Phil Anselmo Calls Metallica’s Load “A Terrible Record”
As you are hopefully aware, not all of the inhabitants of The MetalSucks Mansion agree on everything all the time. For example, I think Metallica’s 1996/1997 sister releases, Load and Reload, are fucking awful, featuring only an EP’s worth of decent material between the two of them, and ultimately represent the moment that Metallica definitively jumped the shark/nuked the fridge/played The Gathering of the Juggalos/whatever. But my esteemed colleague, Emperor Rhombus, thinks that there are some really good jams on those albums, at least enough to make an enjoyable single full-length. And he’s entitled to that opinion! I love that dude, he can disagree with me all he wants.
But, at the risk of sounding childish, I just have to say: NA NA NA BOO BOO, PHIL ANSELMO AGREES WITH ME SO PPPPPFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT!!!!
Blabbermouth reports that when Metal Hammer recently asked the legendary vocalist what album should never have been released, he replied:
“I would have to say Load by Metallica. I mean, it’s a terrible record, man. I just don’t get it. If you’re gonna put out a record like that, just do a fucking side project or something, ya know?”
Since he didn’t add the phrase “But Reload is just the bee’s knees!” at the end, I think we can safely assume he thinks that record blows dead rats, too. And I think it’s noteworthy that he selected Load, and not St. Anger: as I said upon the tenth anniversary of the latter album’s release, that record is “a truly singular vision in a way that most albums, good or bad, never are.” St. Anger may be awful, but you can’t say it’s not interesting. Whereas Load and Reload are just boring, pandering pieces of shit.
Of course, there’s no reason any one should feel obligated to agree with Anselmo’s critical assessment of the Load releases — just because he’s famous and revered doesn’t mean his opinion is necessarily more valid than yours. I’m just saying that Phil Anselmo is right and everyone who likes the Loads is wrong, that’s all.
