The Disgusting Reason Metallica's JAMES HETFIELD Hates LOAD and RELOAD Album Covers

Summary

• James Hetfield disliked the Load and Reload covers, calling the band’s image shift ‘crazy stupid stuff’.
• Covers were made using bodily fluids, including cow blood, semen, and urine, by artist Andres Serrano.
• Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett supported the artwork, Hetfield did not, and may still be upset about it.

Metallica’s mid-’90s albums, Load and Reload, are remembered for more than just a shift in musical style. Their cover art caused a stir too, especially with frontman James Hetfield.

The images for both albums were created by artist Andres Serrano. His method was anything but traditional. For Load, he used a mixture of cow’s blood and his own semen.

For Reload, it was urine and blood. The materials were placed between sheets of plexiglass and photographed to resemble abstract paintings.

In a 2022 interview with Metal Hammer, Serrano said the band reached out directly. Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett, in particular, were fans of his work and wanted the controversial pieces for their album covers.

“They knew what they wanted for both albums,” Serrano explained. “They were drawn to it. I’m glad they were, because the image and album was a match made in Heaven.”

But Hetfield didn’t feel the same way. In a 2009 interview with Classic Rock, he shared his frustration with the band’s direction during that period. He criticized the group’s new image and said the cover of Load didn’t reflect how he felt.

“The whole ‘we need to reinvent ourselves’ thing was up,” Hetfield said. “Image isn’t evil, but if it’s not you, it doesn’t make sense.” He also revealed that he pulled half of the photos from the album booklet himself.

James claimed that Lars and Kirk were into “abstract art” and doing things “pretending they were gay,” which he said was done partly to annoy him. He added, “I just went along with all this crazy stupid stuff.”

Serrano believes Hetfield still hasn’t let it go. “Lars and Kirk were happy with it, but James was not. I think James is still fuming,” he told Metal Hammer.

Drummer Lars Ulrich, on the other hand, continues to stand by the covers. In a 2018 interview, he called them his favorites, saying they hold “a special place in [his] heart.”

While opinions within the band still seem divided, one thing is clear: the Load and Reload covers made a lasting impression, inside and outside Metallica.

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Why the Load Era Remains a Turning Point for Metallica

Metallica’s Load and Reload albums marked a major shift in how the band looked, sounded, and presented itself to the world.

By the time Load dropped in 1996, Metallica had already become one of the biggest heavy metal bands on the planet. Their 1991 self-titled album (often called “The Black Album”) had made them a household name, thanks to hits like “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters.”

Then came the reinvention.

For Load, the band cut their long hair, wore designer clothes, and leaned into a bluesy, hard rock sound. Gone were the thrash riffs of their early days. Instead, they took influence from alternative rock and even country music in places. Some fans embraced the new style. Others were confused, or just angry.

The reaction was mixed, to say the least.

The band also experimented with their visuals. That included the album covers designed by Andres Serrano and a logo redesign that softened the jagged look fans were used to. These changes reflected what drummer Lars Ulrich later called a desire to “shake things up.”

While Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett seemed open to change, James Hetfield wasn’t as comfortable. His comments over the years make it clear he felt out of step with the direction the band was taking at the time.

Even so, the albums were commercial successes. Load debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and went multi-platinum. Reload followed in 1997 and also sold millions of copies, with radio hits like “Fuel” and “The Memory Remains.”

Today, the Load era is often seen as one of the most divisive chapters in Metallica’s story, but also one of the most important.

It pushed the band to try something new, even if not everyone agreed with the results.

And, nearly 30 years later, people are still talking about it.

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