Metallica - St. Anger

150-gram vinyl reissue on Metallica's own Blackened Recordings label!

Double LP cut at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios from original analog master tapes!

St. Anger is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released in June 2003 through Elektra Records. Not only was it the band's first album of the 21st century, but it was the band's last album released through Elektra, thus marking the end of the longest timespan between studio albums from Metallica, with nearly six years between the release of Reload and this album.

The album marks the final collaboration between Metallica and producer Bob Rock, whose relationship began with the band's fifth studio album, 1991's Metallica.

This is the first Metallica album since Master of Puppets that does not feature long-time bassist Jason Newsted. Newsted left the band prior to the initial sessions for the album, leaving Rock to temporarily take his place until a permanent replacement could be found. It is also the first album since ...And Justice for All to have a title track. Recording of the album initially started on April 23, 2001, but was postponed indefinitely when rhythm guitarist and singer James Hetfield entered rehab for "alcoholism and other addictions". St. Anger is often recognized for being a radical musical departure from Metallica's earlier work; it features a modern heavy metal style, raw production, and no guitar solos.

St. Anger is heavy, intense, and it reaffirms Metallica's place at the top. As drummer Lars Ulrich puts it, "If you're looking for ballads on this record, you'll be looking for a long, long time."

Metallica is one of the best, most influential heavy metal band of the '80s. Responsible for bringing the genre back to Earth, the bandmates looked and talked like they were from the street, shunning the usual rockstar games of metal musicians during the early '80s. They expanded the limits of thrash, using speed and volume not for their own sake, but to enhance their intricately structured compositions.