The underrated art of music videos: A review of Metallica's The Videos 1989 - 2004

Music videos have recently been going out of vogue and have traditionally been underused by metal bands and particularly by the genre's most popular groups. Metallica is overall a positive exception and this collection is actually quite entertaining with a running time way above two hours.

The band's first music video might also be its most popular one. It offers scenes from the gripping anti-war movie Johnny Got His Gun intertwined with the young band performing in an abandoned warehouse. The shots in black and vibe add a visual atmosphere to the already emotional epic ''One''. 

The band continued to experiment with the music video genre with its epic ballad ''The Unforgiven'' that is also featured in its theatrical version of eleven and a half minutes on this release. The cryptic short movie in black and white shows a young boy who becomes and adult and later on an old man who desperately tries to carve an opening into a stone wall all his life.

Another intriguing music video was made for the moody ''Until It Sleeps'' that shows the band members wearing heavy make-up and struggling with inner demons in a visually stunning way. Just like the song itself, the music video is an acquired taste but it certainly is very unique.

The same could be said about the music video for ''The Memory Remains'' where the band plays in a revolving room while guest singer Marianne Faithfull makes an appearance as enigmatic host of said room.

The music video for the Bob Seger cover ''Turn the Page'' is maybe the most intense one on this compilation. It shows the everyday life of a prostitute who lives in cheap hotel rooms and dances in filthy strip clubs while her young daughter follows her everywhere. In a few intersected interview clips, the prostitute claims she would make the same life choices again but her voice is cracking and she is looking down which implies that she is lying to herself. At the end of the clip, the prostitute gets sexually abused by one of her clients while her daughter watches in a closet and comforts her saddened mother after the event. This music video offers a lot of food for thought and leaves the spectator on an uneasy note.

A final interesting music video is the one made for single ''I Disappear'' that was made for the soundtrack of Mission: Impossible 2. It shows the band playing on a rock formation in Arizona which is the opening location of said movie. The performance is intertwined with scenes where the different members must escape dangerous situations such as getting out of a crumbling building or facing an angry crowd leading to a claustrophobic experience.

The quality of Metallica's music videos is overall excellent despite a few boring clips that only show the band performing on stage or in studio. Fans of the band and those who value the underrated art of music videos should purchase this release alike. Since the band continued to make numerous music videos in recent years, here's hope that this release will have its sequel in a few years. I would certainly purchase that one as well. If you look for another band that highly valued the art of music videos, check out Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Videos.