“This is the new rock ’n’ roll Metallica. The riffs are greasier, bluesier, dirtier”: How the heavy metal heroes shook things up with Load

James Hetfield in 1996.

On June 4, 1996, Metallica’s sixth album Load was released — arguably the most highly anticipated metal album of that entire decade.

The band’s previous LP — titled simply Metallica, but better known as The Black Album — was a multi-million selling phenomenon that elevated its creators into one of the biggest bands in the world.