Retro Video of the Week: "Enter Sandman" by Metallica

In the latest edition of "damn, I feel old," tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the release of Metallica's self-titled fifth studio album, colloquially known as The Black Album.  It launched Metallica from the relative underground of thrash metal into the stratosphere.  Produced by Bob Rock, the album was a departure from their earlier thrash sound, making it a controversial one among the die-hard Metallica fans.  And that's not to say it still wasn't heavy.  It definitely was, but it just wasn't thrash.

Apparently, the world liked the new direction, as the album was a massive success.  It was the band's first album to top the Billboard album chart, and it also went to #1 on the album charts in seven other countries and cracked the top ten in another seven.  It was the #8 album on the Billboard End of the Decade album chart for the '90s.  In 2019, it became only the fourth album in the history of the Billboard 200 album chart to remain on the charts for an amazing 550 weeks, and only the second studio album to accomplish that feat (Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is heads and shoulders above the rest).  It is certified diamond in the U.S., where it has sold over 16 million copies, making it the first album in the Nielsen SoundScan era to reach that number.  It's also one of the top 25 best-selling albums of all-time worldwide.

While the album features several now-signature Metallica songs -- like "Sad But True," "Wherever I May Roam," "The Unforgiven," and "Nothing Else Matters" -- it was their first single from the album that had the most memorable video, "Enter Sandman," with its creepy nightmare sequences and strobe light effects.  The song was also their first Top 20 song on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #16.