10 Best Metal Albums Of The 90's

While Metallica were still one of the most successful thrash metal bands on the scene, mainstream notoriety still eluded them. The band's status as a live act led them to fill up stadiums around the world, yet none of their songs were getting played on the radio. Once they hooked up with Bob Rock, everything clicked for Metallica to rule the metal scene.

By compromising their sound, the band put together one of the most compact metal records ever made, with world-worn ballads offset by some of the heaviest songs the band would ever release. Though more purist metalheads scoff at songs like "Nothing Else Matters," tracks like "Sad But True" possess the true gargantuan metal sound that would make any metal enthusiast bang their head. The album became such a mainstay in Metallica's catalog that nearly half of the track listing has become a staple in the band's setlist to this day.

Sure, this record may not necessarily be the Metallica that we used to know, but the more mature approach to songwriting and sonic sheen makes each track both a radio staple and metal banger. With thrash living a long life away from the spotlight, The Black Album was the record that finally took the genre above ground to become an unstoppable musical movement.