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Metallica has never taken itself lightly. From pure metal (Kill ‘Em All) to pure meltdown (Some Kind of Monster), a strand of crippling tension has always held the quintet together. And even the music video medium, which the band thrashed its way into in 1989, hasn’t been spared this heaviness.
Metallica: The Videos 1989-2004 confirms this, whether through the live energy of “Wherever I May Roam” and “Sad But True,” the helplessness of “One,” or the heartache of Bad Company’s “Turn the Page.” While there aren’t any true surprises here, and few extras for that matter, this collection succeeds as a document of a band, from breaking through to the mainstream to redefining itself in a new century. And while the music has evolved, the attitude hasn’t – both musically and creatively – affirming Metallica as far more powerful than the Bay Area thrash band that emerged over 20 years ago.
