Metallica has always been known as a reasonably insular outfit. Throughout the making of their album St Anger, Jason Newsted eventually walked away from the band strictly because of the rules about not having any side projects. Though James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich may have frowned upon non-Metallica output from their bandmates, they weren’t above bringing in new blood on their records.
Coming after years of thrash perfection, the band’s decision to work with producer Bob Rock for The Black Album made for their sturdiest songs in ages, like ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and ‘Enter Sandman’. Even though the album was lambasted by die-hard fans who preferred the band’s classic metal sound, it had more than a few surprises hidden within its grooves.
Between the massive riffs from Hetfield, Metallica dabbled with more instruments than ever before. Across the deep cuts, the band would put in various sound effects to move the tracks along, from the sound of a cocked gun on ‘The God That Failed’ to using a 12-string bass to get the opening crunch of ‘Wherever I May Roam’.
If fans had thought that a change of direction was strange in 1991, they had no idea what would come in the next few years. Shedding their image of long-haired metal gods, Load saw Metallica entering the alternative era, inheriting a handful of tropes still growing in the wake of grunge.
Never ones to back down from a challenge, the band would double down on the experimentation on ReLoad. Though tracks like ‘Devil’s Dance’ and ‘Better Than You’ felt like a retread of past glory, one of the opening singles for the album featured the only guest vocalist to appear on a Metallica project.
Outside of the occasional backing vocals from the rest of the band, Hetfield had been responsible for every single lyric sung on previous albums, telling harrowing stories about dark topics like ‘One’ and ‘The Unforgiven’. When recording ‘The Memory Remains’, Hetfield’s lyrics of a faded primadonna felt more suited to an actual living legend.
While Hetfield sings most of the track himself, the transitionary sections feature vocals by Marianne Faithfull, most famous for songs like ‘As Tears Go By’. Given her track record for rock and roll mayhem and her previous relationship with Mick Jagger, hearing Faithfull’s weathered voice over the backing track puts the lyrics into perspective as this former star looks back on her life.
After going through the Load era, though, the experimentation had hit a peak. In the coming years, Metallica would go through the ugliest months of their existence, from Hetfield leaving to go to rehab to wondering if he should return to the group.
Though the band have been in a healthier place now, ‘The Memory Remains’ is the only song that features anyone outside of Metallica on vocals. While Hetfield doesn’t dare touch Faithfull’s part when performing live, the crowd is happy to sing along to her vocal when the time comes.
