When Trivium frontman Matt Heafy swung by our studio to sit down on the Loudwire Podcast, we knew we had to talk some Metallica with him, as he's a mega-fan.

Heafy was born in 1986, meaning he got into Metallica when they were releasing albums like Load and Reload, working his way through their back catalog afterwards. As any music fan knows, the first album or two you hear from a band tends to resonate deeply regardless of the general fan and critic perception of the record(s).

Speaking about these two albums, Heafy was quick to rally behind the largely maligned mid-'90s period of Metallica, urging, "Anybody who was ever a naysayer of those records back thens should re-listen to them now." He also threw his support behind the production value on these albums, stating, "The tones of those two records and the tone of Garage Inc., those are some of the best recorded metal albums ever, in addition to the 'Black Album.' I think those four all sound incredible."

Considering two decades have passed since the release of Load and Reload, the Trivium frontman also noted that these albums have entered "classic" status. Perhaps all these albums needed was some time before fans were able to overcome the immediate gut reaction upon their release.

Stay tuned next week (Dec. 15) for the full Loudwire Podcast with Matt Heafy as we discuss more Metallica, debating which album is the band's best on our 'Rocker vs. Writer' segment and of course, some chatter about Trivium! Check out previous episodes of the Loudwire Podcast below and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes as well to ensure you never miss an episode.

Loudwire Podcast #9 - Napalm Death's Barney Greenway

Loudwire Podcast #8 - Mike Portnoy

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