I think I've mentioned this before, not being too familiar with Metallica, but I think a lot of the fanbase were disappointed with that album. I know Edge and Chris Jericho were among the few who talked about it. It seems for me, most of my Metallica moments started with Sting using Seek and Destroy as his entrance after turning heel in 1999...
I got into Metallica in about 1988 or 1989 at a pretty young age. LOL. By the time Sting was using their song, I was a seasoned fan.
The first four albums are classics. The fifth was the mainstream breakthrough - I believe The Black Album is the best selling album, any genre, of the soundscan era. There’s been good songs and concerts since, but the first four albums are being buried with me.