Band:	Metallica
Album:	...And Justice For All
Style:	Bay Area thrash metal
Release date:	August 25, 1988
Guest review by:	Joey Jo Jo

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]

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.

The first two tracks are actually very good thrash metal numbers. "Blackened" is a pretty fast song with jackhammer riffs that really drag you into the album. The title track basically carries along the same looped riff throughout the song. While as repetitive it may be, it happens to be the strongest song and one of Metallica's best to date. Unfortunately, the remaining songs do not have the force to be as repeating. The next song worth hearing is "One". I could always admit that this band has a good formula for making this sort of songs. I would think things would pick up from here, but sadly what follows is more disgusting rubble to plow through. "Harvester of Sorrow" is vaguely interesting at first, but loses its edge very quickly.

My skip button gets a nice work out until I find out?..wait?.no more album.
Yes, apparently the album has left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and the only thing that can wash it down is some classic Anthrax, which I happen to spot in my rack after I put this disaster away. There you have it ladies and gentlemen. The last "great" output by a band that has quickly fallen from grace as fast as it got there, all represented by three and a half tracks. Oh, and one more thing. I forgot that Metallica even had a bassist present in the making of this output. You wouldn't know they had one by actually listening to this CD.