Bill Bailey had a chat with Louder Sound and listed the albums that have a place in his life. During the discussion, he was asked about the album he thought shouldn’t exist. He revealed the album to be Metallica’s 2003 album, ‘St. Anger.’ Bailey said:
“I’m a fan of Metallica, but I did think the film [‘Some Kind Of Monster’] and the subsequent album [‘St. Anger’] was a bit of a disappointment. It was all a bit ‘Spinal Tap.’”
He further discussed the band’s movie and added:
“The film was very brave of them to do, but, I mean… There are those times when they don’t show themselves in the best light. Did they watch it in the edit and go, ‘Yeah, let’s keep that bit’? I always feel sorry for Kirk. It’s like he’s the kid in the marriage.”
‘St. Anger’ has received a significant amount of criticism since its release. The album is considered the band’s worst album, has been seen as garbage by the hardcore fanbase of the band, and even made it to the ‘50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Brilliant Artists‘ list of Rolling Stone.
The drumming in the album is often seen as the worst part due to its unique sound. The album’s producer Bob Rock explained that Lars Ulrich wanted to test out a new snare drum and explore new sounds for the album and thought that was the sound he was looking for. He also added:
“I’m not blaming him; this was about, basically, if you can wrap around a concept… This was the sound of the drums when they were rehearsing the album. It’s basically the closest to them being in that clubhouse, and no matter what everybody says. It kept the band together, and that inspired them to go on. So I’m okay with all the flak I’ve taken. It’s a f*cking snare-drum sound; give it a break.”
Listen to the self-titled track down below and decide for yourself.
