10 Rock Bands That Almost Killed Each Other In The Studio
3. The Black Album - Metallica
With years of hindsight, it seems that Metallica fans still haven't come to a consensus about the Black Album. Despite this being the thrash metal legends' breakthrough to the masses, other purists still can't listen to this record, complaining that it was the moment that the band sold out. Though the music itself may have been a lot more simple, getting the result onto the tape was a totally different story.
As Bob Rock stepped up as the new producer, the push and pull between Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield started to reach an all time high. Documented in the Year and a Half of Metallica, the two co-captains of the group were not on the best of terms, with one instance where Hetfield said "if you want to hear it with vocals, GO SING IT." That's not even getting to the torture that happened on the Unforgiven, where Rock heckled Kirk Hammett until they got just the right solo they were hoping for.
While three of the members got divorced during the making of this record, it turned into one of the greatest victories in metal history, with hits like Sad But True and Nothing Else Matters culminating in one of the biggest tours the rock world had ever seen. After years of being the world's greatest underground metal band, these torturous sessions built up classic material whose heaviness hasn't dulled a bit.