Enter Night_ A Biography of Metallica - Mick Wall [201]
Released onto an all-too-suspecting world on 18 November 1997, Reload did as it was supposed to and went straight to Number One in America, but only got as high as Number Four in the UK. It also did less well in Japan but just about managed to equal the success of Load elsewhere, in terms of chart positions. Overall, however, it barely sold half of what Load had done, which had sold less than half of what Black had done. Speaking in 2003, Bob Rock said he thought ‘people really recognise that era for their haircuts more than anything and you know it’s just like anybody, you want your bands to stay the way you love them and the way you want to hear them. It’s like I had the same thing when Led Zeppelin did Led Zeppelin III, it was mostly acoustic and I hated it; now it’s one of my favourites. People want bands to represent something and they want them to stay there. But I think history will show that those are really great albums and especially in the lyric department.’
While Rock was right about the extent to which more experimental albums, while not necessarily selling as well, are key components in extending the lifespan of a group’s career, it doesn’t alter the fact that musically Reload represents the nadir of Metallica’s recorded career. As grand experiments go, had they stopped at Load, history would now applaud them. As it stands, Reload stained that achievement considerably. Although they may not have realised it yet, Metallica – now the most famous, all-conquering heavy metal band in history, whatever clothes they wore – was about to enter the bleakest period of its career. A time of albums full of covers and rehashed old stuff; even an album of classical music versions of their greatest hits. A period when Lars would reveal himself to be a business-savvy, number-crunching brand-protector who would risk alienating his fans – to the point of actually prosecuting them, if needs be. When James’ demons would finally come home to roost to the extent he would need to rethink his role in life – and whether that included room for a group like Metallica. When Kirk would retreat back into the shadows, happy once again to settle for being the musical lynchpin between James and Lars, if only James and Lars would agree on anything at all; and in which Jason would finally tire of being the Newkid and do something about it, the only thing, in fact, he could: leave.
All of it, to a lesser or greater degree, was perfectly understandable, yet all of it was in danger of pulling the group apart as never before. Indeed, it would be another six years before Metallica was able to write and record a wholly new album and by then it was almost too late to save them.
Thirteen
Monstrum
From the first time I saw him – in London, at the 100 Club in 1987, the place so hot and crowded the sweat peeled from your face like old skin – to the last – turning up like a ghost in Some Kind of Monster, soft, sensitive eyes still full of anger, still trying to make the others see what only he could have seen – it seemed Jason was never entirely happy. He was just one those guys, big long face, taking everything so seriously, taking it all on his unhappily jutting chin. Not the kind of guy you’d ever see just cracking up laughing, not even after a doobie. One of those guys who meant well, who you just didn’t wanna be around for long, knowing you’d always fall short of his excruciatingly high expectations, like some never-grown character left behind