Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	B+
NME	9/10
Pitchfork Media	0.8/10
Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Spin	8/10
Uncut

St. Anger is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on June 5, 2003, by Elektra Records. It was the band's last album released through Elektra, thus marking the end of the second-longest timespan between studio albums from Metallica, with nearly six years between the release of Reload and this album. It is also the final collaboration between Metallica and producer Bob Rock, whose relationship began with the band's fifth studio album, 1991's Metallica. St. Anger was originally intended for release on June 10, 2003, but was released five days earlier due to concerns over unlicensed distribution through peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The St. Anger sessions also mark the only time Rock played when the music was being recorded, filling in for the departed bassist Jason Newsted.

Newsted left the band prior to the initial sessions for the album, and the band decided to wait until the album was recorded before finding a new permanent member. Recording of the album started initially on April 23, 2001, but was postponed indefinitely when rhythm guitarist and singer James Hetfield entered rehab for "alcoholism and other addictions". St. Anger is often recognized for being a radical musical departure from Metallica's earlier work; it features a modern heavy metal style, raw production, and no guitar solos. The artwork was created by Pushead, who had previously collaborated with the band.

Metallica spent the next couple of years touring to promote the album. St. Anger debuted at the top of sales charts in 14 countries, including the US Billboard 200. Upon its release, it received mixed reviews. In 2004, the album's lead single, "St. Anger", won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping two million copies in the US. St. Anger has sold nearly six million copies worldwide.

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