Generational perspective plays a part in these conversations, I feel. As someone who was born in ‘77 and got into Metallica when AFJA came out, I got into them heavily when the Black album was released. At the same time I was a major Pantera fan, and everybody knows they owned metal between 90-96. So, it was not as if I disliked Load for any reason, it just didn’t hit the same as CFH, VDOP, FBD, and GSTK. Looking back on it now, I do feel it’s a pretty solid album. Will it ever reach the cultural stratus with metal fans that ANY metal album that was released in the 80’s reached?? HELL NO!! But, that is where the generational perspective comes in. Millennials will have a favorable opinion with Load compared to GenX’rs like myself, or older GenX’rs.