11/18/2025
HBD RELOAD! Along with the birthday of Kirk Hammett, we will mark the anniversary of the release of the Metallica album "Reload" tonight on HardDrive Radio XL with Lou Brutus.
The record dropped in 1997 as the band's seventh studio album and served as a companion to the previous year’s "Load" sessions. The core lineup on the record is James Hetfield on vocals and rhythm guitar, Lars Ulrich on drums, Kirk Hammett on lead guitar, and Jason Newsted on bass. The album continued the band’s exploration of hard rock and blues-inflected styles recorded during the same lengthy creative period that produced Load.
The singles released from the album include "Fuel," "The Memory Remains," and "Better Than You." Supporting musicians included Marianne Faithfull contributing vocals on "The Memory Remains." Behind the boards, the album was produced by Bob Rock with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, engineered by Randy Staub, and mixed by Bob Rock and Randy Staub. Additional engineering support came from Brian Dobbs, with mastering handled by George Marino.
The cover art features a photographic piece titled P**s and Blood XXVI by artist Andres Serrano, continuing the visual theme begun with the Serrano artwork on Load. The design and layout were completed by Metallica and their longtime collaborator, designer Andie Airfix. The album photography included contributions from Anton Corbijn and various studio photographers documenting the period’s sessions.
