The band's 1996 album coupled with the four track CD single'Live In London', featuring 'Bleeding Me', 'Damage Inc' andcovers of Queen's 'Stone Cold Crazy' & Killing Joke's 'TheWait'. 18 tracks total. The single is a slimline jewel case;'Load' is in a standWith Load, Metallica takes a dramatic left turn with their music, continuing in the direction suggested by Metallica, their previous album.
The songs on Load have groove; they're slower, with far fewer of the lightning-fast riffs that have been Metallica's trademark since their inception. While songs like "Ain't My Bitch" and "Wasting My Hate" are up-tempo and full of the vitriol one would expect from the quintessential heavy metal band, "2 X 4" is hard rock with a blues beat, "Hero of the Day" sounds positively mainstream, and "Mama Said" is an actual, honest-to-god ballad. While some diehard fans may find this mix unappealing, there's plenty to like about this album, including its laid-back, rhythmic orientation, and James Hetfield's characteristic growl tempered by his growing maturity as a vocalist.
Load? Yes, this album was a load. From the sellout Black album to a dip into the shallow grunge puddle this album was an obvious attempt to cash in. Avoid this one. And all the albums after as well.
i like the way some artists evolve over time, but when metallica suddenly became "alternica" it felt like someone had secretly replaced my regular coffee with natty lite.