Line #17 YMMV/Metallica


1	!!Subpages by album:
2
3	[[index]]
4	* ''YMMV/KillEmAll''
5	* ''YMMV/RideTheLightning''
6	* ''YMMV/MasterOfPuppets''
7	* ''[[YMMV/MetallicaAlbum Metallica]]''
8	* ''YMMV/LoadAndReLoad''
9	* ''YMMV/StAnger''
10	[[/index]]
11
12	----
13	!!YMMV tropes that apply to the band as a whole:
14	* AudienceAlienatingEra: While fans will argue about the exact dates, it's widely agreed that the late '90s to mid-2000s were a really rough time for Metallica. After the smash mainstream breakthrough of [[Music/MetallicaAlbum the Black Album]] set up [[ToughActToFollow a very high bar]], ''Music/LoadAndReLoad'' were heavily divisive due in part to [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks straying away from the band's traditional thrash sound to experiment with other genres]], while ''Music/StAnger'' was widely panned for its even worse mix and unfocused songwriting. On top of that, [[ItsPopularNowItSucks the band had become steadily dismissed by purists as being mainstream sellouts]], with the mainstream fanbase they had built up also beginning to turn on them for other reasons, including [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil Lars' controversial legal crusade against Napster]]. It wasn't until 2008's ''Music/DeathMagnetic'' that the band [[WinBackTheCrowd re-established some of their credibility]] (though ''Lulu'' certainly tested it), and while it's widely agreed that the band will likely never return to the heights seen in the early '90s, the more positive reaction to ''Death Magnetic'', ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', and ''72 Seasons'' stake a firm end to their nadir period.
15	* AwardSnub:
16	** Arguably the biggest ever, at least in music. Metallica was the largest reason that the Grammys created the "Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental" award in 1989, ''and then they lost to '''Music/JethroTull''''' (the members of whom hadn't even shown up to the ceremony since they weren't expected to win). The look on Lars' face (as the band stood offstage literally just after they had played a blistering performance of "One") was '''priceless'''. Music/AliceCooper and [[Music/TheRunaways Lita Ford]], who presented the award, said "Jethro Tull?" in the form of a question when they read the name off the winner card [[note]] This was due to the fact that Jethro Tull's name appeared on the card when they did the rehearsal, and Alice assumed that the execs gave him the wrong card. [[/note]], and booing could be heard from the crowd. The resulting backlash and criticism against the Academy resulted in the category being split into two separate ones; "Best Hard Rock Performance" and "Best Heavy Metal Performance", the latter of which Metallica won for the next three years afterward and holds the record for most won.
17	** When they finally won for an album in 1992 (they had won for individual songs in the two previous years), Lars Ulrich jokingly thanked Jethro Tull for "not putting out an album this year" (referring to how Paul Simon jokingly thanked Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album that year, after winning Album of the Year in 1976).
18	* BrokenBase:
19	** Several. Some fans only like their [[Music/KillEmAll first]] [[Music/RideTheLightning three]] [[Music/MasterOfPuppets albums]] claiming the band died with Cliff and disliking the more progressive metal sound for ''[[Music/AndJusticeForAll1988 ...And Justice for All]]''. Some only listen to their first 4 albums, calling [[ItsPopularNowItSucks sellout]] on anything post-[[Music/MetallicaAlbum Black Album]]. Some fans include The Black Album as canon but dislike their [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks their change in style]] for the albums after that. Some like ''Music/LoadAndReload'' but dislike ''Music/StAnger'' (and some like ''Load'' but not ''[=ReLoad=]'', although these days the inverse is more true). Some listen to anything they put out. Some of any of the aforementioned consider ''Music/DeathMagnetic'' to be [[WinBACKTheCrowd a nice recovery]] and more like their pre-Black Album work, and some have blacklisted it [[LoudnessWar due to poor audio quality]]. ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', while getting an overall good reception from fans, had a fair amount of dissers, [[http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-08-19/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-the-best-reactions-to-the-new-metallica-song particularly about its advance singles]]. Even ''Lulu'', which seemingly everyone hated, has its defenders, and there are those who have predicted that, like Music/LouReed's ''Music/{{Berlin}}'' (and, for that matter, the Music/VelvetUnderground's works), it will end up being VindicatedByHistory twenty years down the line.
20	** There are even fans who insist that Metallica was at its best when [[Music/{{Megadeth}} Dave Mustaine]] was lead guitarist, despite the fact that Dave was only in the band for a year and only played on their early demos. Obviously there aren't a lot of these people because they would have had to have seen the band live when Metallica was still an unknown band playing heavy metal clubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but they do exist.
21	*** This one applies more to Dave's guitar riffs than to Dave himself. Although Dave didn't actually play on any of the albums, his riffs were used on their first two, and he has writing credits on them. Hence, the claims that the band started going downhill after ''Master of Puppets''.
22	** Is ''Lulu'' a Metallica album featuring Lou Reed, or a Lou Reed album featuring Metallica?
23	** Surprisingly, a sizeable number of people have recently argued that ''Load'' and/or ''[=ReLoad=]'' were superior to ''Death Magnetic'', arguing that they were more musically adventurous and less bloated/contrived. A few have even argued that at least one of the Loads was superior to ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct''.
24	** It is often debated on whether ''Ride the Lightning'' or ''Master of Puppets'' is their best album. Most fans will agree that both albums are their career high point, but the question is, which album between the two is the better one?
25	** Hell, even various reissues of the same album isn't immune: [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Metallica/comments/18dikr3/which_mop_is_better_vinyl_or_cd/ one Reddit user posed a pic of being on a fence whether to get a vinyl or CD]] version of ''Master Of Puppets'', accidentally reignited a debate between fans who prefer vinyl and those in the CD camp.
26	* ContestedSequel: Legitimately every album, with the possible exceptions of ''Load'' and ''[=ReLoad=]'' (because they're basically a double album released separately) and ''Lulu'' to everything, because (nearly) everyone hates it.
27	* CoveredUp: Both [[Music/BobSeger "Turn the Page"]] and [[Music/ThinLizzy "Whiskey in the Jar"]] are more associated with Metallica than their original artist. The latter is itself a cover of a cover of a tradtitional Irish song. [[Music/BlueOysterCult "Astronomy"]] also is an arguable case.
28	* CriticalDissonance: ''St. Anger'' is savaged by fans, both of Metallica and metal in general, but actually received reasonably decent reviews from critics.
29	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing:
30	** Every song they do about war, most notably "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Although it's about [[WarIsHell the futility of war]], it's a kickass song that gets one's adrenaline pumping.
31	** Averted with "One", however. [[AndIMustScream The story of a soldier losing his arms, legs, and all his senses in battle]] is one of the more effective depictions of WarIsHell in music.
32	* EndingFatigue: The band admitted that a motivation for the sound shift in the Black Album was how ''...And Justice For All'' dived too deep into EpicRocking, with Kirk Hammett recalling a grueling concert during the Damaged Justice tour where he saw "the entire front row yawn after the 8th minute" of the TitleTrack.
33	* EpicRiff: The bread-and-butter of some of their most popular songs. "Enter Sandman" also loaned itself to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QccIiHbcyA the greatest pro wrestling entrance ever caught on film.]]
34	* EvenBetterSequel:
35	** ''Kill 'Em All'' is an influential classic, yet Metallica managed to top it ''thrice'' in a row (''Ride the Lightning'', ''Master of Puppets'' and ''...And Justice for All''). That's not even counting ''Death Magnetic'', which was released almost 20 years later.
36	** ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'' is also widely considered to be this to ''Death Magnetic'' (or a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel, for those who didn't really like ''Death Magnetic'').
37	* EvilIsCool: The song "[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hYpvW3rhYJA Phantom Lord]]" recounts the tale of the title character, an EvilOverlord intent on taking control of an unnamed territory. The song is so badass, as is the chorus which paints him as a vicious fighter, that it's easy to overlook the fact that the Phantom Lord is a tyrant who mistreats his captives.
38	* FandomHeresy:
39	** Cliff is the best bassist. There is no other opinion allowed. The end.
40	** If Website/YouTube comments are something to go off of, doing bass covers of any Cliff-era basslines with a pick.
41	* FandomRivalry: With Music/{{Megadeth}}, which was formed by Metallica's first lead guitarist [[StartMyOwn going his way]] after being sent away. While there is no shortage of fans who like both bands, and the musicians themselves buried the hatchet to the point of touring together, people who prefer one side are more common.
42	* FanNickname: The Four Horsemen, which comes from their song of the same name. Possibly also the Lords of Summer, if the song of the same name is any indication.
43	-->At last the thawing has begun\
44	Come trade your darkness for the sun\
45	Melting the chill of winter's turn\
46	So celebrate and let your fires burn\
47	The Lords of Summer have returned!
48	* {{Fanon}}: A rare musical example. The band's fandom has a reputation of making "What If", which is basically different Metallica albums redone in style of different albums (e.g. What if 'Fight Fire With Fire' was on ''...And Justice For All''?).
49	* FanonDiscontinuity:
50	** Which album(s) depends on who you ask, but ''St. Anger'' is perhaps the most universally ignored. Even the band themselves acknowledge this, as they [[RarelyPerformedSong rarely play]] any of the ''St. Anger'' songs during their live sets, and Ulrich mocked the album in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyM3_u8SDNQ this clip.]]
51	** ''Lulu'' seems to be going this way, and a lot faster too. Though it's debatable how much ''Lulu'' is part of their continuity anyway, since Lou Reed was responsible for most of the input.
52	* FranchiseOriginalSin: ''St. Anger'' is widely considered the band's worst album by fans, but something observed among critics ([[CriticalDissonance who were polarized, but overall considerably less incensed than audiences]]) is that many of the album's more infamous failings can be found in some form on their much more acclaimed albums. ''...And Justice For All'' had a notoriously shoddy mix where the bass was almost nonexistent, and James doesn't exactly have a spotless record regarding lyrics, with [[{{Narm}} over-the-top and unintentionally goofy lines]] permeating the entire Metallica catalogue. What made the difference for those previous albums was that Metallica were able to play to everyone's strengths and help outshine their negative qualities with great overall songwriting and energy -- when ''St. Anger'' rolled around, [[TroubledProduction the band was notoriously dysfunctional and barely able to work together]], resulting in the album's conspicuously more disconnected and confused construction.
53	* FriendlyFandoms: Due to the Hu's cover of "Sad But True" done in Mongolian, fans of Metallica are very friendly with fans of the Hu.
54	* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: From the ''Live Shit: Binge and Purge'' performance of "Seek and Destroy":
55	--> '''James:''' Jason, impress the fuck out of us, man.
56	--> '''Jason:''' stops playing entirely
57	--> '''James:''' {{beat\|Panel}} I'm impressed.
58	** In a cross of this and an awesome moment... [[http://www.metallica.com/news/history-made-in-antarctica.asp Metallica in Antarctica!]]
59	** When they tried to do [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxrcI_E-prA?t=2m35s "Trapped Under Ice"]] on tour in 1987 and hit the first verse.
60	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef0zsFRKBck "Fobd"]] (the title is short for [[Music/{{Soundgarden}} "Fell on Black Days"]]), an early "Until It Sleeps" demo recorded before they came up with any lyrics for it: James is [[{{scatting}} just singing nonsense]] as a way to come up with a vocal melody, and since it's noted as his main LyricalTic, it's particularly funny that most of the placeholder lyrics consist of "yeah". It also starts with an entertaining bit of StudioChatter:
61	-->"Can we get fucking Kirk in here?"
62	-->"Yeah, get ''Fucking'' Kirk in here... not Regular Kirk"
63	** Ladies and gentlemen... [[https://youtu.be/zNVSWWvWMOM "You're a Dick"]]
64	--> '''Lars:''' I don't think we have a song called "Dick."
65	--> '''James:''' Not yet!
66	** Twitch cutting their performance at [=BlizzCon=] 2021 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKhc21Y0Xdw replacing it with a generic tune]]. The VocalMinority still sour over the Napster case saw it as karma hitting the band in the face as Twitch does this to curb copyrighted music piracy, and the fact that the very band that kickstarted the entire mindset of DigitalPiracyIsEvil in the music industry took this in the face while playing ''[[HoistByHisOwnPetard their own songs]]'' made the whole event absolutely hilarious to some.
67	*** Even funnier is that the second it switches to the generic tune, the camera cuts ''right to Lars'', who was the main driving force of the Napster lawsuit.
68	* GatewaySeries: For both fans and haters alike, Metallica is usually ''the'' band which has introduced most people, especially those who grew up in the '90s and beyond, to the heavy metal genre, or thrash metal in particular. As for the fans who choose to go on to become more full-fledged metalheads and explore thrash, classical, death, or any other metal sub-genre, they usually have Metallica to thank for being their gateway metal band.
69	* GenreTurningPoint: As noted above, they not only popularized ThrashMetal, but in doing so, they changed the face of HeavyMetal in general. They took the speed and aggression that the NewWaveOfBritishHeavyMetal bands brought to the genre and fused it with a [[DarkerAndEdgier grittier, more punkish presentation]] than the HairMetal of the time, giving the genre an in-your-face, [[RatedMForManly hyper-masculine]] image that defines it to this day. Some metal fans have seriously suggested that Metallica marked the moment where metal became an outright separate genre from rock altogether.
70	* GrowingTheBeard:
71	** ''Music/RideTheLightning'' was the album where the band's thematic compositions transitioned entirely from teenage metalhead desires to more complex and mature subjects.
72	** After literally growing the beard (in the form of mutton chops that made him look five years older than he did clean-shaven) during the ''...And Justice for All'' era, James Hetfield's vocal style became much more deep and angry, and it's almost impossible to tell that it's the same person who sang on ''Kill 'Em All''. A few years later, however, this vocal style was lost (along with the mutton chops); some cite that James blew his voice out, while over state that his anger over Cliff Burton's death had largely decreased since ''...And Justice for All''.
73	* HarsherInHindsight:
74	** At one point in the '80s, during an interview Cliff Burton was asked who in the band would probably die first. Burton guessed it would be him.
75	** A related, if rather creepy one: According to the Other Wiki, Cliff won a game of drawing cards to determine which bunk he would get... By drawing the ace of spades. It is known as the death card in fortune telling, popular myth and folklore.
76	** Another one by Cliff during the band's last performance. After they performed "Blitzkrieg" (which they did on a whim), he shouts "See ya!" Fortunately, at least, this isn't the last thing he's ever recorded saying. Shortly afterward, he shouts "YEAH!" Which might not make it that much better, but it's something.
77	** The line "Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation take me home?" from "To Live Is to Die." Considering this line was found in one of Cliff's notebooks, and worse yet, it's also Cliff's epitaph.
78	* HoYay: James and Lars in the first half of this [[https://youtu.be/q_CDouoIcms advertisement.]]
79	* ItsPopularNowItSucks:
80	** To a certain extent, the band has had to deal with this after each new album due to their Unpleasable Fanbase, and usually goes hand in hand with [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks something new on each album]]. Hetfield in particular is known to find it amusing. However, The Black Album is by far the most prominent example. It provided them with a lot of success, making them the biggest heavy metal band in the world after its release but also gave them [[BrokenBase a lot of hatred]] and sell out accusations from their original fan-base.
81	** It's also worth noting that the band itself believed this trope originally, claiming they would never do a music video nor change their style to become more successful, stating that doing so would be selling out, yet later loosened up about them and did both.
82	*** Ironically, in 2010, Lars openly admitted that he was a pretty big fan of Creator/{{MTV}} when it first premiered. So the sincerity of their claim to never make a music video even in 1986 is definitely open for debate.
83	** The band as a whole gets this, because they are by ''far'' the most popular metal band in the entire world (unless Music/LinkinPark counts) and naturally are going to be the first band that novice metalheads try out. If Metallica is the first metal band you can name, chances are you'll get called out as a "noob". It's gotten to the point that it's almost not okay to like the band because of their immense popularity.
84	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: While ''Music/SeventyTwoSeasons'' was very well-received overall, there were a number of fans who found it to be too much of a retread of the prior two Metallica albums, relying too heavily on well-worn Metallica tropes to really be an essential listen.
85	* MemeticBadass:
86	** Dave Mustaine. On any videos of concert mishaps, expect Dave to be blamed (jokingly, of course).
87	** The band themselves for their feud with Napster, which helped put the infamous DMCA-related music copyright laws into place.
88	* MemeticMutation:
89	** When singing, Hetfield has a tendency to end words with -AHH! tacked on to them, like [[SelfDemonstratingArticle THIS-AHH!!]] This tendency sometimes gets made fun of, but it's usually [[AffectionateParody in good fun]]. There's also the issue of "Frantic" from ''[[TheScrappy St. Anger]]''. Frantic tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick... You get the point. More recently, "Split apart" from "My Apocalypse" from ''Death Magnetic'' and "I am the table" from their much-ballyhooed collaboration with Lou Reed have been smaller examples.
90	** "YEAH!"
91	** "I AM THE TABLE!" [[labelnote:explanation]] An infamous lyric by James on the ''Lulu'' song "The View"[[/labelnote]], courtesy of a running gag from Website/{{Botchamania}} involving [[MadeOfIndestructium unbreakable tables]].
92	** '''[[SuddenlyShouting "HE]]''' '''[[PrecisionFStrike FUCKING]]''' '''[[SuddenlyShouting LEFT THE BAND?!"]]'''
93	** Kirk's (over)use of the wah pedal. Whenever a video is posted claiming to analyze Kirk's technique or sound, expect to see a lot of comments claiming that this is all there is to it.
94	*** Kirk's penchant for using pentatonic scales in his solos has also become a meme when analyzing his playing. Especially after his infamous solo from ''Lux Æterna''.
95	** Lars's snare on ''St. Anger'' quickly became the stuff of legends after the album was released, with memes depicting him banging on a series of trash cans and [[Music/{{Theocracy}} Matt Smith's]] "St. Anger Parody" having its percussion done entirely on a steel chair.
96	** Metallica gets DMCA'd [[labelnote:Explanation]]During Metallica's concert at [=BlizzConline=] 2021, the Twitch stream played generic, relaxing music over the band's performance in order to avoid a DMCA claim. Many people, especially the band's detractors, saw this as ironic given their feud with Napster 21 years prior that is seen as a reason for the infamous music copyright laws being put in place.[[/labelnote]]
97	** [[TheUnintelligible "GIMME FOO, GIMME FA, GIMME DABAJABBADA!"]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The [[{{Mondegreen}} mondegreen]]-prone opening words of "Fuel".[[/labelnote]] or "GIMMIE FOOD, GIMMIE FRIES, GIMMIE SALAD ON THE SIDE".
98	** "Dave wrote everything" [[labelnote:Explanation]] Dave Mustaine's and his fans tendency to take credit for more of Metallica's music than he actually contributed taken to its logical conclusion[[/labelnote]]
99	* MisaimedFandom: Many extremist atheists who adopted "The God That Failed" as an anti-religious anthem were unaware of the fact that the song is simply James Hetfield blaming God for failing to heal his mother who died from cancer, as she relied on His faith rather than medical attention because of her Christian Science beliefs.
100	* MisBlamed:
101	** Hetfield's [[http://www.eddietrunk.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/410456/pid/403499 gone on record]] blaming Lars and Kirk for the ''Load'' image change:
102	--->I just went along with the make-up and all of this crazy, stupid shit that they felt they needed to do.
103	** Music/JasonNewsted is frequently blamed for the LighterAndSofter nineties albums, with cries of " Cliff would have never allowed this to happen," being frequent among old-school fans. This is despite all evidence pointing to Jason being the most hardcore metalhead in the band and the fact that James, Lars, and Kirk all credit Cliff as the one who expanded their musical tastes beyond simplistic thrash metal. Not to mention the fact that Jason had one writing credit between the ''Load'' and ''[=ReLoad=]'' albums, and only one on the self-titled album.
104	** The people who dislike ''Lulu'' tend to blame Metallica despite the fact that they had practically nothing to do with the writing process. Music/LouReed was quite possibly being a troll with the album. Remember, he may have been able to craft masterpieces with the Music/VelvetUnderground, but this is the same man who brought us ''Music/MetalMachineMusic''.
105	** The lack of bass on ''Justice'' is often accused of being an act of hazing towards Jason by James and Lars. Producer Flemming Rasmussen, who was not present for the mixing, indeed [[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may11/articles/classic-tracks-0511.htm claims the first thing James and Lars demanded on hearing the initial mixes was that the bass be turned down]]. Ultimately, mixers Steven Thompson and Mike Barbiero "scooped" James' guitar tone (cut the middle tones out, leaving only highs and lows), Jason messed up on the bass lines (doubling the guitar parts, rather than following the kick drum as taught in Bass 101), and mixing the bass to normal levels (for Metallica; even before Jason they weren't a bass-heavy band, and switching from a finger bassist to a pick bassist made for louder bass at the same mixer levels) would have drowned out the low part of James's rhythm guitar. The result made Rasmussen joke that "Jason, Toby [Wright, engineer] and I are probably the only people who know what the bass parts actually sounded like on that album." Thankfully, a version that restores the bass can be found online, named ''And Justice for Jason'', although it muddles up the low end, and Jason's pick slapping gets annoying enough after several tracks to think James and Lars may have had a point.
106	*** Newsted admitted his mistakes when he appeared on the first 2013 episode of ''Series/ThatMetalShow'' and the issue was brought up. He said that he recorded his parts by himself with no input from anyone else, using the same equipment, bass, and engineers that he used in his former band Flotsam and Jetsam. Also, since he wrote the music in F&J and the guitarists took their cues from him, his bass parts on ''Justice'' were too much like a rhythm guitar, and ended up clashing both note-wise and sonically with Hetfield's actual rhythm guitar parts.
107	*** One's mileage may vary on how much Jason's parts clash with Hetfield and Hammett's. There are some people who quite like them.
108	*** Then Hetfield and Ulrich changed their statement about Newsted's bass in 2019, [[https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/james-hetfield-explains-why-metallicas-and-justice-for-all-has-no-bass/ as they said they had mixed the bass low not to belittle Newsted, but because their hearing was "shot" following heavy touring and they "basically kept turning everything else up until the bass disappeared"]]. It is completely up to the fans whether to believe this statement or not.
109	** ''Death Magnetic'' is often criticized for its mastering, because the original version of the album is a sonic abortion that provides one of the worst examples of the LoudnessWar. However, the digital clipping that people dislike about the album was not introduced in the mastering process; the album's mastering engineer Ted Jensen expressed frustration that the album's mixes came in already clipped, so there was nothing he could do (effective declippers did not exist at the time the album was made). You will routinely see references to the album having "terrible mastering", when in fact the problem was by all indications introduced during the mixing phase. It also appears that the album was mixed that way at Metallica and Rick Rubin's insistence; several engineers who have worked with Rubin have indicated that he has insisted on having the album's mix/master be digitally clipped. Metallica have somewhat redeemed themselves with the 2016 remaster of the album, which is actually mastered fairly quietly by contemporary standards and doesn't have much clipping.
110	* {{Narm}}:
111	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcDZOaeW0sE This gem from "All Within My Hands"]]. So excessively over-the-top it's hilarious. To be honest, the whole ''St. Anger'' would qualify for the same reasons.
112	** Who can forget "My lifestyle determines my deathstyle"? Disregarding overall opinions on the song, it's pretty hard to take this part seriously when it's more reminiscent of an angry 13-year old's interpretation of metal.
113	** To some, ''Kill 'Em All'' and the live shows before and for about a year afterward simply because of how ''young'' the band was. They both looked, and in James' case sounded more like angry teenagers than Metallica.
114	** "DARKNESS IMPRISONING ME! ALL THAT I SEE! ABSOLUTE HORROR!" from "One" has had a lot of [[NarmCharm memes, and jokes over the years]], but what was once a shocking line in an anti-war song, has now turned into an unintentionally funny joke with a lot of memes backing it up.
115	** The ''Load'' records a chock full of narmy bits, such as "Gimme Fuel! Gimme Fire! Gimme that which I desire! Oh!!!"
116	** In ''Some Kind of Monster'', there's a scene where they discuss firing "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle [[note]] For those who haven't seen the film, Phil isn't a licensed psychologist, and Jason Newsted derided him as someone who just helps people with big egos work together so they can just keep making money. He was eventually let go for suggesting song lyrics, with the band feeling he'd over-stepped his professional boundaries [[/note]], which leads Kirk to ask "Wait, can we do that?" ''Metalocalypse'' wasted no time mocking this during their first season.
117	-->'''Nathan Explosion:''' Yeah! I just found this out! [[CaptainObvious We can fire people that we employ!]]
118	* NeverLiveItDown: ''St. Anger'' is still to this day treated as the worst album ever made by the band by a lot of the fans, with the internet refusing to let Lars forget about the infamous drum sound he used on that one album... that is until ''Lulu'' was made, which was seen by the fans as even worse. Speaking of ''Lulu'', no-one is going to let James forget "I am the table" either.
119	%%%
120	%%% Do not put Lars Ulrich's Napster incident as an example. It is technically a real life example as it has nothing directly to do with the band's music.
121	%%%
122	* NightmareFuel: [[NightmareFuel/{{Metallica}} Has its own page.]]
123	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: ''Guitar Hero: Metallica'' is considered by many to be the single best entry in the ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' franchise. The best since Harmonix left the series, at least.
124	* OlderThanTheyThink: Metallica has regularly used E-flat tuning since late 1994 (when they began recording demos for ''Load'' and ''[=ReLoad=]''), but the first time they tuned their guitars down half a step wasn't even "The God That Failed", but a 1990 performance with [[Music/GunsNRoses Axl, Slash, Duff, and ]][[Music/SkidRow Bach]].
125	** And, if you want to go back even further: ''Before Kill'em All was even released'', the band was covering Sweet Savage's "Killing Time" at live shows with their guitars tuned to Eb.
126	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: Averted mostly, they show up in the top 5 of any list of the best heavy metal bands, but occasionally people forget just how heavy they were when they came out.
127	** Back in 1982-83, Quiet Riot's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ5G8m2XOZg Cum on Feel the Noize]]" was the face of mainstream heavy metal. For comparison, here's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB8OvPtf_d0 Hit the Lights]]", Metallica's first song.
128	** To further emphasize just how heavy Metallica was at the time, check out this sample of ''Rolling Stone''[='=]s [[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/and-justice-for-all-19881103 review]] of then newly released ''...And Justice for All''.
129	--> "''Thrash'' is too demeaning a term for this metametal, a marvel of precisely channeled aggression. There are few verse-chorus structures, just collages done at Mach 8."
130	* PopularityPolynomial: They started as a strong niche band, exploded into the mainstream, and started to decay after the middling ''Load'' and ''[=ReLoad=]'', reaching its bottom as ''St. Anger'' and ''Some Kind of Monster'' revealed a band uninspired and in disarray. A few years later ''Death Magnetic'' redeemed them, and even if ''Lulu'' turned out to be another drop, ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'' ensured they were back in fans' graces.
131	* SacredCow:
132	** In terms of albums, both ''Music/MasterOfPuppets'' and ''Music/RideTheLightning'' have become this within the metal community. ''Kill 'Em All'' and ''...And Justice for All'' aren't too far behind either. And ''The Black Album'' seemed to be going this way too.
133	** For band members, you can get away with bashing anyone in the band either as musicians or as people except Cliff Burton. Nary a bad word is said about Cliff, even among those who choose Jason or Rob as their favorite bassist.
134	* SeasonalRot: Most of the post-''Black Album'' period (''Load'', ''[=ReLoad=]'', ''St. Anger''...) doesn't exist for many hardcore fans of the band's work before that. While ''Death Magnetic'' and ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'' did have a better reception, the latter showed for them that the band was still struggling to regain the respect they used to have. They often cite the death of Cliff Burton and subsequent introduction of Music/JasonNewsted as the cause of all the period's problems. Whilst unfair on Newsted (his first album with the band, ''...And Justice for All'', is considered by these fans to be really good after all), they say the band improved after replacing him with Rob Trujillo, though that might simply be coincidence.
135	* SignatureSong: While many of their songs are iconic, "Enter Sandman", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Master of Puppets", "Nothing Else Matters", "One", and "Sad But True" are among the most popular depending on which era of the band you prefer.
136	* SoBadItsGood: Lars' crazy trashcan snare sound on ''St. Anger'' can be seen as this.
137	* SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel: Believe it or not, they have at least one example: "Junior Dad" from ''Lulu'', which could practically be a Music/SigurRos song. With the RealitySubtext of its being the last song on Music/LouReed's last album, though, it's also a TearJerker.
138	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: In addition to each new album leading to them being accused of [[ItsPopularNowItSucks selling out]], they also get accused of this after each one. Though ''Metallica'' is the most prominent example, even their pre-''Metallica'' works get this; ''Ride the Lightning'' for having a ballad, ''Master of Puppets'' for being slightly less thrash-sounding than the previous two albums, and ''...And Justice for All'' for having a more progressive metal sound. In addition to making them commercially successful, ''Metallica'' also marked a big change in their musical style to a more general heavy metal sound. ''Music/LoadAndReLoad'' continued that change to an alternative rock sound, and ''St. Anger'' to nu metal. Going even FURTHER back in time, Cliff Burton once mentioned in an interview that some fans who had watched the band perform in bars considered them sellouts for getting a record deal and releasing ''Kill 'Em All''.
139	* VindicatedByHistory:
140	** Criticism towards the Black Album has softened over the years. Although it's not as loved as the previous 4 albums, it's now considered one of their best albums and is definitely more loved than ''Load'', ''[=ReLoad=]'', ''St. Anger'', or ''Lulu''.
141	** When ''Load'' released in 1996, a lot was hanging on Metallica's shoulders: it been ''five years'' since the release of their previous album (cited above), which had itself alienated a number of fans but made them into mainstream superstars. During that waiting period, metal had (with a couple [[Music/{{Pantera}} notable]] [[Music/{{Sepultura}} exceptions]]) taken a massive nosedive in mainstream relevance, thanks the rise of genres like grunge and hip hop. Many hoped that ''Load'' would herald the return of metal into the mainstream spotlight... only for the band to [[ImportantHaircut cut their hair]] and play a style of music that was much more akin to bluesy hard rock than heavy metal. Fans were ''furious''! Many accused Metallica of simply following what was trendy at the time, and the term SellOut became almost synonymous with them. For a while, Load was one of the most hated albums in all of metal. However, the mess that was ''St. Anger'' and even the decided fan pandering of ''Death Magnetic'' led many to go back to ''Load'' with an open mind... only to discover that, despite its near complete abandonment of the classic Metallica sound, it was actually a pretty solid hard rock album with several songs that translated quite well into a live setting (such as "Bleeding Me" and "Ain't My Bitch"). Not to mention that a number of younger fans got on board with Metallica through the album, and thus, have a sense of nostalgic fondness for it. Today, while still having its share of detractors, ''Load'' is looked at a lot more favorably than before and (along with its twin [=ReLoad=]) is seen as the last time Metallica really made something unique and experimental.
142	** ''[=ReLoad=]'' has been getting a much better reaction between fans and the band recently, mostly because the two signature songs of the album, "Fuel" and "The Memory Remains", are amazing when played live; and the third one, "The Unforgiven II", has been requested a lot due to the band barely ever playing it even during the ''[=ReLoad=]'' days. Most recently, Kirk has gone on record to say he would love to release new videos for the songs of this album, mentioning "Carpe Diem Baby" as an example.
143	** Throughout his time in Metallica, Jason Newsted was seen as the defining example of a ReplacementScrappy in a musical context by both his bandmates and the band's fanbase. Years later, however Jason is now seen as a fantastic bassist in his own right, and many have fond memories of his commanding stage presence as well as viewing him as the best of the band's backing vocalists.
144	* WinBackTheCrowd: On the other hand, if you can get past the [[LoudnessWar mixing/mastering]], ''Death Magnetic'' did this to a certain extent after the divisive ''St. Anger''. In respect to the album itself, the 2016 remaster largely fixed fans' LoudnessWar complaints. To a lesser extent, this also happened again with ''Beyond Magnetic'' and ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'' after the even more divisive ''Lulu''.

Context YMMV / Metallica