For years, we suffered in silence... through the mediocre but still marginally acceptable 'black album', and then to the abomination known as "Load", and then still through the even-worse-god-how-can-this-be "ReLoad"... We suffered in silence, secretly hoping that one day the band we knew and loved would "return to the fold", ... see the error of their ways, and once again reclaim the crown of the "Kings of Metal"...
We were wrong.
Just over two years ago, Metallica decided that its declining music sales had nothing to do with declining music, but instead had to do with its fans sharing music amongst themselves on Napster, leading them (and another washout, Dr. Dre) to sue Napster, eventually driving them into bankruptcy as they tried to defend themselves.
It's interesting that this would come from a band who has long credited the "underground bootleg tape-traders" for their success in the first place. MP3 traders today occupy the same basic position in the food-chain that the tape-traders did in the early 80's. Many an interview has shown Lars or James saying "how the tape-traders trading pirate copies of the demo tapes" were what made them popular. It's all well and good for tape-traders to exist when it gets THEM popular, but then once they're rich and popular? Fuck the traders, man, they don't need em any more.
It is obvious to anyone who has been watching Metallica over the last seven or eight years that they have been in a steady decline. The quality of music has declined to be almost non-existant (in fact, I had read one report that the sole reason for the back-to-back Load/Re-Load thing was simply to "put out shit to fill the Elektra contract"). I can't speak for the accuracy of that (hell, I don't even remember where I read it), but it wouldn't surprise me. "Load" was short for "load of shit". The only exception to this decline (to me anyway) was the deal with the San Francisco Symphony, S&M. That was pretty choice, but then again, I've yet to see a rock band come off BADLY when they do that "rock meets symphony" routine. Make no mistake, it IS a routine.... Many have been there before Metallica got the idea for it.
So the years have past, their star has risen, shone brightly and now it has fallen. They've had more time in fame than Warhol allotted them, and that time is now done.
But probably the worst move of all came this year, 2002, when the metal band formerly known as Metallica colaborated with Ja Rule for a song called "We did it again"... all I wanna know is WHAT THE FUCK HAVE THEY DONE AGAIN... made a shitty record... wrote a half-assesd song... both?!
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