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The Metallica Blacklist

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The Metallica Blacklist
Compilation album by
various artists
ReleasedSeptember 10, 2021
Genre
Length245:31
Label
Producer

The Metallica Blacklist is a various artists tribute album featuring covers of every track from Metallica's 1991 self-titled album (commonly known as The Black Album). The collection was assembled in conjunction with the original album's 30th anniversary.[2] Most of the songs are covered multiple times, with 53 artists participating. The album was released in digital formats on September 10, 2021, and in physical formats on October 1, 2021.[3]

Background

[edit]

The Metallica Blacklist tribute album is part of a larger celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Black Album, and was released on the same day as a deluxe remastered version of the original album.[4] The tribute album was envisioned as an illustration of how The Black Album influenced musicians from many different genres, and was inspired by the existence of several previous tributes to the album, by artists in genres ranging from electronica to classical.[5]

In preparation for the project, Metallica invited some musicians who had gained notice for covering other Metallica songs in the past, such as the Warning,[5] the Hu,[6] and Rodrigo y Gabriela.[7] Metallica then invited artists from a variety of genres to contribute unique interpretations of the songs.[8] The invited artists were permitted to choose which song to cover.[5] According to a statement made by the band, "The Metallica Blacklist offers up new dimensions of the record whose gravitational pull first drew the mainstream to Metallica – and provides new insights into the universal and timeless appeal that kept it there: the boundary-smashing influence these 12 songs have had on fans and musicians of all stripes."[9]

For each song on the album, half of the proceeds are donated to Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation, and the other half are donated to a charity of that artist's choice.[5]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Clash7/10[12]
The Independent[13]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[14]
Metal Hammer[2]
Metal Injection8/10[15]
Mojo[16]
NME[17]
Pitchfork6/10[18]
Rolling Stone[19]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has an average score of 66 based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10] The album received reviews that were generally favorable toward the project's wide variety of genres and often surprising selection of contributors, but with some qualms about its repetitive or inconsistent nature as a listening experience. Metal Hammer noted that there are too many versions of some songs, especially "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters", but concluded that the tribute album "underscores how, unlike any other band in history, Metallica have transcended heavy metal and emerged as one of music's greatest cultural exports."[2] Metal Hammer also endeavored to rank all 53 songs on the album, concluding that the best is the version of "Nothing Else Matters" by Miley Cyrus, who was supported by Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, and current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.[20]

Pitchfork also gave the album a mixed review, calling it "enormous and uneven" and criticizing some predictable covers by the hard rock and heavy metal artists, but praising genre-jumping contributions like those by Japanese-British pop singer Rina Sawayama and Ghanaian-American musician Moses Sumney.[18] Rolling Stone made note of some of the more eclectic covers, such as the contributions from jazz musician Kamasi Washington and punk rock supergroup Off![5] In a separate review, Rolling Stone concluded that the album is a fitting tribute to the ongoing influence of The Black Album.[19]

Exclaim! also noted that not all of the 53 songs are fully satisfying, but praised the project for its contributions to charity while ranking Washington's version of "My Friend of Misery" as the album's best track.[21] Metal Injection called the album "a complete reimagining of one of the most iconic records of all time."[15] NME called it "a fitfully thrilling hodgepodge" that forces the listener to choose their own favorite version of each song, but concluded that the album is "a fantastic tribute to one of metal's sacred texts."[17]

Track listing

[edit]
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Enter Sandman"James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk HammettAlessia Cara and The Warning4:24
2."Enter Sandman"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettMac DeMarco5:46
3."Enter Sandman"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettGhost3:51
4."Enter Sandman"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettJuanes4:53
5."Enter Sandman"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettRina Sawayama5:34
6."Enter Sandman"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettWeezer5:34
7."Sad but True" (live)Hetfield, UlrichSam Fender3:51
8."Sad but True"Hetfield, UlrichJason Isbell and the 400 Unit4:30
9."Sad but True"Hetfield, UlrichMexican Institute of Sound featuring La Perla and Gera MX4:31
10."Sad but True"Hetfield, UlrichRoyal Blood5:29
11."Sad but True"Hetfield, UlrichSt. Vincent4:12
12."Sad but True"Hetfield, UlrichWhite Reaper5:23
13."Sad but True"Hetfield, UlrichYB4:03
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Holier than Thou"Hetfield, UlrichBiffy Clyro5:10
2."Holier than Thou"Hetfield, UlrichThe Chats2:26
3."Holier than Thou"Hetfield, UlrichOff!3:04
4."Holier than Thou"Hetfield, UlrichPUP3:56
5."Holier than Thou"Hetfield, UlrichCorey Taylor4:11
6."The Unforgiven"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettCage the Elephant5:54
7."The Unforgiven"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettVishal Dadlani, Divine, Shor Police4:21
8."The Unforgiven"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettDiet Cig4:47
9."The Unforgiven"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettFlatbush Zombies featuring DJ Scratch4:37
10."The Unforgiven"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettHa*Ash4:06
11."The Unforgiven"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettJosé Madero4:01
12."The Unforgiven"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettMoses Sumney5:34
Disc three
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Wherever I May Roam"Hetfield, UlrichJ Balvin2:39
2."Wherever I May Roam"Hetfield, UlrichChase & Status featuring Backroad Gee3:07
3."Wherever I May Roam"Hetfield, UlrichThe Neptunes3:57
4."Wherever I May Roam"Hetfield, UlrichJon Pardi6:45
5."Don't Tread on Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichSebastiAn5:54
6."Don't Tread on Me"Hetfield, UlrichPortugal. The Man featuring Aaron Beam4:14
7."Don't Tread on Me"Hetfield, UlrichVolbeat3:39
8."Through the Never"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettThe Hu4:07
9."Through the Never"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettTomi Owó3:06
10."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichPhoebe Bridgers4:35
11."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichMiley Cyrus featuring Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith6:37
12."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichDave Gahan5:09
13."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichMickey Guyton4:31
14."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichDermot Kennedy3:01
15."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichMon Laferte5:56
Disc four
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichIgor Levit5:12
2."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichMy Morning Jacket3:26
3."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichPG Roxette3:49
4."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichDarius Rucker6:53
5."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichChris Stapleton8:15
6."Nothing Else Matters"Hetfield, UlrichTresor6:24
7."Of Wolf and Man"Hetfield, Ulrich, HammettGoodnight, Texas3:24
8."The God That Failed"Hetfield, UlrichIdles3:56
9."The God That Failed"Hetfield, UlrichImelda May4:04
10."My Friend of Misery"Hetfield, Ulrich, Jason NewstedCherry Glazerr3:31
11."My Friend of Misery"Hetfield, Ulrich, NewstedIzïa4:25
12."My Friend of Misery"Hetfield, Ulrich, NewstedKamasi Washington6:47
13."The Struggle Within"Hetfield, UlrichRodrigo y Gabriela4:00
Total length:245:31

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for The Metallica Blacklist
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 6
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] 44
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[24] 17
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[25] 19
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26] 77
UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[27] 4
US Billboard 200[28] 103

References

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  1. ^ He, Richard S. (August 12, 2022). "Every Metallica Blacklist cover ranked from worst to best". Louder Sound. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Daly, Joe (September 6, 2021). "The Metallica Blacklist – Review". Metal Hammer. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  3. ^ "All-Star 'The Metallica Blacklist' Tribute Hits Top 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales Chart". Billboard. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "Metallica Covers Album to Feature Phoebe Bridgers, Moses Sumney, St. Vincent, Mac DeMarco, and More". Pitchfork. June 22, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Grow, Kory (September 9, 2021). "Metallica's Black Album Transcended Metal. A New Covers Album Extends Its Reach". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Hartmann, Graham (December 4, 2020). "The Hu Transform Metallica's 'Sad But True' Into Mongolian Folk Music". Loudwire. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  7. ^ Blabbermouth (September 8, 2021). "Hear METALLICA's 'The Struggle Within' Covered by RODRIGO Y GABRIELA". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Erel, Eray (September 6, 2021). "Lars Ulrich Explains Why Metallica Invited Miley Cyrus And J Balvin To Blacklist". MetalCastle – All about Rock and Metal. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Roche, Sam (June 22, 2021). "Metallica reveal The Metallica Blacklist, a 53-artist tribute to The Black Album, announce remaster of iconic 1991 record". guitarworld. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "The Metallica Blacklist by Various Artists Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Thomas, Fred. "The Metallica Blacklist – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  12. ^ Walker-Smart, Sam (September 8, 2021). "V/A – The Metallica Blacklist". Clash. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  13. ^ O'Conor, Roisin; Aubrey, Elizabeth (September 9, 2021). "Album reviews: The Metallica Blacklist and Common – A Beautiful Revolution Pt 2". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  14. ^ Lampiris, Steve (September 8, 2021). "Metallica – The Metallica Blacklist | Album Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Morin, Max (September 12, 2021). "Album Review: METALLICA The Metallica Blacklist". Metal Injection. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  16. ^ Agarwal, Manish (October 2021). "Overblown tribute to their 'Black Album' on its 30th. Profits to charity!". Mojo.
  17. ^ a b Beaumont, Mark (September 10, 2021). "Various artists – 'The Metallica Blacklist' review: a sprawling tribute". NME. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Sanders, Brad (September 10, 2021). "Metallica: The Metallica Blacklist Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Gross, Joe (September 10, 2021). "Review:'The Metallica Blacklist'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  20. ^ He, Richard S. (September 10, 2021). "Every Metallica Blacklist cover ranked from worst to best". Metal Hammer. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  21. ^ "All 53 Covers on 'The Metallica Blacklist,' Ranked | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Various Artists – The Metallica Blacklist" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  23. ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  24. ^ "Various Artists: The Metallica Blacklist" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  25. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  26. ^ "Discos Más Vendidos en España". El Portal de Música. October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  27. ^ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  28. ^ "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
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