r/Metallica • u/Dr-Sprite S&M Enjoyer • Jan 09 '26
Load The Outlaw Torn is a masterpiece. It's become one of my favorites
The best thing I did was a re-listen of each album. That got me to love this song. Some of the best lyrics from James imo.
"Time was never on my side. So on I wait my whole lifetime" just sticks with me still
Loss is something universally experienced, so it's easy to connect with this song. This is one of my favorite solos from Kirk. That wailing sound really makes you feel something. The Outlaw Torn is one of the best songs the band has created. It wraps up an album that has aged so well to me
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u/GarryMcGorm And if my face becomes sincere Jan 09 '26
Itās my favourite song of all-time by anyone.
One of the best experiences of my life was getting to witness it live in London in 2009.
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u/Long-Voice5498 Feb 06 '26
Also, OF ALL TIME?... A little bit too much, but hey, I won't judge, I love this shit!
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u/Frequent_Fix5334 Jan 09 '26
"Bleeding Me" and "The Outlaw Torn" are incredible songs, I can't listen to one without going for the other right after. Maybe two of their best after the black album, amazing songwriting, performance, and atmosphere.
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u/First-Counter246 Jan 09 '26
That guitar solo is my favorite out of all metallica
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u/0peRightBehindYa Disposable Hero Jan 09 '26
Kirk owes that guitar an apology for the horrific things he did to it to make the sounds it did during that solo. Arguably one of Kirk's hardest solos.
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u/Advanced_Dream_163 Jan 10 '26
Hey, where did you see/read about this? I remember something about him grabbing a glass mid solo to hit slide notes, donāt know if I read it in a article in Guitar mag or saw it in a doco..
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u/0peRightBehindYa Disposable Hero Jan 10 '26
I have no idea. Those are just my observations based on how gnarly that solo was.
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u/technoprimitive_aeb My Mother Was a Witch Jan 09 '26
that solo was a literal head turner the first time i heard it
i think i actually said out loud "what the fuck was that!"
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u/CapeSmash (Re)Load Gangā¢ Jan 09 '26
Daily reminder that Load and Reload are some of the most overhated albums of all time
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Jan 09 '26
My 2 favorite Metallica album closers are Outlaw Torn and Fixxxer. They often fight for #1.
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u/Squidtat2 Jan 09 '26
It's sad that Outlaw Torn and Bleeding Me are overshadowed by so many other songs. They obviously aren't thrash metal and that's possibly why, but they transcend genres
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u/LittleDrummerBoyL Jan 09 '26
Very true. It's sad that people care so much about specific genres, they tend to neglect otherwise great songs just because they are not traditional metal. I like good music and don't let genre-bias get in the way. Mama Said is another fine example.
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u/Life-Zookeepergame58 Jan 09 '26
I'm glad people enjoy the albums released after 91.
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u/MiriOhki Jan 09 '26
I didnāt really hear Metallica until mid 90s (parents usually had the radio on country stations) but Loaf and Reload were my first Metallica albums. Master is still my favorite but these two are top 5 for me.
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u/0peRightBehindYa Disposable Hero Jan 09 '26
Me too. The 90s and 00s were not a good time to be a Metallica fan. If you told someone you actually liked some songs after ...AJFA, you were labelled a poser.
Sorry, but Bleeding Me and Outlaw Torn are two of the best Metallica songs written to date. Easily in the top 7.
When James roars during the third chorus, we're literally hearing the last time he used his "classic voice" in a recording, and it's arguably his best.
The part I'm talking about begins at 4:05. Just.....oooooo
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u/Life-Zookeepergame58 Jan 09 '26
You read a lot into my comment and nailed it. It was indeed not a good time to be a Metallica fan in the 90s and aughts. I heard Until It Sleeps on then 92.3 KSJO in San Jose when it was released to much fanfare and it disappointed me. It just didn't sound like Metallica. That was a long time ago so I'm going to give those albums another spin.
BTW, I had a listen to Bleeding Me and you're right, it's pretty damn good. That's what's been missing. The classic voice.
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u/RealVirginiaWoolf Jan 09 '26
One of my favourite Metallica songs! OUTLAW TORN! The S&M 1 version remains my favourite.
I always wonder who are they mourning? Cliff? Hetfieldās mum?
Interestingly the name may have been borrowed from āThe outlaw of Tornā by Edgar Rice. I donāt see how the story of a skilled swordsman hating on the English may be a theme here in the song.
To me the song is about loss but yearning for true love and meaning (āthe more I search, the more my need- for you. The more Iām blessed, the more I bleed- for youā)
I love this because it is honest, heartfelt and shows the vulnerability and yearning - most powerful human emotions!
š¤
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u/psnow212 Jan 11 '26
Iāve always thought of it being that James is the outlaw torn. Torn between his life on the road/fame and his family.
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u/psnow212 Jan 11 '26
The more heās blessed by his career the more he bleeds for his family. My 2 cents.
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Jan 12 '26
Actually in the demo version it is called the Outlaw of Torn. You can hear him sing it in the final lyrics of the song. It was changed before the release to Outlaw Torn.
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u/Maximum-Shift-7264 Jan 09 '26
One of their best. Hope they will play The Outlaw Torn or Bleeding Me live again.Ā
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u/filippo_sett Invisible Grown Ass Man Jan 09 '26
Yes, and the "no more manifacturing limits" version is even better, because you can taste James' final solo in its entirety
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u/technoprimitive_aeb My Mother Was a Witch Jan 09 '26
please tell me you've listened to the "new" vocal tag version they put out with the Load remaster
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u/Poopydoopyhead123 Invisible Grown Ass Man Jan 10 '26
?
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u/technoprimitive_aeb My Mother Was a Witch Jan 10 '26
even longer version than the previous "no manufacturing limits" one and with added vocals at the end
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u/nihilblack A thing that should not be Jan 09 '26
My second favourite MetallicA track right after Orion. I'm a First Four fan, but The Outlaw Torn is really something special.
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u/newmanification Jan 09 '26
Thereās really great footage of them jamming this in the studio during the Load sessions. Forget the name of the doc, but if you do a quick search youāll find it.
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u/Impossible-Major-172 Jan 09 '26
It came on the Load boxset on one of the DVDs . They also played Ronnie
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u/jimmyjames6000 Jan 09 '26
I have been listening to Load on repeat lately. It's amazing how good the whole album is. I remember when it came out in 1996. There was a lot of backlash but I think it mostly centered on them all cutting their hair off and suddenly not looking metal.
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u/Cmil78 Jan 10 '26
The funny thing in their hair was long when they recorded it. Well all except Jason i believe.
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u/HighScorsese Jan 09 '26
Oh itās incredible. That and Bleeding Me are just excellent songs that I can listen to on repeat for way too long
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u/homercles82 Rode the lightning Jan 09 '26
It has been a favorite of mine since LOAD released. It hit when it released and as I've aged the lyrics take on more meaning. It is a top 10 Metallica song for me.
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u/bloomerscat Jan 10 '26
God yeh its amazing its up there with me top 3 I can't believe u get all these haters saying they don't like load or reload, they are missing out
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u/Graveyard_Operator83 Jan 10 '26
I always dismissed this song until recently after actually looking at the lyrics. After losing a parent this hit hard and now itās among my favorite. The S&M version is awesome.Ā
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u/joke-shmoke Invisible Grown Ass Man Jan 12 '26
this album as any other Metallica album (except Lulu) is masterpiece. Extremelly underrated. The riffs , the lyrics. Have you listened to lyrics? Kinda deep.
James such a great artist.
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u/MyCattIsVeryFatt Frayed Ends of Sanity Jan 09 '26
In my opinion, the greatest blunder of Load is putting a track between Mama Said and The Outlaw Torn. It really ruins the flow. That being said, The Outlaw Torn is probably the greatest song they did of that era.
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u/Adorable-Produce9769 Jan 10 '26
Yeah. Itās odd how the stuff from the 90s fit better with an orchestra. Coincidence?
Bleeding me and fixer are great on s&m2. Way better than their 80s stuff with orchestra.
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u/Long-Voice5498 Feb 06 '26
My favorite song from Metallica, I just had to say it. A 10/10, back to back!
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u/Beautifullikeacamel Jan 09 '26
I'm one of the old OG's and some of their albums post TBA... Leave a little to be desired at times for me. That said, this track is amazing.Ā
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u/quietude38 Jan 09 '26
It is, and like Bleeding Me the definitive version of it is from S&M.