Reload is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on November 18, 1997,[9] via Elektra Records. The album is a follow-up to Load, released the previous year, and Metallica's last studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted. Reload debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 436,000 copies in its first week. It was certified 3× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping three million copies in the United States.
Reload was recorded at The Plant, a wood-panelled studio in Sausalito, California. The session was produced by Bob Rock, who also produced Metallica's previous two albums. The original idea was to release Load and Reload as a double album. However, 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.
Speaking about the recording sessions in an interview for Guitar World, guitarist Kirk Hammett stated that "We were gonna do them both as a double album, but we didn't want to spend that long in the studio. Also, if we did a double album, it would have been a lot more material for people to digest, and some of it might have gotten lost in the shuffle."[10] It was the final Metallica studio album to feature the lineup with bassist Jason Newsted, before he left the band in January 2001, though it was not his last release with the band.
There were occasional jam sessions of songs such as "Better Than You", "Bad Seed", "Where the Wild Things Are", and "Fixxxer". "Carpe Diem Baby" premiered at Metallica's 30th anniversary concert in 2011.[11]
'Fixxxer' premiered at Metallica's first 40th anniversary concert at the Chase Center in San Francisco, on December 17, 2021.[12]
Songs that have not been played live in their entirety are "Better than You", "Slither", "Bad Seed", "Where the Wild Things Are", "Prince Charming" and "Attitude".[13]
Artwork and packagingedit
Like Load, the album artwork was again created by Andres Serrano, which is a mix of bovine blood and his own urine. Hence, the artwork is titled "Piss and Blood XXVI".[14] All the photos in the liner notes were taken from the 1997 Cunning Stunts concert.
Reload was met with mixed to favorable reviews. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine thought the record was worthwhile and noted it was heavily influenced by Southern rock. He did not approve of the idea of doing the sequel "The Unforgiven II", but praised the collaboration with Marianne Faithfull on "The Memory Remains".[15] Dan Snierson from Entertainment Weekly said Reload "continues Metallica's journey into stripped-down maturity while toying with fresh melodic textures" and "also forsakes some of the punchy hooks and gut-clenching heft that elevated recent Metallica CDs".[5]
Rolling Stone's Lorraine Ali opined the album was rooted in heavy metal despite some songs being influenced by "bluesy rock & roll". She said Reload was not Metallica's best, but named it a steppingstone in Metallica's legacy.[4] On the other hand, Musician described the album as "greasy, driving, full of fat grooves, lyric and rhythmic hooks, and sonic curveballs". The magazine felt it "captures one of rock's greatest bands at its peak".[19]
Canadian journalist Martin Popoff lamented the "dull, unfinished, unrealized" songwriting in many songs, but praised the production and groove of the album.[16]
British author Paul Stenning said Metallica were "at their best on the likes of opener 'Fuel', the inspired follow up to an old favourite in 'The Unforgiven II' and the closing 'Fixxxer' which had a fantastic lead riff."[20]
In 2020, Metal Hammer included it in their list of top 10 albums of 1997.[21]
Reload sold 436,000 units in first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.[22] The album remained on the chart for 75 weeks,[23] and sold just over four million copies in the United States by December 2009.[24] It was certified 3× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping three million copies in the United States. Reload peaked at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart, and was certified double platinum by Music Canada.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Referencesedit
^"Reload | Metallica.com". metallica.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020. Recorded & Mixed at The Plant Studios, Sausalito, CA at various points in time between May 1995 and February 1996 and July and October 1997
^Eduardo Rivadavia (November 18, 2013). "16 Years Ago: Metallica Release 'Reload'". Ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
^vh1 (May 18, 2015). "A Different Take On Metal's Biggest Sound Departures". VH1. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ abcAli, Lorraine (November 20, 1997). "Metallica: Reload". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
^ abcSnierson, Dan (November 21, 1997). "Metallica: Reload". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
^"The Memory Remains". Metallica.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
^"The Unforgiven II". Metallica.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
^"Reload | Metallica.com". Metallica.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
^Wiederhorn, Jon (November 25, 2011). "James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica Discuss Their 1997 Album, 'Re-Load'". Guitar World. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
^Merlin. "Metallica: Extended 30th Anniversary Highlights". Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
^"Watch Metallica Play "Fixxxer" Live For The First Time At 40th Anniversary Show". Stereogum. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
^Bowar, Chad (November 18, 1997). "Metallica: Reload". Ultimate Metallica. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
^"Piss and Blood XXVI by Andres Serrano". Blouin Art Sales Index. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
^ abErlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Metallica: Reload". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
^"Austriancharts.at – Metallica – Reload" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^"Ultratop.be – Metallica – Reload" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^"Ultratop.be – Metallica – Reload" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^"Metallica Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
^"Listen – Danmarks Officielle Hitliste – Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark – Uge 47". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. November 23, 1997.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Metallica – Reload" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^"Eurochart Top 100 Albums - December 06, 1997" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 49. December 6, 1997. p. 13. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Metallica; 'Reload')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
^"IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1997". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
^"Japanese album certifications – Metallica – Reload" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 30, 2019. Select 1997年12月 on the drop-down menu
^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002(PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 947. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
^"Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Reload')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
^Young, Simon (March 9, 2023). "Here are the astonishing US sales stats for every Metallica album". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.