Metallica - Reload

For many heavy metal fans, Metallica epitomizes the genre, especially for those listeners who remember the band's fast-and-furious 1983 debut, Kill 'Em All. As a result, their continued foray into a more stripped-down, laid-back sound with this album has met a mixed response. However, there's enough innovation and just plain strange stuff on this album to make it worth a listen. The creepy "The Memory Remains" is perfectly accentuated by Marianne Faithfull's backing vocals, and "Where the Wild Things Are" features the multilayered vocals and guitars that Metallica is famous for, albeit at about half their usual speed. The opening ("Fuel") and closing ("Fixxxer") tracks are especially strong, and intermixed with some slower, country-inflected tunes are the obnoxious rockers that made Metallica the long-running success they are. --Genevieve Williams Amazon.com

 Not good, not HORRIBLE, just.....ya
Well since the kind of music I like basically died in the 80's I am really starved for good music and got desperate enough to buy some songs off reload. Now Load sucks except for king nothing and maybe another song. ReLoad does not suck as much. Fuel, and 2 other songs are o.k. everything else is FILLER. It is not good at all. And Fixxxer is just slow and boring for 8 mins. April 23, 2008

 No Apology.
I really like Reload, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. This album rocks, and reminds me of a heavier version of AC/DC. I really like the faster rockers here and prefer them over the more experimental songs. I'll put them into three catagories.

Favorites: Devil's Dance, Better Than You, Carpe Diem Baby, Wild Things, Prince Charming, and Fixxxer-my personal favorite on Reload(LOVE IT!).

Pretty Good: Fuel, Memory Remains (press skip at the 3:30 mark), Slither, Bad Seed, Attitude.

Okay, but don't do anything for me personally: Unforgiven II, Low Man's Lyric.

This CD has plenty of heavy riffing and is well produced. I listen to it often. It took me longer to get into Load, but I like that almost as well now, too. April 14, 2008

 fair
5 star review to off set all the crappy reviews from people still listening bar bands ( did exodus ever play outside of a baqr where they were not SUPPORTING anthrax , metallica or megadeth??????????) March 30, 2008

 More like regurgitate - 2.5 stars
The story goes that much of the material for this release was written around the time of the Load sessions and certainly there is a constant vein throughout. So if you liked Load then you'll probably like this given it has a similar feel and the songs have familiar structures. And a number of interesting things are tried here such as the inclusion The Unforgiven II, a sequel to the bands hit The Unforgiven from the black album. And while it has been done before by bands Metallica are perhaps to be lauded for revisiting a lyrical theme so openly, to try to take the story further.

Further kudos are warranted for the fact that the band stuck to their guns in the face of some not unjust criticism of the Load album, the band quite clearly believing that these songs had a purpose and deserved to be aired in a formal release, as opposed to the inevitable inclusion in some latter day `from the vault' style release.

The long and the short of it is however that the band are wrong. These are not important, nor overly worthwhile songs and the simple fact is that given that most of these songs were apparently done in the same writing sessions and yet didn't make the Load album - that kind of tells you something doesn't it. This is the second rate songs from those writing sessions dressed up and send to an unloving and underwhelmed public and the few outstanding tracks are mercifully at the start of the album; Fuel - the nearest thing to a blazing mindless good time track on the album; The Memory Remains - which rides a slow and pounding riff which threatens critical mass and, well, that's about it really. Download the first two songs and The Unforgiven II if you really must and save yourself the postage and packing on this stupor inducing bunch of also ran tunes.

And what is that on the cover - heck who knows, this is a band that speaks through it's music, lucky given they seem to visually have so little to say on their album covers from grunge onwards. January 4, 2008

 Metallica - Reload CD
Excellent CD. Some of Metallica's best music is on this album. Highly recommend! Received in perfect condition, and quick and easy transaction. December 23, 2007

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