Speaking with Classic Rock Magazine, KISS frontman Paul Stanley heaped praise on Metallica's iconic Black Album, which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. Following is an excerpt from Stanley's comments: 

"'Enter Sandman' – that song really flicked a switch, it changed something. It retained the grit, the passion and the rawness of what they had done until that point, but it managed to package it in a way that had a more widespread appeal. It wasn’t a coincidence that Bob Rock produced that album. He became the go-to guy for bringing out the most commercial aspect of a band’s sound, whether we are talking Metallica or The Cult. But the most important thing when you are a band or a creative person is to do what you want. Kudos to Metallica for that. Where they’ve gone since the Black Album, and factoring in their beginnings, is nothing less than amazing. Their appeal became massive, in capital letters, because it crossed boundaries. That’s always a great plus."

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The new issue of Classic Rock, which celebrates 30 years of the seminal album with new interviews and insights, is on sale now here.

As celebrations marking 30 years of Metallica's seminal self-titled album (aka The Black Album) ramp up, Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson recently shared what the album means to him, and the effect it had on metal at a time when the genre was at a "crossroads".

Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Dickinson says: "Ourselves, Judas Priest and Pantera all reached a crossroads where we had the chance to really step up to the next level. But none of us had the balls to do it. Metallica did, though. You have to give them huge credit for grabbing the opportunity when it came up, taking the risk and deservedly reaping the enormous rewards. You cannot underestimate their achievement with this album.

“It’s one of those seminal albums that just gets it right. It’s extremely well-produced, and every note on that album is totally under control. I admire how they did it, and what they did with the songs, and it was very effective: it undoubtedly did help push metal into the mainstream. I know it wasn’t Mutt Lange who produced it, but Bob Rock had that similar thing where the producer was very much in control."

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