Metallica： Wherever I May Roam - Metallica： Wherever I May Roam

What this video is

Released October 19, 1992, 'Wherever I May Roam' arrived at the zenith of the Black Album's commercial dominance. By this point Metallica had completed over 200 dates of their globe-spanning 'Wherever We May Roam Tour,' and the video authentically documents that exhausting yet triumphant campaign. The song's Eastern-inflected instrumentation — electric sitar intro, Phrygian dominant riffing — signaled Metallica's…

Why it matters

Represents a definitive document of early-1990s arena heavy metal at its commercial and cultural peak. The Black Album era bridged the gap between underground thrash and mainstream hard rock, and this video — with its road-weary documentary approach — canonized the 'authentic metal tour life'…

The director

Wayne Isham (born December 2, 1958, Vinita, Oklahoma) is an American music video and film director with over 200 credited projects since the 1980s. A UC Santa Barbara alumnus, he was inspired by David Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes' video. He became a leading…