Metallica – Metallica (Part II) – Arguing for Metallica

Introducing Metallica

Metallica who did prove the fact that heavy metal is not just underground music any more, recorded best-selling in 1991 with their fifth album ‘Metallica (the black album)’, sold 14 million, and showed qualities of heavy metal through having a performance in Grammy Awards in front of all genres’ super-stars. Metallica is regarded as one of the most successful, in terms of music and business, and widely-loved heavy metal band, since the term heavy metal used. As usual as other heavy metal bands, messages of their songs are about repugnance to the older generation, criticism to sluggish societies and anti-wars. Moreover, they always play heavy metal.

Arguing against Metallica

Just after, Metallica’s fifth album ‘Metallica’ was released, there were a lot of criticism. So many critics said like “Metallica is getting on. They are not Metallica that we know any more. They are not strong as they were. Metallica’s time is out. They abandoned their style and color.” The reason for that is the sound of Metallica’s fifth album is slower, softer and weaker than before.

Arguing for Metallica

I personally believe that as a professional musician, the most important thing is having one’s own color and style. What I mean by the color and style is an identity. The most important and fundamental thing is what and how they play as a musician. Metallica was still playing heavy metal in ‘Metallica’. Moreover, not just playing heavy metal as any other bands do but playing heavy metal in their own style or identity which no one can have only they can have. That is the point. Simply, they altered their way of expression or playing but they did not abandon their identity as heavy metal band and Metallica. Their music was still containing a lot of energies, rages, grooves, melodies and emotions. They were just expressing their definition of heavy metal in more sophisticated ways. That’s what they did and why so many people were confused.

Although, their way of playing is slower, softer and weaker than ever before, they still have the most significant thing. They are still playing heavy metal as Metallica.

Metallica – Metallica (Part I) – How I met heavy metal

(Before I talk about Metallica and Metallica, their fifth album, I would like to tell my readers how I encounter Metallica and heavy metal.)

It was around 1998, when I was extremely depressed due to the France world cup in 1998. South Korean national football team was beaten 5:0 by Dutch team in France world cup and just after that game the manager, who was my hero, was sacked before he finish his contract. (Ironically, Guss Hiddink, who was the manager of the Dutch team in 1998 world cup, managed South Koreans to the semi-final in the next world cup.)

Anyway, I was watching the T.V to drawn my sorrows. Then I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was an angel on the T.V. The angel was singing and dancing. It was not human being’s voice. There were wings on her shoulders that only I can see. God sent me such an unbelievable gift. I wanted to believe so. My brain was being empty and my organs were all stopped doing their functions. I couldn’t hear, feel and see anything else except her. There was only her in my consciousness.

Since then I began to after her. I collect her every articles in magazines, on the Internet, record every T.V shows that she is on and even went to Seoul, where takes 5 hours to get by train from my hometown, to join her birthday party. I was one of the first members of her fan-club.

While I was reading her article, I found out the fact that she is obsessed by heavy metal and she used to be a vocalist in heavy metal band. She said her favorite band and singers are Judas Priest, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Metallica, and Gun’s ‘N’ Roses so on in her interview. I suddenly became so curious about heavy metal because I had never heard of that before. So I decide to have a listen to heavy metal music to know more about my angel, merely.

So I bought Judas Priest’s album called “Pain killer” which was their latest album at that time.
(I still don’t know why I chose that band’s that album.) That album was my first heavy metal ever. As soon as I play the CD, I felt like I was smashed by a hammer. It was literally shocking, shocking and shocking. Intensely distorted electric guitar, heavily powerful drum sound, horribly shouted vocal and seriously fast tempo but competently controlled and complemented as one sound. I was just obsessed. The sound caused a lot of my anger, rage and repugnance. Also, the sound enables me to feel catharsis. Since then, I became to follow heavy metal bands rather than following my angel. By this post, I want to say thank you to my angel for being a bridge that connected me to the world of heavy metal.

(In the next post, Metallica – Metallica (part II), I’ll talk about Metallica.)