Former Metallica producer Bob Rock has mirrored on making two of the steel titans’ most divisive albums, 1996’s Load and 1997’s Reload.
In dialog with Metallica’s official podcast, The Metallica Report, the vaunted producer – who’s additionally labored with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Cult, Mötley Crüe and different rock/steel giants – expresses pleasure in helming the band’s controversial transfer from the steel of their chart-topping 1991 self-titled album (AKA ‘The Black Album’) in direction of a blues rock sound.
“I don’t comply with the foundations of steel, which might be flawed, and I’m sorry,” he says (by way of Blabbermouth). “As a result of, actually, my relationship with Metallica is that I’m a music individual, and so it doesn’t matter nevertheless you type it.”
He provides: “I wasn’t the man that mentioned, ‘No, we’ve gotta copy the Black Album.’ I used to be glad we weren’t copying the Black Album, ’trigger you may’t make the Black Album once more.
“If you make albums like that, it’s all the things coming collectively – the place I used to be, the place they have been, the place tradition was, the place music was. And so I embraced the truth that they needed to be a bit freer and all these different influences reasonably than simply steel bands that they grew up on began to return into the image.”
Elsewhere within the dialog, Rock talks extra in regards to the non-metal influences that went into Load and Reload, saying that it was drummer/co-founder Lars Ulrich who was eager to push the boat out.
“[Ulrich] is form of this man that thinks massive and appears at music form of perhaps like I do,” says Rock. “Impulsively he mentioned, ‘Nicely, I like these bands like Aerosmith, The [Rolling] Stones, Weapons N’ Roses.’
“Earlier than Load, James [Hetfield, singer/guitarist] did all of the rhythms. So the concept is Kirk [Hammett, guitarist] was gonna play rhythms together with James, and that modified all the things. And a few individuals don’t prefer it.”
Metallica launched Load on June 4, 1996, and continued to benefit from the worldwide industrial success they first earned with the Black Album. Load reached primary in 21 international locations and was later licensed five-times Platinum in the US. It additionally acquired constructive opinions from music journalists, regardless of the backlash from longtime followers over the ‘softer’ sound and the band’s overhauled picture.
Ulrich mirrored on the backlash towards Load in a 2002 interview with Basic Rock. “With Load, it was disappointing that some individuals’s response to the music was biased by how they handled the photographs – the hair and all that crap,” he mentioned.
“Individuals have come as much as me years afterwards and mentioned, ‘I by no means gave the report a good likelihood as a result of I couldn’t get past [then-bassist] Jason Newsted sporting eyeliner.’ However [closing track] The Outlaw Torn, a few of that shit is fairly fucking superior.”
Reload, which was recorded concurrently to Load, got here out on November 18, 1997. It was additionally a industrial hit, however acquired much less enthusiastic opinions than its predecessor.
This June, Metallica re-released Load as an intensive field set. The reissue featured remastered tracks, in addition to varied demo variations, dwell recordings and alternate takes, a few of which had by no means been heard earlier than.
Metallica just lately introduced a European tour for spring and summer time 2026. See dates and particulars beneath.
Might 09: Athens Olympic Stadium, Greece*
Might 13: Bucharest Area Națională, Romania
Might 19: Chorzów Stadion Śląski, Poland
Might 22: Frankfurt Deutsche Financial institution Park, Germany*
Might 24: Frankfurt Deutsche Financial institution Park, Germany+
Might 27: Zurich Stadion Letzigrund, Switzerland*
Might 30: Berlin Olympiastadion, Germany*
Jun 03: Bologna Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Italy*
Jun 11: Budapest Puskas Area, Hungary+
Jun 13: Budapest Puskas Area, Hungary*
Jun 19: Dublin Aviva Stadium, Eire+
Jun 21: Dublin Aviva Stadium, Eire*
Jun 25: Glasgow Hampden Park, UK*
Jun 28: Cardiff Principality Stadium, UK*
Jul 03: London Stadium, UK*
Jul 05: London Stadium, UK+
* Gojira and Knocked Free help
+ Pantera and Avatar help
