddley) (first time played since 2006), Seeing Things (tour debut), Dirty Cold Sun, Wanting and Waiting, Hard to Handle (Otis Redding), She Talks to Angels, Flesh Wound, Sting Me, Jealous Again, Remedy

Encore: Good Morning Captain (tour debut)

The Black Crowes | McCaw Hall | Seattle, WA | 4/15/24 | Photos: Dave Vann

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Everything We Know About Taylor Swift’s New Album, The Tortured Poets Department  

By Kase Wickman

Welcome to Planet Earth (Taylor’s Version). We’re just days away from the release of Taylor Swift ’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , and thanks to a trail of bread crumbs and Easter eggs left by Swift herself, there’s already plenty to talk about and speculate upon, even leading to analysis of songs that nobody has even heard yet.

Swift announced the existence and release date of the Midnights follow-up album in perhaps the flex-iest way possible: onstage , as part of her acceptance speech for best pop vocal album at the Grammys 2024 .

Taylor Swift onstage at the Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024.

Though fans had long speculated that she was gearing up to announce her latest rerecording (only her debut album and 2017’s Reputation remain on the Taylor’s Version to-do list), Swift, 34, had something else in mind.

“I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years,” she said. “Which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19. It’s called The Tortured Poets Department. ”

So where do we enroll?

Ahead of the release of Swift’s new album, here’s everything we know so far.

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When is The Tortured Poets Department coming out?

The Tortured Poets Department will be released on April 19, 2024.

What’s that title, The Tortured Poets Department, in reference to?

The short version of that is a big shrug. The longer, more speculative version? It may or may not be a deliberate echo of the now infamous “Tortured Man Club” group chat that Joe Alwyn shared he’s part of on WhatsApp with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal .

By Bess Levin

By Britt Hennemuth

By Erika Harwood

What will the songs be about?

In the lead-up to the release of The Tortured Poets Department, Swift shared five playlists of her own songs on Apple Music, seemingly curated according to the five stages of grief. There’s denial (I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life), anger (You Don’t Get to Tell Me About Sad), bargaining (Am I Allowed to Cry?), depression (Old Habits Die Screaming), and finally, acceptance (I Can Do It With a Broken Heart). Swift recorded voice memos to accompany each playlist, saying of the final collection, for example, “These songs represent making room for more good in your life—making that choice—because a lot of time when we lose things, we gain things too.”

This, along with the “last two years” timeline she mentioned when announcing the album—the last gasps and ultimate ending of her relationship with Alwyn—has us guessing that the album won’t not be about the breakup.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

Will we see Travis Kelce stuff on there?

Love takes time, and so does recording an album. It’s possible that her newish relationship with Kelce, which kicked off sometime in the summer of 2023, influenced tracks, but not terribly likely. When Swift began working on the album, right after she released Midnights, she hadn’t met Kelce.

Is it going to be good?

Listen, Travis Kelce has heard the album, and he says it’s “unbelievable.” Considering he attended the Eras Tour of his own accord, it’s safe to assume that he’s a true-blue Swiftie and can be trusted, romantic bias or no.

Florence Welch

Who is she collaborating with?

Post Malone and Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine) are both credited on the album’s track list.

What’s on the track list?

Swift released the official track list for the album in an Instagram post in February. They are listed as:

1. “Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone)

2. “The Tortured Poets Department”

3. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”

4. “Down Bad”

5. “So Long, London”

6. “But Daddy I Love Him”

7. “Fresh Out the Slammer”

8. “Florida!!!” (feat. Florence + the Machine)

9. “Guilty as Sin?”

10. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”

11. “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”

13. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”

14. “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”

15. “The Alchemy”

16. “Clara Bow”

She has also announced bonus tracks “The Manuscript,” “The Albatross,” “The Bolter,” and “The Black Dog.”

Post Malone

Shouldn’t there be an apostrophe in the title?

No . It’s fine. The department doesn’t belong to the tortured poets, it’s a department of tortured poets. Find something else to worry about.

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Black Keys announce 31-city tour, including Milwaukee concert, with The Head and the Heart

After playing a rare intimate Milwaukee gig last December as their final show of 2023, the Black Keys are returning to arenas, including Fiserv Forum.

The bluesy rock duo Monday announced a 31-date North American leg of their "International Players Tour." It includes a stop at Fiserv Forum Nov. 9 with folk rock group The Head and the Heart.

And anyone who saw the Black Keys at the Rave's Eagles Ballroom last December will be treated to music from their new album "Ohio Players," out April 5.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the box office (1111 N. Phillips Ave.) and fiservforum.com , with presales beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday through the band's website. Prices have yet to be announced.

Megan Thee Stallion Says New Album Is Inspired by 'Rebirth' After Mental Health Struggle Amid Tory Lanez Drama

Megan thee stallion admits she would cry before live shows and addresses ‘depression’, 'fallout's ella purnell on what fans can expect (exclusive), kyle maclachlan on newfound 'dune 1984' appreciation and 'fallout' (exclusive), ryan gosling panics over meeting chris stapleton in 'saturday night live' promo, halle berry opens up about her children and lengths she'd go to keep them safe (exclusive), inside the kardashians' spring break island vacation with their kids, '90 day fiancé': emily confronts kobe's friends for doubting their relationship (exclusive), ‘the view’ hosts evacuated after fire breaks out at ‘tamron hall show’, kevin costner on his son hayes making his acting debut in ‘horizon: an american saga’ (exclusive), robert downey jr. on his 'very odd' role in ‘the sympathizer’ (exclusive), jonathan scott gives update on wedding planning with zooey deschanel (exclusive), jon bon jovi on creating new music after his vocal cord injury (exclusive), ‘the conners’: john goodman, sara gilbert and cast reflect on 100 episodes, 'fallout's aaron clifton moten on filming in heavy power armor (exclusive), miley cyrus' evolution: rare interviews from 'hannah montana' to 'endless summer vacation', mama june clarifies honey boo boo's allegation that she stole her money (exclusive), watch stephen colbert surprise maren morris with impromptu 'star-spangled banner' singalong, ‘mama june: family crisis’: june and justin’s heated argument threatens their marriage (exclusive), travis kelce jokingly says he 'doesn't know' how taylor swift romance started, why sandra oh won’t reprise ‘grey’s anatomy’s cristina yang ‘anytime soon’ (exclusive), in january, the 'hiss' rapper announced that she will release new music and go on tour this summer..

Megan Thee Stallion  is in a new era of her life and her music reflects that. Hip-hop's H-Town Hottie graces the cover of  Women's Health 's   May/June issue, in which she opens up to the outlet about how her "rebirth" inspired her upcoming album.

It's been a year since the 29-year-old rapper stepped back into the spotlight after staying out of the public eye following her  testimony against former friend  Tory Lanez during  his felony assault trial  in December 2022.  After a week-long trial , the Canadian musician was  convicted on three counts  at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. On Aug. 8, three years after Megan accused Lanez of shooting her in the feet,  he was sentenced to 10 years in prison . 

After the Texas Southern University graduate came forward with her allegations, the case played out on social media and even in music released by  rappers not involved in the conflict . On his album,  Daystar,  released in 2020 and more than two months after the encounter,  Lanez refuted Megan's allegations  on the album's first track, "Money Over Fallouts," claiming that Megan and her team were trying to frame him.

Meanwhile, Megan called out  false reporting , dealt with Lanez allegedly  fabricating emails from her label  for the press and suffered intense victim-blaming from the shooting incident. 

"A lot of people didn't treat me like I was human for a long time," Megan tells  Women's Health  of the public's reaction to her speaking out against Lanez. "I feel like everybody was always used to me being the fun and happy party girl. I watched people build me up, tear me down, and be confused about their expectations of me. As a Black woman, as a darker Black woman, I also feel like people expect me to take the punches, take the beating, take the lashings, and handle it with grace. But I'm human."

The "Hiss" rapper confesses that she was suffering in silence , keeping up a facade for the public. "Before I went onstage, I would be crying half the time because I didn't want to [perform], but I also didn't want to upset my fans," she recalls. "I didn't want to get [out] from under the covers. I stayed in my room. I would not turn the lights on. I had blackout curtains. I didn't want to see the sun. I knew I wasn't myself. It took me a while to acknowledge that I was depressed. But once I started talking to a therapist, I was able to be truthful with myself."

Megan has been a vocal advocate for utilizing mental health resources. In 2022, the rapper  announced the launch  of the  Pete and Thomas Foundation . Named after her parents, Holly Thomas and Joseph Pete Jr., who died in 2019 and 2011, respectively, the non-profit organization's website says its mission is to "catalyze resources to effect meaningful and positive change in the lives of women and children, senior citizens, and underserved communities in Houston, Texas, and across the globe."

Several months later, Megan launched a website called "Bad B**ches Have Bad Days Too,"  which provides users with links to free therapy organizations, suicide and substance abuse helplines, among other resources.

The site title is taken from a chorus line of the lyrics from the rapper's single, "Anxiety." The song, off her album,  Traumazine , details the workings of Megan's mind -- from her insecurities, anxieties and grief. 

As Megan's mended her mental health, she's put the same effort into her relationship with her body. "Working on myself made me get into working out because I needed to focus my energy somewhere else. I used working out to escape and to get happy," she shares.

She's taken to her Instagram page to share photos and videos of her spending time with her dogs,  working out , bingeing TV shows, and finding new ways to protect her peace.

"I'm in a space where I feel good mentally, so I want to look as good as I feel," she adds, sharing that she's taken that energy into her music as well. "I was inspired to create this album about rebirth because I feel I am becoming a new person physically and mentally."

Megan announced in January that she's coming out with a new album and going on tour in the summer. 

"We're having the tour this year," she revealed on  Good Morning America . "The Hot Girl Summer Tour is gonna be 2024 summertime. I feel like I've never been able to be outside doing my own thing during the summer, since like 2019, so this is gonna be the first time I drop an album on time for the summer. I do want to give the hotties the Megan Thee Stallion experience."

The rapper has since dropped two new singles, "Cobra" and "Hiss," both which prominently feature a snake motif that Megan describes as "healing."

As for the Hot Girl Summer Tour , the headlining arena tour begins in May and will find the Houston rapper performing in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Glorilla will open for Megan during the North American leg of the tour. 

As a rapper that has always shown her vulnerability and strength in songs like "Cobra" and "Anxiety," Megan says she's growing into her ability to make music "that is still true to myself but also true to my message." 

She adds: "I'm proud to still be here. I didn't quit. I want to see myself grow and be better than I am right now. And I will. I know I will."

Indeed, Megan has big plans coming up for her and her Hotties. After dropping "Hiss," the rapper claimed that she's got "4 more" songs ready to fire off in the future.

"I feel like I'm in such a fresh space, like everything about me is new," Megan told ET last September . "My attitude, my vibe. I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life. I think I've just gone through so much and I'm at a point where I don't care about a lot of stuff. I'm just so comfortable with myself. I'm like, 'OK, at this point, girl, what's the worst thing that can happen?' I'm just into taking risks right now."

Explaining that she's taken all social media apps off her phone, Megan says doing so has kept her from feeling pressured by the work of other musical artists.

"I don't have any inspiration from anybody out right now [because] I feel like as an artist, you see other artists doing things and it's like, 'Oh my god, I got to keep up,'" she adds. "I have no clue what anybody's doing, so the music that I been making, it feels good to me."

It was far from an easy journey for the rapper. 

"I always like to think of myself as a confident person, I always [act] that I didn't care about much, I was nonchalant, but it took me to go through things where so many people were talking about me constantly, to where I had to realize, 'OK, maybe you're not as nonchalant and carefree as you thought you were,'" she confesses. "So, I had to take a step back [and] reevaluate myself. I had to get in a comfortable position with myself, and now I genuinely can say that I'm in love with Megan. I'm in love with Megan Thee Stallion." 

Megan Thee Stallion's issue of Women's Health  hits newsstands nationwide on April 23.

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Aerosmith, The Black Crowes announce new tour dates. Get tickets to Indianapolis concert

The long-anticipated Aerosmith "Peace Out: Farewell Tour" is back after a postponement due to a vocal injury to Steven Tyler, the lead singer.

Aerosmith announced new tour dates on April 10, and the "Peace Out" tour, featuring The Black Crowes, will rock the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Jan. 16, 2025, towards the end of tour dates. The tour begins on Sept. 20 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and concludes on Feb. 26, 2025, in Buffalo, New York.

The tour, which kicked off in September 2023, was postponed due to a vocal injury experienced by lead singer. The band posted on Instagram on Sept. 29, 2023, telling fans shows wouldn't continue until 2024.

"To our fans: Unfortunately, Steven’s vocal injury is more serious than initially thought. His doctor has confirmed that in addition to the damage to his vocal cords, he fractured his larynx which requires ongoing care. He is receiving the best medical treatment available to ensure his recovery is swift, but given the nature of a fracture, he is being told patience is essential," according to the caption.

Indianapolis concerts: Maroon 5 and Maren Morris will return to the Indy area this summer. How to get tickets

The band posted again on April 10 revealing new tour dates.  "All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled shows – you’ll receive more info via email. Tickets for the rescheduled dates & newly added shows go on sale Fri 4/12 @ 10AM local at aerosmith.com," according to the caption.

Aerosmith and The Black Crowes is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, located at 125 S Pennsylvania St. in Indianapolis. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. Click here to learn more.