Within the heavy metal scene, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is renowned for his strong-willed and, at times, confrontational attitude. However, there was one person who dared to challenge Ulrich’s authority during the band’s making process of ‘The Black Album.’
Producer Bob Rock might have thought making the record would be simple, but he had a tough time working with the band. This led to lots of arguments with the Metallica members about different parts of the album. During a discussion from that period between Rock and Ulrich, Bob asked the drummer:
“What’s your problem? The guitars aren’t loud enough.”
Lars said in his response:
“Okay, with the dynamics, when they come in, you don’t sense that the heavy guitars are coming.”
Rock continued, further asking:
“Right, they’re not loud enough. What is the problem?”
Ulrich stepped in:
“It’s like taking…”
The producer was quick to cut his words and say:
“I don’t want to take the other things down because when those things were down when I heard them, there was nothing there. Those things need to be up during the shots. It goes… [imitating the guitar and drum parts]. It sounded stupid, so I turned the buck because it’s the only thing there.”
Bob spoke more about why he chose to turn some parts up:
“It’s the only piece of music in those shots besides the drums and the bass. So they turn them up. So, the next section has to come in strong. It does come in strong. The only thing that doesn’t come in strong is the guitars. I’ll let you guys get out on this one because I don’t give a f*ck. I’m tired of arguing.”
Rock was firm about recording as many takes as necessary to achieve their desired sound during the studio process. This led to the album being remixed three times, resulting in a total cost of $1 million. Bob changed Metallica’s usual recording process, and the sessions became so tense that he reportedly vowed not to collaborate with the band in the future.
Still, when ‘The Black Album’ came out on August 12, 1991, the audience loved it right away. It went to number one on the charts and had hit songs like ‘Enter Sandman,’ ‘The Unforgiven,’ and ‘Nothing Else Matters,’ that played on various radio stations. Rock went on to work with the band, producing ‘Load,’ ‘ReLoad,’ ‘Garage Inc.’ and ‘St. Anger.’
You can watch their discussion below.
