The Song Metallica Wrote as an ‘Answer’ to ‘Enter Sandman’

Did you know that another Metallica hit was inspired by the success the band found in their classing Black Album favorite, "Enter Sandman"?

With Metallica celebrating the special remastered deluxe edition box set of their 1996 album Load, band members Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield appeared on a Q Prime and MX2 Media syndicated special shared with radio stations in which they reflected on the creation of the album. During the discussion, Hetfield revealed that one of the Load songs was a direct response to the success they enjoyed with "Enter Sandman."

What Metallica 'Load' Song Was the Answer to "Enter Sandman"?

Within the discussion, James Hetfield revealed how "King Nothing" from the Load album was essentially the band's "answer" to "Enter Sandman."

"'King Nothing' was kind of an answer to 'Sandman' really. It was and obviously at the end of the song, there's a little bit of a 'off to never, neverland,' a little nod towards it," says Hetfield.

"I think we were trying to keep up with the fact that 'Sandman' was a great song and people connected with it. So it at least made sense to write a song in that tempo, in that vein, that pound," says the singer.

READ MORE: James Hetfield + Robert Trujillo Name Jobs They'd Have if They Weren't in Metallica

Hetfield added of the track, "What we had learned about a different way of songwriting from Soundgarden was you play one riff through the whole song and the singer just goes all over the place and for that to work, you actually have to have a really good singer (laughs) like Chris [Cornell], but that was very, very intriguing to us. 'King Nothing' makes sense in that it was one of the first ones right after the Black Album, cause it was. It was an nod to 'Sandman.'"

Celebrating Metallica's Load Album

It should be noted that the Loudwire Nights radio show will be celebrating Metallica's Load tonight (June 13). Host Chuck Armstrong will be sharing live tracks, demo tapes and checking in with the band throughout the night. Plus, he'll reveal the results of the Chuck's Fight Club battle to determine the best Load single, while every song from the album will get some spins.

Just this reminder, Loudwire Nights with Chuck Armstrong airs nightly starting at 7PM ET. You can tune in anytime, from anywhere right here or by downloading the Loudwire app.