Album of the Day

Metallica had originally envisioned LOAD as a double album, but that plan changed in the studio. “It would have been a lot more material for people to digest, and some of it might have gotten lost in the shuffle,” noted guitarist Kirk Hammett – hence the release of RELOAD a year later (on this day in 1997). While the Elektra collection shares the deliberate grooves and roots rock influences of its predecessor, the extra time the quartet spent on these 13 originals allows them to stand on their own, and “Fuel,” “The Memory Remains” (featuring vocals by Marianne Faithfull) and epic closer “Fixxxer” rank with the band's best. Co-produced by Bob Rock, RELOAD was deservedly a hit, debuting at #1 on Billboard's album chart and eventually going triple-Platinum.