What’s everyone’s favorite era of Metallica?

Why, whatever era it was in which they became fans – check that, rabid, know-it-all fans of the most successful and polarizing heavy metal band of all time.

As soon as that discovery era passes, many Metallica fans seem to become intractable, opinionated, territorial and dismissive of the group’s very next career move, as if betrayal is the natural human response to idolatry.

So, because Metallica never acquired as many fans, nor sold as many records, as they did with 1991’s ‘Black Album,’ it stands to (un)reason that none of their long-players comes in for more undeserved abuse than 1996’s Load.

But Load is neither as heretical of sound nor lacking of quality (hello, St. Anger) as any other Metallica opus post the ‘Black Album’ – in fact, we’ll posit that it’s a consistently exciting and remarkably daring work, well worth revisiting without blind prejudice.

So why not give it a rest, put it to the test, and see if perhaps you too may one day attest that Load is a valued asset in the Metallica discography. Need convincing? Check out our 10 Reasons Why Load Is Better Than You Remember below.

10 Reasons Why Metallica's Load Is Better Than You Remember

Metallica: A Photo Timeline of Their Remarkable Career

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