Load (album)

Load
White and red fluid in the shape of fire with the text "Load" (bottom right)
Studio album by
Metallica
ReleasedJune 4, 1996 (1996-06-04)
RecordedMay 1, 1995 – February 1, 1996
StudioThe Plant (Sausalito, California)
Genre
Length78:59
LabelElektra
Producer
Metallica chronology
Metallica
(1991) 		Load
(1996) 		Reload
(1997)
Singles from Load
  1. "Until It Sleeps"
    Released: May 21, 1996[3]
  2. "Hero of the Day"
    Released: September 9, 1996[4]
  3. "Mama Said"
    Released: November 25, 1996[5]
  4. "King Nothing"
    Released: January 7, 1997[6]

Load is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on June 4, 1996, by Elektra Records in the United States and by Vertigo Records internationally. The album showed more of a hard rock side of Metallica than the band's typical thrash metal style, which alienated much of the band's fanbase.[7][8][9] It also featured influences from genres such as Southern rock, blues rock, country rock,[2] and alternative rock.[10] Drummer Lars Ulrich said about Load's more exploratory nature, "This album and what we're doing with it – that, to me, is what Metallica are all about: exploring different things. The minute you stop exploring, then just sit down and fucking die."[11] At 79 minutes, Load is Metallica's longest studio album.

Load received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, debuting and spending four consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Load sold 680,000 units in its first week, making it the biggest opening week for Metallica as well as the biggest debut of 1996.[12] It was certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping five million copies in the United States. Four singles—"Until It Sleeps", "Hero of the Day", "Mama Said", and "King Nothing"—were released as part of the marketing campaign for the album.

  1. ^ Prown, Pete; Newquist, HP (1997). Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 226. ISBN 0-7935-4042-9. The band re-emerged with Load, a less metalish and more hard-rock album that downplayed the group's previous headbanging.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference allmusic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Until it Sleeps". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "Hero of the Day". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  5. ^ "Mama Said". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "King Nothing". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  7. ^ Pete Prown, Harvey P. Newquist (1997). Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 226. ISBN 9780793540426.
  8. ^ "Metallica revives old sound, 'Death Magnetic' shows band's desire to reclaim its thrash metal throne". report. Ohio.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Moore, Doug (October 14, 2013). "Metallica Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Spinmedia. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference EW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Fricke, David (June 27, 1998). "Metallica: Pretty Hate Machine". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  12. ^ Snow, Shauna (November 21, 1996). "Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.