Reviewed August 1, 1999
Metallica's masterpiece 1991 self-titled album was the deciding factor in the outcome of the metal genre. This is the disc that brought metal back from the dead and almost mainstream. It has a different style from all previous and subsequent Metallica albums. Little did we know in 1991, but the self-titled album, also known as the Black Album, was the transitory stage by which Metallica went from the fast-paced ...And Justice for All  to the Gun N' Roses-like Load .

Their first album fully fit for radio broadcast, the Black Album includes eleven traditional hard rock songs and one psuedo-ballad, "Nothing Else Matters." Pounding drums and strong guitar riffs rule the majority of the disc, but in a more refined way than any previous Metallica albums. Especially good songs include "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", and "Wherever I May Roam." The softer "Nothing Else Matters" even became my high school's Prom theme song for 1999.

If you call yourself a real fan of metal, you'll have this disc in your collection. Metallica's self-titled album gets a well-deserved five of five stars.