Studio Album · No. 6
Load Songwriting Credits by Metallica
Produced by Bob Rock, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich · Engineered by Randy Staub (mixing), Mike Fraser (mixing), George Marino (mastering)
Holds writing credit on 14 of 14 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 14 / 14 documented
Scored across the 14 tracks with documented writers, by whether Metallica carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 14 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Load was produced by Bob Rock alongside James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, with Randy Staub and Mike Fraser mixing and George Marino mastering. Running 78 minutes and 59 seconds, the maximum CD storage capacity, the album marked a dramatic stylistic shift from Metallica's thrash metal roots into hard rock, blues, and alternative rock, accompanied by a visual rebrand (cut hair, eyeliner, new clothing) that divided the fanbase. "Until It Sleeps" reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, Metallica's highest-charting single ever on the main pop chart. Load debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 680,000 first-week copies, the biggest debut of 1996, and sold 5.4 million US copies.
Load is the sixth studio album by Metallica, released in June 1996 on Elektra Records and produced by Bob Rock, the album that completed the band's transformation away from thrash metal toward a blues, country, and Southern rock-inflected hard rock sound that divided their fanbase more decisively than any previous release. The visual presentation provoked as much response as the music: the band cut their hair, adopted fashion-forward styling, and worked with photographer Anton Corbijn on imagery that drew from art photography traditions rather than metal iconography. Hetfield and Ulrich wrote the majority of the material; Hammett received co-writing credits on several tracks, reflecting a more equitable distribution of compositional credit than the Black Album. The album's 14 tracks run to over 78 minutes, the longest Metallica studio album, and include the Grammy-winning 'Until It Sleeps' alongside the blues-influenced 'King Nothing' and the moody ballad 'Mama Said.' Load debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and has been certified six-times platinum in the United States, though its commercial success did not resolve the critical and fan debate over whether the stylistic shift represented growth or commercial capitulation.