St. Anger

St. Anger is the eighth studio album by Metallica, released in June 2003 on Elektra Records and produced by Bob Rock alongside the band, recorded during a period of severe internal crisis documented in Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's 2004 film Some Kind of Monster, which followed the band through James Hetfield's rehabilitation from substance abuse, the firing of bassist Jason Newsted, and intensive group therapy with performance coach Phil Towle. The album's production became one of the most debated in metal history: drummer Lars Ulrich's snare has a distinctive reverberant, 'cardboard box' tone that was by design but became a lightning rod for criticism, and the decision to omit guitar solos entirely from the album drew widespread objection from a fanbase accustomed to Kirk Hammett's leads. Hetfield wrote all lyrics; songwriting credits are more evenly distributed across the four remaining members than on previous albums, reflecting the collective rebuilding process the band underwent during the sessions. Temporary bassist Bob Trujillo, who was hired in early 2003, before the album was completed, does not appear on the record; all bass parts were recorded by Rock himself. Despite the critical polarization, St. Anger debuted at number one in 30 countries and the title track won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance, establishing it as commercially successful even as it remains the most contested album in the Metallica catalog.