Today, Metallica will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and deservingly so.  No other metal act has sold more records or done more to popularize the metal genre.  Metal purists may cry foul at this accomplishment, citing the band as sell-outs who watered down their style to sell more records.  This viewpoint, however, is deeply cynical and oversimplies the band's rise to fame.  It is inconceivable for me to imagine James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich planning the success that followed the release of the Black Album.  Metallica's music progressively became more complex with each release, culminating in their 1988 release, "...And Justice For All."  Their follow-up self-titled, "Black Album", however, broke with this pattern, returning to a streamlined approach that was more reminiscent of their 1983 debut, "Kill 'Em All".  This is where all comparisons to their debut end.  The Black Album had greater resources backing it, starting with big-name producer, Bob Rock.  The band was also warming up to the idea of embracing the MTV format and was benefiting from their well-publicized loss to Jethro Tull in 1989's Music Grammy Awards for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrument Award.  By the time the Black Album was released, Metallica was a rising metal band with a growing profile in the public eye.  One after the other, each of the album's singles resonated with MTV viewers which had a snowball effect on album sales and ultimately made Metallica musical celebrities.  This would have not been possible if the songwriting had not been there.  Tracks like "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", "Wherever I May Roam", "Nothing Else Matters" and "The Unforgiven" sound as fresh and relevant today as they did when they were first released.  Even if the Black Album is not one's favorite Metallica album, you still have to respect how it changed the musical landscape.  Before 1991, you would be hardpressed to find a rock radio station that would play Metallica.  Nowadays, you can hear songs like "One", "Master of Puppets", "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Fade to Black", all songs from the pre-Black period without apology from rock stations.