Reload is the seventh studio album by the heavy metal band Metallica, released on November 18, 1997,through Elektra Records. The album is a follow-up to Load, released the previous year, and Metallica‘s last studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted. Reload debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 436,000 copies in its first week. It was certified 3× platinum by the (RIAA) for shipping three million copies in the United States.
Reload was recorded at The Plant, a wood-panelled studio in Sausalito, California. The session was produced by Bob Rock, who also produced Metallica‘s previous two albums. The original idea was to release Load and Reload as a double album. However, with problems recording so many songs at one time, the band decided that half of the songs were to be released and the band would continue to work on the remaining songs and release them the following year.
Like Load, the album artwork was again created by Andres Serrano, which is a mix of bovine blood and his own urine. Hence, the artwork is titled “Piss and Blood XXVI“. All the photos in the liner notes were taken from the 1997 Cunning Stunts concert.
Reload sold 436,000 units in first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album remained on the chart for 75 weeks, and sold just over four million copies in the United States by December 2009. It was certified 3× platinum by the (RIAA) for shipping three million copies in the United States. Reload peaked at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart, and was certified double platinum by Music Canada.
Tracklist:
- Fuel (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
- The Memory Remains (Hetfield, Ulrich, with Marianne Faithfull)
- Devil’s Dance (Hetfield, Ulrich)
- The Unforgiven II (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
- Better Than You (Hetfield, Ulrich)
- Slither (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
- Carpe Diem Baby (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
- Bad Seed (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
- Where the Wild Things Are (Hetfield, Ulrich, Jason Newsted)
- Prince Charming (Hetfield, Ulrich)
- Low Man’s Lyric (Hetfield, Ulrich)
- Attitude (Hetfield, Ulrich)
- Fixxxer (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
Metallica
James Hetfield: vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar solo on “Carpe Diem Baby”, production
Kirk Hammett: lead & rhythm guitar
Jason Newsted: bass guitar
Lars Ulrich: drums, production
Additional musicians
Marianne Faithfull: additional vocals on “The Memory Remains”
Bernardo Bigalli: violin on “Low Man’s Lyric”
David Miles: hurdy-gurdy on “Low Man’s Lyric”
Jim McGillveray: additional percussion
Production
Bob Rock: production
Brian Dobbs: engineering
Randy Staub: engineering, mixing
Bernardo Bigalli: assistant engineering
Darren Grahn: assistant engineering, digital editing
Kent Matcke: assistant engineering
Gary Winger: assistant engineering
Mike Fraser: mixing
George Marino: mastering
Paul DeCarli: digital editing
Mike Gillies: digital editing
Andie Airfix: design
Andres Serrano: cover design
Anton Corbijn: photography
