Reload (Metallica album)

Reload is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on November 18, 1997, through Elektra Records in the United States and Vertigo Records internationally. The follow-up to Load (1996), the album was recorded during the same sessions as that album with producer Bob Rock. While a double album was considered, the band decided to split the material into two albums. Additional sessions for Reload took place in 1997 after Load's supporting tour. Reload was Metallica's first studio album to feature a guest singer (Marianne Faithfull on "The Memory Remains") and last studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted.

Like its predecessor, Reload features a hard rock sound that strayed away from Metallica's thrash metal roots. The band members' influences at the time led to experimentations in styles such as blues, country, alternative rock, and grunge, and the use of instruments such as hurdy-gurdy and violin on "Low Man's Lyric". The album also features "The Unforgiven II", a sequel to 1991's "The Unforgiven". Lead singer James Hetfield's lyrics were inspired by his tormented childhood, with themes of anger and aggression present on multiple tracks. The cover artwork, like Load, is a painting by Andres Serrano, created by mixing blood and his own urine.

Released 17 months after Load, Reload was a commercial success, topping the charts in seven countries and debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200. It was accompanied by three singles: "The Memory Remains", "The Unforgiven II", and "Fuel". The band supported the album on the Poor Re-Touring Me tour. Reload received mixed reviews from music critics; some praised the band's performances while others criticized it for a lack of innovation. Retrospective reviewers generally describe Reload as overlong and believe it and Load could have been condensed into a single album.