Metallica Reload

After cutting their hair and making an abrupt left turn into hard rock on 1996’s Load, Metallica doubled down the following year with ReLoad. As it turns out, both albums were recorded during the same sessions with producer Bob Rock, the man who had previously helped transform the band on the 1991 self-titled record known as The Black Album. At the time of its release, ReLoad was notable for the nonstop circulation of leadoff track “Fuel,” the unexpected sequel “The Unforgiven II,” and being the first Metallica album to feature a guest singer: Marianne Faithfull on “The Memory Remains.” Eventually, “Fuel” would become the theme song of NASCAR on NBC, a third “Unforgiven” song—“The Unforgiven III,” natch—would appear on 2008’s Death Magnetic, and ReLoad would become known as bassist Jason Newsted’s last studio album with the band. Any way you slice it, ReLoad is a far cry from Metallica’s thrash-metal origins. It’s hard to imagine the hurdy-gurdy-laden “Low Man’s Lyric” on any of the band’s breakneck ’80s output—never mind a song called “Carpe Diem Baby” or even the slick but fundamentally tame Grammy-winner “Better Than You.”