Kiss guitarist and singer Paul Stanley gave his opinion on Metallica in an interview with Classic Rock magazine. The musician recalled that the late drummer Eric Carr was the one who presented the Thrash Metal group for him, Gene Simmons and Bruce Kulick.
Paul Stanley gives his opinion on Metallica and says Eric Carr liked them:
“How could you not be a Metallica fan?” he asks. “Eric Carr [former Kiss drummer, who died in 1991] was the one that brought Metallica into our realm, and he did that quite a bit earlier, in the early, early days of Metallica. But in terms of becoming a worldwide phenomenon, I would have to say the Black Album was what did that.”
“Enter Sandman – that song really flicked a switch, it changed something. It retained the grit, the passion and the rawness of what they had done until that point, but it managed to package it in a way that had a more widespread appeal. It wasn’t a coincidence that Bob Rock produced that album. He became the go-to guy for bringing out the most commercial aspect of a band’s sound, whether we are talking Metallica or The Cult.”
“But the most important thing when you are a band or a creative person is to do what you want. Kudos to Metallica for that. Where they’ve gone since the Black Album, and factoring in their beginnings, is nothing less than amazing. Their appeal became massive, in capital letters, because it crossed boundaries. That’s always a great plus.”
The Black Album
Metallica (commonly known as The Black Album) is the fifth studio album by Metallica, released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records. It was recorded in an eight-month span at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. During production the band frequently came into conflict with their new producer, Bob Rock. The album marked a change in the band’s sound from the thrash metal style of the previous four albums to a slower and heavier style.
Metallica promoted Metallica with a series of tours. They also released five singles to promote the album: “Enter Sandman”, “The Unforgiven”, “Nothing Else Matters”, “Wherever I May Roam”, and “Sad but True”, all of which have been considered to be among the band’s best-known songs.