Mandatory Metallica

It was dark and rainy when I finally decided to leave bed this morning. Yes, I have a day job but sometimes you just have to let yourself linger. Sleep is important!

So, as I threw on my clothes in a haste after lingering a little too long, I jumped in the car and decided I needed some Metallica.

Mandatory Metallica: ...And Justice for All.

Yes, there are some days when the glam mistress feels more thrash than whammy.

Today is one of those days.

...And Justice for All is a great album. "One" is my all-time favorite Metallica song, and you can hear the direction the band was taking with several songs like "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" and the album's title track.

Many people complain the production on ...And Justice for All is complete crap, but I disagree. It's that raw quality that earned Metallica a legion of true fans before the glossy "Black" album. After Bob Rock and Metallica, fans screamed "sell-out!"

It seems the boys in Metallica can't win for losing.

I wonder if I like ...And Justice for All so much because it produces a complete story, albeit a dark one. In many ways, Metallica created a dense work of art: complicated, with literate themes approachable enough that even a angst-filled teen could (would!) relate.

If you don't own ...And Justice for All, click the link and buy the disc - now. Make atonement for your sins. Go ahead, I'll wait. This is a must own album for every Metal fan.

Dare you disagree?

Comments

[BPanther]

sorry i just do not get along with this album, so very bland, you want a decent metallica album the first 2 are good, master of puppets is alright, but way too overplayed within kids who know nothing about music. I guess i will get flamed for this post quite badly, but its my opinion, you have yours about "...And Justice For All" and i respect that, its just not me :]

[Metal Mark]

Glad to see you writing on a different style of music, but I agree with BPanther. This was a lukewarm album with poor production and at least half of it put me to sleep. Metallica's last real metal album, but it should have been better.

[Rhodeislandrock]

I have to agree with BPanther & Metal Mark. If it wasn't for 'One' would this album have been the success it was? I remember picking this up when it came out (on cassette!) and my friends and I immeadiately noticed how bad the sound was. The production is bad and the songs are average compared to the first 3 albums. I look at this record as the transition stage for Metallica.

Here's a good game:
Go to a Metallica concert and ask random Metallica "diehards" to name at least 2 songs off ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL besides 'One', 'Blackened', & the title cut. I'll wager most are stumped.

[Christian Graus]

Eye of the Beholder and Dyers Eve. Easy.

When this album came out, I listened to it non stop, although I don't really listen to it now. I contend that Master of Puppets is the best metal album, ever, although Ride the lightning is under rated, and certainly shows more musical growth than MOP did. The first three albums are incredible, that band died with Cliff, although they released two OK albums with Jason, and I don't *mind* the Loads, I just think they are not metal, and I'd prefer two more good metal albums from Metallica to the sell out that they gave us.

And don't get me started on St Anger.

[Vince Neilstein]

I disagree with everyone on here. Awesome album. The production isn't THAT terrible, it's just the bass was mixed REALLY low because they were kind of still hazing the newbie Jason Newsted. It's a great album though, and strangely, I only recently got into it.

-VN

[Rhodeislandrock]

Christian - Of course people like us are going to know. My point was the typical Metallica fan, who are at the show to Rock out to 'Enter Sandman', won't know. Metallica serves the casual fan now, not the diehards that made them.

Vince - If the reason the bass is too low is because the band wanted to haze Jason then they are morons because they risked the album's sound. It makes no sense, to this day the band states they'd like to remix that record.

[Christian Graus]

OK - I see the point now. The people who came on board after they sold out won't know any of the tracks on a lesser album. Of course that is true. Most of them probably couldn't name 2 tracks off kill em all, either. I don't see what that proves, except that they got a huge fan base, by sellng out. I guess that was your point ?

[bob_vinyl]

Of course I disagree. I like Metallica (even the commercial rock Load albums), but I was never able to get into And Justice for All. It has two big strikes against it. First, the production is thin. The album should be HEAVY and it's not compared to the albums before it. Second, they got too full of themselves as songwriters, trying to be more complex than they were capable of being. The result is songs that have some decent parts, but that stumble all over themselves. With the exception of St Anger (patron saint of faking it, I suppose), And Justice For All is my least favorite Metallica album.

[Alex G.]

This album is badass. I didn't like it as much as ride the lightning but it was good no doubt about. My favorite songs off this album are blackened, eye of the beholder and dyers eve(my favorite Metallica Album of all time.

[chey]

wow. i remember when you posted this. geez i can't believe its already been a year since i found this site.

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