Going back to 1988's ...And Justice for All , Metallica had pushed their epic and often complex thrash metal as far as it could go. But as Kirk Hammett said: We realized that the general consensus was that the songs were too long. Everyone in the audience had these long faces, and I was like, Damn, they're not enjoying it as much as we are. As drummer Lars Ulrich confirmed: The ten-minute, twelve-tempo-change Metallica phase had run its course. We wanted to streamline and simplify things. They had reached the glass ceiling of thrash metal and were ready to shatter it. However, to achieve such a drastic stylistic shift, the band knew they needed a powerful sound that would pack a punch. And they knew exactly the right producer to deliver it. The arrival of Bob Rock was the first indication that Metallica was willing to risk their reputation to achieve their musical goals. Rock was renowned for his work with Bon Jovi and The Cult, and Metallica had chosen him for the sound he captured on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood .
The first song written during the "Black Album" sessions, "Enter Sandman" was built around a basic riff and set the standard for the "less is more" approach Metallica aimed for on their fifth album. After this break, they were quick to prove they hadn't lost any of their heaviness in the slow, crushing riff of "Sad But True." It was clear the band's venomous sonic bite hadn't lost its potency, permeating the vigorous "Holier Than Thou" and the abrasive "Don't Tread On Me," while "Wherever I May Roam" showcases the considerable experience the band members had gained in songwriting. "Through The Never" offers a twisting and turning structure very similar to the band's previous material, but this time it gets straight to the point in just about four minutes.
Metallica learned the dynamics of songwriting early on, using lighter moments to make the heavier parts sound colossal. On "The Black Album," "The Unforgiven" offers a respite while also recalling the desperation of the band's then-biggest hit, "One." Even the ballad "Nothing Else Matters" gets a jolt of power to ensure it never veers into cheesy territory. Meanwhile, the thunderous crunch of "Of Wolf and Man" and the rattling of "The God That Failed" keep things focused, which in turn leads into the heartbreaking "My Friend of Misery," before the frenetic "The Struggle Within" brings the self-titled album to a close. Bob Rock encouraged Metallica to use the drums to drive each song, rather than letting them lag behind the guitars. It was a technique that propelled the band to stratospheric success
At the time of Metallica's recording, the band's songs were written mainly by frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield being the lyricist. The duo frequently composed together at Ulrich's house in Berkeley, California. Several song ideas and concepts were conceived by other members of the band, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted. For instance, Newsted wrote the main riff of "My Friend of Misery", which was originally intended to be an instrumental, one of which had been included on every previous Metallica album. The songs were written in two months in mid-1990; the ideas for some of them were originated during the Damaged Justice Tour.
Metallica was impressed with Bob Rock's production work on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood (1989) and decided to hire him to work on their album. Initially, the band members were not interested in having Rock producing the album as well, but changed their minds. Ulrich said, "We felt that we still had our best record in us and Bob Rock could help us make it". Four demos for the album were recorded on August 13, 1990; "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Wherever I May Roam".
Because it was Rock's first time producing a Metallica album, he had the band make the album in different ways; he encouraged them to record songs collaboratively rather than individually. He also suggested recording tracks live and using harmonic vocals for Hetfield. Rock was expecting the production to be "easy" but had trouble working with the band, leading to frequent, engaged arguments with the band members over aspects of the album. Rock wanted Hetfield to write better lyrics and found his experience recording with Metallica disappointing: the recording experience was so stressful that Rock briefly swore never to work with the band again.
The album cost US$1 million to produce. The troubled production coincided with Ulrich, Hammett, and Newsted divorcing their wives; Hammett said this influenced their playing because they were "trying to take those feeling of guilt and failure and channel them into the music, to get something positive out of it. The album was a change in Metallica's direction from the thrash metal style of the band's previous four studio albums towards a more commercial, heavy metal sound. Despite this, it still had characteristics of thrash metal. Some critics also described the album as hard rock and groove metal. The band took a simpler approach partly because the members felt the songs on ...And Justice for All were too long and complex. Hetfield said that radio airplay was not their intention, but because they felt "we had pretty much done the longer song format to death," and considered a good change doing songs with just two riffs and "only taking two minutes to get the point across".
Instruments not usually used by heavy metal bands, such as the cellos in "The Unforgiven" and the orchestra in "Nothing Else Matters", were added at Rock's insistence. Rock also raised the volume of the bass guitar, which had been nearly inaudible on the previous album ...And Justice for All. Newsted said he tried to "create a real rhythm section rather than a one-dimensional sound" with his bass. Newsted credited Rock with helping him find a sound that would work without interfering with the bass drum or the guitar, which Newsted claimed had always been an issue in his experience. The lyrics of Metallica written by James Hetfield were more personal and introspective in nature than those of previous Metallica albums; Rock said Hetfield's songwriting became more confident, and that he was inspired by Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and John Lennon.
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