St. Anger  by Metallica

Metallica's eighth album was released in 2003, after a multitude of problems arose during the recording process of the album. Recording sessions started in April 2001 and were completed exactly two years later. The title of the album was St. Anger, and it fully encapsulated what was happening with Metallica at that period.

The band members of Metallica experienced the greatest crisis in their personal and interpersonal relationships. Bassist Jason Newsted did not participate in the recordings as his relationships with Hetfield and Ulrich had deteriorated, and album producer Bob Rock played bass on some tracks, but it was his last collaboration with the band, a partnership that had started in 1990. James Hetfield paused the recordings to enter a rehabilitation center due to his dire condition, and the relations between Hetfield and Ulrich were also tense, and overall, nothing seemed to fit. The sound of St. Anger followed the metal trends of that time, specifically the sound of nu metal and alternative metal, which disappointed the majority of the band's fans, who turned their backs on them, marking the completion of the disaster. Musically and sonically, the album's major problem was how Lars Ulrich's drums sounded, with their sound being dry and buried, while the absence of clear solos also stood out.

Despite the above, St. Anger has sold around 6,000,000 copies worldwide, and during its release period, it reached No.1 in many countries. Metallica, however, understood their audience's dissatisfaction, and the songs from this particular album rarely feature in the set list of their live performances.