Metallica - ...And Justice For All review
| Band: | Metallica |
| Album: | ...And Justice For All |
| Style: | Bay Area thrash metal |
| Release date: | August 25, 1988 |
| Guest review by: | Hermann Langke |
01. Blackened
02. ...And Justice For All
03. Eye Of The Beholder
04. One
05. The Shortest Straw
06. Harvester Of Sorrow
07. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity
08. To Live Is To Die
09. Dyers Eve
10. The Prince [Diamond Head cover] [Japanese bonus]
11. One [live] [digital reissue bonus]
12. ...And Justice For All [live] [digital reissue bonus]
Metallica! Need we say anything more about this band? They are the biggest Heavy Metal band ever to have existed, sold more records than any other Metal band and have performed in almost all the countries on the planet. They are the fathers of Thrash Metal and are one of the most influential bands of all time. Most of you know a great deal about them so I won't be elaborating anymore.
...And Justice For All was released in 1988 and was the first to feature Jason Newsted on bass following the tragic death of their original bassist Cliff Burton.
This album is an enigma of sorts as on hearing it you get the feeling that it is more of a Progressive Thrash record rather than a full-on Thrash record and I have a good reason to back my claim as ...And Justice For All featured long, complex songs dominated almost completely by the rhythm-guitar parts. The drums occupied a relatively high frequency range, with the kick drum given a top edge that was unusual for the day and most infamously the bass guitar was almost completely mixed out. Staying on the topic of bass guitar it may have been because of the fact that Newsted was the new guy and the other 3 guys had still not completely gotten over Cliff's death and the only way for them to deal with it was to bring it out Jason Newsted.
The album opens with "Blackened" which has that classic introductory riff and now it is, more often than not, the opening song in most Metallica concerts . The album also features the epic "One" which is, atleast in my opinion, the best Metallica song ever and also their best song while performing live. "To Live Is To Die" is the customary instrumental number. "Harvester Of Sorrow" is another chestnut from that album and sounds even better when performed live.
Metallica was it's creative peak at that time and all it's members were at their peak form. James Hetfield was at his sublime best with the rhythm guitar and it is not wrong to consider him as the greatest rhythm guitarist ever, his rhythm pickings are razor sharp in precision and he has inspired a whole new generation of guitar players . James' machine-gun like picking in "One" is nothing but extraordinary. Kirk Hammett was great with his solos. Lars Ulrich gave his best ever drumming performance in "Dyers Eve". Jason Newsted's bass-lines were sadly muted out .
The production was not good but in a way it made the album sound even heavier! Even though ...And Justice For All hasn't done much justice to the bass guitar it is still a bona fide classic.
This was the last classic Thrash album made by Metallica before they went sell-out with their self-titled album in 1991.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 10 |
| Production: | 6 |
Written by Hermann Langke | 04.07.2010
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Guest review by
Powerslave16
Powerslave16
Rating:
9.0
9.0
|
Rating: 9.0 |
When I came across Aguirre's review of Metallica's '...And Justice For All', I immediately spewed Coca-Cola everywhere and threatened the non-stickiness of my keyboard. I didn't see it coming, I guess. Aguirre is entitled to his opinion, but what follows is my review of Metallica's 'last great' and 'progressive' album. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.0
8.0
|
Rating: 8.0 |
It can easily be said that music is a photo in time. A fragment in where society is once shot, forever leaving the remembrance of where and who we were. This translates directly and more so intently to an artist or band, and where they were in their lives and careers when a piece of work was released. For Metallica in 1988, two-years removed from a loss of a brother, a friend and a band mate, bassist Cliff Burton, they showed their scars in an album that I can only help but adore. "?And Justice For All" is a long, (65-minutes long, 10 less than the maximum) drawn out, epic, loud, angry, and emotionally charged record that sweeps its listeners up into its messages and endless musicianship. Read more ›› |
Rating:
5.0
5.0
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Rating: 5.0 |
Hmmm, so this is the last "true" Metallica classic? Let me start off by saying a lot of fans consider this to be their "progressive" album, while after hearing it through, the only thing I can point out that has "progressed" is the band's ability to bore the listener into a deep coma after a couple tracks. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 27
Visited by: 179 users
| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471  |
Thanks to the staff for bearing with me and encouraging me. I am indebted! Thanks to them!
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| In Bone Factory Posts: 381  |
Great review and to me this Album is one of the best albums ever.
---- The End Is Nigh ...
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| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471 |
Written by In Bone Factory on 04.07.2010 at 16:43 Thanks Bro. ! This is also my personal best from Metallica.
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2573  |
The fourth review of this freaking album??? One more and it will beat Wintersun. Mostly agree with everything, especially with "Harvester" sounding better live, that is a fact! But dude, "To Live is to Die" is a "customary instrumental number?" Are you kidding me? That song is one of the most emotional and passionate in their discography. And it's epic! P.S. Where is Marcel whining about how sucky this album is? 
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675  |
This was my first taste of Metallica, and of more extreme music. Before anyone laughs, bear in mind that the 'heaviest' things Id been exposed to at that point were Jovi, Leppard, and Crue.  For me, this is a total classic, and one of the all time great metal albums. And definitely up there with Metallica's 3 earlier defining albums. Only the production, the lack of bass especially, letting it down a bit. Definitely a genre defining thrash/prog classic, like Rust In Peace.
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| In Bone Factory Posts: 381 |
Riffs of the song "Eye Of The Beholder" was one of those reasons which made me loving metal music.
---- The End Is Nigh ...
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689  |
Quote: End of the review. Seriously talking, another "Justice" review? Well, I'm not complaining, I just think that everything that has to be said about this album is in the other 3 reviews already posted in MS. Written by K✞ulu on 04.07.2010 at 17:43 I was actually thinking the same  Don't worry, he'll come anytime for sure
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471 |
Written by Angelic Storm on 04.07.2010 at 18:08 Even I was a Bon Jovi and Lep fan but now I have moved beyond it 
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| CreeperDeath Posts: 32  |
"Metallica! Need we say anything more about this band?" Then why writing another (another..) review ? What you said here is nothing new to me... PRE-EDIT: Daggon advanced me !
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| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471 |
Written by Daggon on 04.07.2010 at 21:20 I just wanted to pour my heart on it.
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| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471 |
Written by CreeperDeath on 05.07.2010 at 09:11 I have said earlier I wanted to pour my heart out bro.
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| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471 |
Written by [user id=17278] on 05.07.2010 at 09:37 By customary I meant that their earlier records also had instrumental numbers. And I love it!
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689 |
Written by Hermann Langke on 05.07.2010 at 09:15 That's ok for me, I just wanted to express my opinion about it
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471 |
Written by Daggon on 06.07.2010 at 05:58 Fine bro. besides I believe this was the last of Metallica at its best 
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| vezzy Stallmanite Posts: 3493  |
Good album, but I'm getting sick of Metallica reviews. XD
---- Licensed under the GPLv3. Relinquish proprietary software for a greater GNU/America.
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| Panterica Posts: 341  |
Written by vezzy on 10.07.2010 at 15:21 Same here.
---- Li'ed - Prog-Metal from Jerusalem https://open.spotify.com/artist/7aZWDrAAvDSLMaSmDSE8zA https://www.facebook.com/LiedBandMusic http://lied-band.bandcamp.com/
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| Damage inc. Posts: 22 |
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100  |
Quote: That's funny because the black album is actually a bit better than this one.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Daniell on 14.12.2012 at 12:04 and there I disagree, Metallica is far worse than this one to me
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100 |
Quote:Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 14.12.2012 at 13:15 At least it has focused songs that don't meander like the Yangtse river.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62004  |
Sell out 1991 is not so bad, actually I like, image sucktallica whit one more album like this? 1991 was ok, but real sell outs was load and re load even few tunes are OK and actually good
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 14.12.2012 at 13:15 I totally agree. "And Justice For All" received lots of attention here back then from the mainstream and people who don't usually listen to Metal but it was still 100% pure Metal music and not commercial music targeted to be played on mainstream radio stations.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100 |
This album was a huge step down from its predecessor. "Master of Puppets", among lots of timeless classics, contained one song that was unnecessarily bloated, namely "Disposable Heroes". What was a small nuisance, turned into a full blown disease on "...And Justice For All": - "Blackened" is a wicked song with fantastic riffage, but the slowed down part after the second chorus seems to be put in just for the hell of it. That part serves no purpose, it only makes the song too long. - the title song is quite good, but it would be much, much better if it was shortened by at least 3 minutes. Many people say it's a progressive song, but I disagree - it's just the same parts that are repeated too many times. This is not how a progressive song is made... - "Eye of the Beholder" is one of the weakest points of the album. Instead of dissectiong it, which would be a waste of time, let me just say that it is a borefest. - "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" is even worse than "Eye", which at least had a good guitar solo. Nothing stands out in this song, it's boring, bloated and I daresay it's Metallica's worst song of the 1980's - "To Live Is To Die" was, obviously, supposed to be a worthy successor of "The Call of Ktulu" and "Orion", but it fails of its face almost immediately, because the main riff is quite bland. The semi-acoustic part in the middle tries to save the day, but it's not enough for a nine-minute song. When, close to the end, the main riff returns, it sounds like the final nail in the coffin of this failed song. What's left is the remaining four songs, which are truly great. What makes them stand out is the fact that they are not packed with redundant passages, mood changes and riffs. But 4 great songs out of 9 are not enough to warrant the album's cult status. Song length seems the main factor that keeps their albums between 1996 and 2008 from being really good. The band almost always seems to have quite a lot of good ideas for songs (yes, even on "St Anger"), but these ideas get buried under the avalanche of redundancy and repetition.
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