Load

Metallica followed up their blockbuster 1991 self-titled record with Load, a sludgy steamroller that pushed the band even further away from their speedy thrash-metal roots. In addition to wicked hard-rock rumbles such as "King Nothing," the album contains menacing, slow-boiling psychedelic sprawls ("Bleeding Me"), bluesy classic rock ("Poor Twisted Me"), and a country-leaning porch ballad ("Mama Said"). The gouging grooves and grimy riffage of "2 X 4" even conjure the sound of grunge.