Album Review: The Metallica Blacklist

Thrash titans Metallica have been throwing one hell of a party to mark the 30th birthday of their multi-million selling, mainstream slaying, self-titled fifth album. This new compilation of covers, which features no less than 53 interpretations of songs from the so-called Black Album, boasts a myriad of musicians from many genres, and will help ensure that Metallica’s celebrations rival a Friday night in Valhalla. Plus, it should be noted, all proceeds from the project go to charity, so fair play.

Similar to the spaghetti western classic beloved of Metallica, the album contains the good (Ghost’s ‘Enter Sandman’), the bad (Biffy Clyro’s diabolical ‘Holier Than Thou’), and the ugly (country star Chris Stapleton’s mawkish ‘Nothing Else Matters’). While appearances from the likes of Miley Cyrus and Sam Fender will draw the headlines, it’s St. Vincent and Imelda May who deliver the highlights on this eclectic listen. The former transforms ‘Sad But True’ into an industrial-tinged funk track, while the latter turns ‘The God That Failed’ into a sultry, ’70s-flavoured rocker.