Which is not saying much since it seems to be universally reviled as Metallica's worst album by far.

I will say that it sounds nothing like anything they did before, and so far nothing they've done since, and the production is godawful, so it's almost fair to say it's "the worst Metallica album" because it is almost unrecognizable as what you would expect from a "Metallica album". It is unique in its bizarreness. All angular, gruff riffage, staccato lyrics and time changes, covered in a deafening sludge of muddy guitars and that damn pingy snare drum.

And yet even as your ears are objecting to the really hideous sound coming out of the speakers, the music is just so damned [i]interesting[/i] that it's hard to dislike. In between groovy riff sections, through a slight wince, you're likely to look like the RCA dog. "Hmm?!"

Knowing Metallica mainly for expert, if occasionally predictable hard rock/metal, but being a fan of experimentation and strangeness, I find this a surprising album, a standout among Metallica albums, if only because it just doesn't seem to belong with any of the others.

Taken alone, it's wacky and heavy enough to enjoy with abandon, though it's awfully difficult to defend against its detractors.