Returning to the recording studio in the fall of 1990, Metallica departed drastically from the arc of its first four albums. As was evident from demo versions of new songs by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, the band had taken up the strenuous task of translating its innovative speed guitars and fluttering drums to the universal language of rock and roll. The pressure on the duo and their bandmates was great to broaden their appeal -- but Metallica would lose everything if it sacrificed its identity.

Now accustomed to touring large arenas, Metallica discovered about stadium acoustics that fans could react well to the slow crunch of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" but were paralyzed by the fast-pinning spears of "Blackened." With that in mind the band crafted a thick sound befitting universal popularity -- one that would carry to the back rows of big venues and punch through the speakers of tiny transistor radios. The product of these labors, Metallica, the Black Album, would eventually make the band a household name 50 million times over. It would turn America into a nation of headbangers‹housewives, sailors, software programmers, major-league ballplayers, and all...