ReLoad
Encyclopedia
ReLoad is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal
band Metallica
. It was released on November 18, 1997 through Elektra Records
. The album is a sequel or counterpart to the band's previous album, Load
. It debuted number 1 on the Billboard 200
, selling 417,000 copies in its first week. Only five of the thirteen songs have ever been played live. These songs include "Fuel
", "The Memory Remains
", "Devil's Dance", "The Unforgiven II", and "Low Man's Lyric". There are also occasional jam sessions of songs including "Bad Seed", "Better Than You
" and "Fixxxer". ReLoad is currently certified 4x platinum by the RIAA
. It was the final Metallica studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted
, though it was not his last release with the band. ReLoad also marked the second and the last appearance of a new Metallica logo on an album, until the release of Garage Inc.
The original idea was to make Metallica's sixth album a double album
. But with problems recording so many songs at one time, the band decided that half of the songs were to be released and the band would continue to work on the remaining songs and release them the following year. Drummer Lars Ulrich
stated that "it's the second half of Load. It's just coming out a year and a half later." This was the second album to feature all songs in E♭ tuning, though "Bad Seed" was played in D♭ tuning and "Devil's Dance" was played in D tuning
which was earlier used for "Sad but True
" on Metallica
and later used for "Whiskey in the Jar
" from Garage Inc.
.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. It was released on November 18, 1997 through Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. The album is a sequel or counterpart to the band's previous album, Load
Load (album)
Load is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Released on June 4, 1996 through Elektra Records, it sold 680,000 units in its first week and debuted at #1 on Billboard 200. The album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and is certified 5x platinum by the RIAA...
. It debuted number 1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 417,000 copies in its first week. Only five of the thirteen songs have ever been played live. These songs include "Fuel
Fuel (song)
"Fuel" is a song by Metallica. The theme of the song could be applied to the fact that people like to drive their lives too fast...
", "The Memory Remains
The Memory Remains
-Personnel:Metallica*James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar*Kirk Hammett – rhythm and lead guitar*Jason Newsted – bass*Lars Ulrich – drumsAdditional performer*Marianne Faithfull – additional vocals on "The Memory Remains"Production...
", "Devil's Dance", "The Unforgiven II", and "Low Man's Lyric". There are also occasional jam sessions of songs including "Bad Seed", "Better Than You
Better than You (Metallica song)
"Better Than You" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the fifth track on their seventh album, ReLoad. The song was originally titled "Better". It won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, it was the band's fourth award in that category. The song refers to the...
" and "Fixxxer". ReLoad is currently certified 4x platinum by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. It was the final Metallica studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted
Jason Newsted
Jason Curtis Newsted is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist...
, though it was not his last release with the band. ReLoad also marked the second and the last appearance of a new Metallica logo on an album, until the release of Garage Inc.
The original idea was to make Metallica's sixth album a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
. But with problems recording so many songs at one time, the band decided that half of the songs were to be released and the band would continue to work on the remaining songs and release them the following year. Drummer Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
stated that "it's the second half of Load. It's just coming out a year and a half later." This was the second album to feature all songs in E♭ tuning, though "Bad Seed" was played in D♭ tuning and "Devil's Dance" was played in D tuning
D tuning
D Tuning, also called One Step Lower, Whole Step Down, or D Standard, is an alternate tuning for guitar. Each string is lowered by a whole tone or two semitones resulting in D-G-C-F-A-D It is used mostly by heavy metal bands to achieve a heavier, deeper sound and by blues guitarists, who use it to...
which was earlier used for "Sad but True
Sad But True
"Sad but True" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the fifth and final single from their eponymous fifth album, Metallica....
" on Metallica
Metallica (album)
Metallica is the self-titled fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Mainly produced by Bob Rock, it was released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records to critical acclaim...
and later used for "Whiskey in the Jar
Whiskey in the Jar
"Whiskey in the Jar" is a famous Irish traditional song, set in the southern mountains of Ireland, with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry, as well as Fenit, a village in county Kerry. It is about a Rapparee , who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed...
" from Garage Inc.
Garage Inc.
-Disc two:These tracks are a collection of B-sides from artists Metallica were inspired by, throughout the early years of the band.-Personnel:* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Whiskey In the Jar"...
.
Reception
- Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
(11/21/97, p. 136) - "...the boys are back in frown, gnarling their way through bristly thrashers and slithery ballads recorded during and after the Load sessions. ReLoad continues their journey into stripped-down maturity while toying with fresh melodic textures." - Rating: B - MusicianMusician (magazine)Musician was a monthly magazine that covered news and information about American popular music. Initially called "Music America", it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in Colorado...
(2/98, p. 83) - "...greasy, driving, full of fat grooves, lyric and rhythmic hooks, and sonic curveballs....captures one of rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
's greatest bands at its peak."
Track listing
Personnel
- James HetfieldJames HetfieldJames Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Kirk HammettKirk HammettKirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Lars UlrichLars UlrichLars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Jason NewstedJason NewstedJason Curtis Newsted is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Marianne FaithfullMarianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
– additional vocals on "The Memory Remains" - Bernardo Bigalli – violin on "Low Man's Lyric"
- David Miles – hurdy gurdyHurdy gurdyThe hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin...
on "Low Man's Lyric" - Jim McGillveray – percussion
Production
- Bob Rock; James Hetfield; Lars Ulrich – producers
- Brian Dobbs; Randy Staub – engineers
- Bernardo Bigalli; Darren Grahn; Kent Matcke; Gary Winger – assistant engineers
- Mike FraserMike FraserMike Fraser is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer. Mike is best known for his work with AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith and Joe Satriani...
; Randy Staub – mixing - George Marino – mastering
- Paul DeCarli; Mike Gillies; Darren Grahn – digital editing
- Andie Airfix – design
- Anton CorbijnAnton CorbijnAnton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
– photography - Andres SerranoAndres SerranoAndres Serrano is an American photographer and artist who has become notorious through his photos of corpses and his use of feces and bodily fluids in his work, notably his controversial work "Piss Christ", a red-tinged photograph of a crucifix submerged in a glass container of what was purported...
– artwork
Charts
ReLoad sold 435,500 units in first week of release and debuted at number 1 and as of 2010 it has sold over 4 million copies in U.S thus achieving a certification of 4x platinum.Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| Top Canadian Albums | 2 | |
| The UK Album Chart | 4 | |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "The Memory Remains" | Canadian Singles Chart | 4 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 | ||
| UK Singles Chart | 13 | ||
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 28 | ||
| "The Unforgiven II" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 | |
| 1998 | "Better than You" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 7 |
| "The Unforgiven II" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 59 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 15 | ||
| "Fuel" | UK Singles Chart | 31 |
Certification
| Country | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 4,036,000 | 4x Platinum |
| United Kingdom | 100,000 | Gold |
| Canada | 200,000 | 2x Platinum |
| Finland | 45,271 | 2x Platinum |
| Germany | 500,000 | Platinum |
| IFPI Europe | 2.000.000 | 2x Platinum |
Awards
| Year | Winner | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Better than You" | Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre... |