Metallica - The worlds greatest metal sellout band? I think so...

[toejam]

I thought they got called sellouts for pandering to the MTV crowd because they stated earlier in their career that they wouldn't do music videos and then they released a video for One.

They also said they'd never do a ballad.

[atomic charvel guy]

everyone hears things differently and thats what is great about music, whatever is pleasing to your ears right?
but this band has never been pleasing to my ears, and Kirk Hammet's guitar leads, they sound like a mouse is running up and down his fretboard. Tone sucks too.
just not my stuff thats all. Lars is definitely a dick.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

they became what they hated

This...

I thought they got called sellouts for pandering to the MTV crowd because they stated earlier in their career that they wouldn't do music videos and then they released a video for One.

& this...



As Lars stated "we recorded MoP in 8 days...now it takes me 8 days just to drive down to the studio"

[Sephiroth]

I thought they got called sellouts for pandering to the MTV crowd because they stated earlier in their career that they wouldn't do music videos and then they released a video for One.

Locally they were called sellouts because they never were and never wanted to be part of the scene. They never toured with like-minded thrash bands, and from the very beginning they worked to attach themselves to more mainstream acts which at the time was hair-metal.


They probably never shared a stage with kindred acts until the 2000's when they started doing Euro summer festivals, which by then falls into the "so what?" category with me personally.

I did hear the arguments about the vid, but calling them sellouts began locally before then.

[Aso]

I remember locally people were saying they sold out when Justice came out because of them pandering to the MTV crowd with their One video. The funny thing is Anthrax made vids to pander to the MTV crowd first yet no one ever called them sellouts.

I thought they got called sellouts for pandering to the MTV crowd because they stated earlier in their career that they wouldn't do music videos and then they released a video for One.

[Sephiroth]

I remember locally people were saying they sold out when Justice came out because of them pandering to the MTV crowd with their One video. The funny thing is Anthrax made vids to pander to the MTV crowd first yet no one ever called them sellouts.

What got me thinking they were focused on mainstream was the touring. While Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax were out having similar-minded bands open for them Metallica was doing Monsters of Rock with Def Leppard and Dokken. When Anthrax toured with Helloween and Exodus Metallica toured with Queensryche. When the Anthrax show had GA tickets for one giant mosh pit Metallica had assigned seating with the bigger-money tiered ticket prices that came with it.

So videos aside I kinda get why people were saying they sold out before the black album.

The fact they are still acting like they are so anti-establishment...

These days that means being a conservative Christian, and I don't know about the rest but James is a bit on the conservative side to where there are days you'd think he was a country singer instead of a metal one.

[Mudlark]

Metallica can do and say as they wish...same as you and I.
They gave us those first few albums, they owe us nothing more.

[Catharpin]

I saw them when they were the warm up band. They blew me away, came on the stage looking like anyone else in the audience with just a Metallica banner behind them.
They sold out.

[Nimitz]

Load is a great album.

Some of my all time favs... King Nothing, Hero of the Day... idk man, James is one humble dude... Lars? Yeah he's a douche and all that but everyone will always and forever love the kick drums on AJFA.

[veemagic]

And while everyone has the right to change their mind or opinions on things, even let those opinions evolve. The fact they are still acting like they are so anti-establishment circa 1983 to make money today makes them exactly the people they would have beat the shit out of then. Corporate controlled assholes!

[veemagic]

I don't know if they are the biggest sell outs, they may be, however they are most certainly the biggest hypocrites in metal.

[Razor]

Quote is from the Master of Puppets 30th anniversary thread.

How's that?

You know how. Don't try the "they evolved" excuse either. They may still make huge money, but they're the biggest single sellout and abandon their past band that ever was. Although I like the hell outta the Black album, you could see the handwriting on the wall. I was a huge Metallica fan back in the day, but everything from Load on sucks monkey balls except for Death Magnetic which by then was too late to bring me back into the fold.

As much as I love the Black album, Bob Rock, Lars and James really killed that band with everything that they wrote and Bob Rock produced after the Black album. Watch the "Cliff 'Em All" clip below, and you'll here James say it himself. The thing was back in the day, Metallica was truly the epitome of metal, and it's a damn shame they veered from what made them truly great. The kick in the nuts (to me) is they became what they hated and talked so much shit about back in the day. That's what makes it all the worse for me. Big Four my ass, they're riding the coat tails on five great albums, but haven't released a decent album since 1991.