Metallica: 10 Awesome Lyric Meanings You Totally Missed
9. The Unnamed Feeling
There's probably not one metalhead in existence who hasn't taken a few cheap shots at St. Anger. With all of the questionable production choices and relentless snare hits, the album is the one moment where Metallica's true power seemed to wane. However, no one can deny that this is probably the most emotional record the band have ever released.
Though none of the lyrics were written with a clear goal, much of them flow as a stream of consciousness experiment based on struggles James and the other members were dealing with in therapy. Out of all the cuts on here, "The Unnamed Feeling" is probably the closest thing to a ballad that the record has to offer, with Hetfield painting himself as this frantic individual who can never feel calm.
The title refers to the ongoing paranoia and dread that comes from everyday life, which is most likely a result of Hetfield's withdrawal from his addictions at this stage. While the verses are more of a lashing out, the soft chorus is where the actual darkness comes in, with Hetfield's soft singing describing this feeling hovering right over your shoulder.
St Anger may have a ton of detractors, but Metallica's raw emotional state is able to speak volumes.