Classic Albums - Metallica: Metallica

When Metallica - Classic Album (The Black Album) was released on DVD and VHS initially in 2001, it was sought out by Metal and Metallica fans all over the country. As a VIDEO release it was buried in the newly created DVD section of most accounts. This DVD chronicles the recording, from the BAND (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted) and the Producer (Bob Rock) the making of this ground breaking release. The Black Album launched Metallica into the sheds where they promoted The Black Album on the road for almost 2 years!

Chapter Listing:
1. Enter Sandman
2. Sad But True
3. Holier Than Thou
4. The Unforgiven
5. Wherever I May Roam
6. Nothing Else Matters
7. End Credits

Bonus Features & Interviews:
1. James & Lars discuss songwriting
2. Drum recording techniques
3. Kirk's guitar solo - "Wherever I May Roam"
4. Jason talks about "My Friend Of Misery"
5. Bob Rock in the desert
6. The mix, the masters and the end of the story
7. The God That Failed

The making and continued influence of Metallica's commercial breakthrough (known simply as "the Black Album") is entertainingly recounted in this must for Metallica fanatics, especially those who are interested in the recording of one of hard rock's most sonically breathtaking albums. Drummer Lars Ulrich, singer James Hetfield, and producer Bob Rock take up the lion's share of the interviews, and their reminiscences a decade after the fact include many juicy tidbits (like Ulrich and Rock loathing each other by the time the recording was finished, or that the final mix was nearly ruined by a digital clicking sound on the master tape--luckily, a successful remastering was done). The Dolby 2.0 Stereo sound is appropriately pummeling, even if we are treated to mere excerpts from the songs, videos, and even some of the original demos. Classic Albums: Metallica adroitly summarizes a pivotal moment in hard rock history. --Kevin Filipski