ReLoad | |
Released | 18th November 1997 |
Recorded | May 1995 - October 1997 at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, The United States |
Length | 76:03 |
Number of tracks | 13 |
Label | Elektra (US) Vertigo (Europe) |
Formats | LP, Cassette, CD, ITunes |
Genre | Hard Rock, Alternative Metal, Post Grunge |
Chronology | |
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ReLoad was released on November 18, 1997 through Elektra Records. It is a sequel or counterpart to the band's previous album, Load, and also the final Metallica album of the 20th century. ReLoad debuted #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week. Only six of the thirteen songs have ever been played live. They include "Fuel", "The Memory Remains", "Devil's Dance", "The Unforgiven II", "Low Man's Lyric", and "Carpe Diem Baby". There are also occasional jam sessions of songs including "Bad Seed", "Better Than You" and "Fixxxer". ReLoad is currently certified triple platinum by the RIAA. It was the final Metallica studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted, though it was not his last release with the band. ReLoad also marked the second and the last appearance of a new Metallica logo on an album, until the release of Garage, Inc.
The original idea was to make Metallica's sixth album a double album. However, with problems recording so many songs at one time, the band decided that half of the songs were to be released and the band would continue to work on the remaining songs and release them the following year. Drummer Lars Ulrich stated that:
- "It's the second half of Load. It's just coming out a year and a half later."
This was the second album to feature most, if not all, songs in E♭ tuning, with "Bad Seed" being played in D♭ tuning and "Devil's Dance" in D tuning. D tuning was earlier used for "Sad But True" on Metallica and later used for "Whiskey in the Jar" from Garage Inc.
"Carpe Diem Baby" premiered at the "Metallica's 30th Anniversary Party" in 2011. "Fixxxer" was played for the first time on December 17, 2021 in San Francisco. The songs that have never been played are "Better than You", "Slither", "Bad Seed", "Where the Wild Things Are", "Prince Charming", and "Attitude",
Reception[]
- Entertainment Weekly (11/21/97, p. 136) - "...the boys are back in frown, gnarling their way through bristly thrashers and slithery ballads recorded during and after the Load sessions. ReLoad continues their journey into stripped-down maturity while toying with fresh melodic textures." - Rating: B
- Musician (2/98, p. 83) - "...greasy, driving, full of fat grooves, lyric and rhythmic hooks, and sonic curveballs....captures one of rock's greatest bands at its peak."
Tracklisting[]
No. | Title | Composer | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Fuel | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett | 4:29 |
2. | The Memory Remains | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 4:37 |
3. | Devil's Dance | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 5:18 |
4. | The Unforgiven II | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett | 6:36 |
5. | Better Than You | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 5:21 |
6. | Slither | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett | 5:13 |
7. | Carpe Diem Baby | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett | 6:12 |
8. | Bad Seed | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett | 4:05 |
9. | Where the Wild Things Are | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Jason Newsted | 6:54 |
10. | Prince Charming | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 6:03 |
11. | Low Man's Lyric | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 7:37 |
12. | Attitude | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 5:16 |
13. | Fixxxer | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett | 8:16 |
Total length: |
76:03 |
Personnel[]
- James Hetfield – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
- Kirk Hammett – Lead and Rhythm Guitar
- Jason Newsted - Bass Guitar
- Lars Ulrich – Drums, Percussion
Additional musicians[]
- Marianne Faithfull – Additional Vocals on "The Memory Remains"
- Bernardo Bigalli – Violin on "Low Man's Lyric"
- David Miles – Hurdy Gurdy on "Low Man's Lyric"
- Jim McGillveray – Percussion
Production[]
- Bob Rock, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich – producers
- Brian Dobbs, Randy Staub – engineers
- Bernardo Bigalli, Darren Grahn, Kent Matcke, Gary Winger – assistant engineers
- Mike Fraser, Randy Staub – mixing
- George Marino – mastering
- Paul DeCarli, Mike Gillies, Darren Grahn – digital editing
- Andie Airfix – design
- Anton Corbijn – photography
- Andres Serrano – artwork