Same here. I was familiar with Metallica before the Black Album, but they never pushed my buttons before that disk. In my opinion, it was the pinnacle of their career.
On this we agree. Lars [love him or hate him, & I have to say I’m not too crazy about him] & Hetfield are extremely talented musicians/songwriters. To have demanded they do the exact same original thrash indefinitely wd have stifled them. I know a lot of their original fans wanted nothing less, but that never seemed fair to the musicians themselves.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Until it Sleeps. The anticipation for that song was something I’ve never seen before. When I finally heard it, I remember being fascinated & let down at the same time. Why did Hammett never let loose & tear it up? I still have mixed feelings about that....
Have you ever heard the story of the first live concert for S&M? The classical musicians had never played before such an audience before, & were scared witless. They thought the fans would stampede the stage & kill them all. ;)