Bob Rock, the rock and metal producer extraordinaire, is often partially credited for Metallica’s wild success in the ’90s thanks to his contribution to their groundbreaking records. In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Rock shared his thoughts about his time working with Metallica and the tenacity and drive they had to become the greatest in the industry.
After their 1991 ‘The Black Album’ blew up and became their most famous effort, even though they had adopted a new sound, Metallica wanted to stretch out of their comfort zone and push themselves to try different styles with their subsequent two albums ‘Load’ and ‘Reload.’ Thus, they continued working with Rock.
“One of the most admirable things about the band is they don’t think in terms of people’s reactions,” Bob Rock explained. “They do what they feel is right for them. They don’t take into account what people think. When they go in a direction and they make a commitment to do something, they do it. And they don’t hold back.”
The ‘Load’ and ‘Reload’ era turned out to be more monumental for Metallica and metal as a genre than the band had anticipated. Even though they didn’t intend to branch out far from their previous album, their sound had changed drastically by the end of the process. However, they ran with the concept and the sound and didn’t shy away from giving their all.
The success that followed the release of the albums made the band realize that they could always expand and push the boundaries. It also increased their self-confidence as musicians because they didn’t have to remain faithful to an established sound; instead, they could focus on evolving with the genre.
You can listen to ‘Load’ and ‘Reload’ below.
