Some people have really passionate takes on Metallica. They are the biggest metal band in the world, so they have a very special place in many people's hearts.
For Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson, the turning point in his fandom for Metallica was the release of The Black Album.
Thomson spoke Metal Hammer as part of a feature on albums that changed his life, which is absolutely worth a read. One of the requests was for an album Thomson thinks should not be, and he chose the Black Album:
“I understand now that I’m in a band that you have to stop repeating yourself or you’ll be bored but I loved those first four albums so much and I was horrified when I heard The Black Album. I felt insulted and didn’t listen to them for years but that’s over now. Are there similarities to how Slipknot have changed? I don’t think so and, besides, I certainly never cut my fucking hair.”
At least he has the self-awareness about himself to see that people likely make the same comparisons about Slipknot. Funny enough, I remember people saying Slipknot sold out since their debut full length, and that the demo was where it was at.
Anyway, I think the Black Album gets too much slack – there are some bonafied bangers on there, not even counting the endlessly overplayed "Enter Sandman."
What do you think?
