How Metallica’s Black Album Bridged The Gap Between Thrash And Mainstream—The Daily Earworm

Metallica’s 1991 self-titled fifth studio album, commonly referred to as “The Black Album,” was a landmark album for the metal world. While Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath had helped bring heavy metal into the mainstream, subgenres like thrash and speed metal had been largely left behind. Today’s Daily Earworm will take a look at how Metallica’s Black Album bridged that gap for thrash metal, even if it was a bridge that most thrash metal acts decided not to cross.

“The Big Four”

In the 1980s and 1990s, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax were widely regarded as the “Big Four” of American thrash metal. Known for their speed and intensity, Slayer was considered the epitome of the genre. Megadeth was known for their technical complexities. Anthrax was known for their high-energy shows. Metallica, however, was always the act that seemed slightly more accessible to music fans of other genres. That accessibility would explode in 1991.

The Black Album

Metallica had already established a massive influence in the genre with albums like Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and And Justice For All. When they released their self-titled 1991 album, there were those in the thrash world who called them sellouts. The album was more polished and radio-friendly than their previous work, and general music fans took notice. Music fans from other genres finally heard metal songs played on the radio…and they liked it.

Yes, The Black Album was less thrash and more commercialized heavy metal, but it drew people in. The album sold more than 20 million copies in the United States alone. It topped the Billboard 200, something that rarely happened with metal albums. It was a phenomenon that stretched far beyond the U.S. Metallica topped the charts in eight other countries as well, and the album was certified multiplatinum in 15 countries.

A lot of The Black Album’s success can be traced back to one song: “Enter Sandman” (featured above). While the album had five highly successful singles, it was that song that exploded the band’s popularity. The song dominated MTV and mainstream rock radio. The single has nine platinum certifications, and it landed in the Top 10 in 13 countries. It was that song that hooked a generation of non-metal fans on the genre. Once Metallica had them, they did not let go. Album and merch sales exploded.

Crossing That Bridge

Once The Black Album showed the blueprint for success, surely other bands followed in Metallica’s footsteps, right? —Not as much as you would think. Many thrash bands wanted to stick to their guns. They did not want to risk being labeled as sellouts. There were a few bands that dipped their toes in and did a single more mainstream metal album to try to piggyback on what Metallica had done.

One band, though, did try to bridge that gap in full—Metallica’s chief rival, Megadeth. Frontman Dave Mustaine had been an early member of Metallica, and his ouster never sat well with him. Megadeth was his vehicle to compete with Metallica. When The Black Album blazed that trail, Mustaine steered Megadeth hot on their trail. Metallica winning the Grammy for Best Metal Performance only fueled his fire.

Megadeth‘s 1992 album, Countdown to Extinction, was the first attempt by the band to compete with Metallica on the commercial, radio-friendly side of the genre. The album, their fifth, was their best-selling (double-platinum) and highest charting (#2 on the Billboard 200) of their career. While it did not compete with the sales of Metallica’s Black Album, it was a big step towards mainstream success. The band’s next three albums all toed the line between thrash and mainstream metal. While the albums all produced hit singles, the band was unable to reproduce the magic that Metallica had perfected.

The Road Not Taken

So, while Metallica paved the way for thrash bands to succeed in the mainstream, there was no thrash revolution on the mainstream side of things. Most bands that had tried to follow their lead went back to what they had been doing before The Black Album had changed the game. In the end, Metallica was the only thrash band that figured out the formula for success in the mainstream world. That doesn’t mean another band won’t come along and make that transition. It just means, for now, no one is on Metallica’s level.