Metallica ...And Justice For All: Album Review
Metallica's 4th Studio Album Shows Musical Progression
Dec 5, 2008
Following the death of bassist Cliff Burton, Metallica hit the studio’s to create what sounds (if possible to quantify) like their angriest album. Released in 1989, …And Justice For All features the most progressive and lengthy Metallica songs ever recorded. It may not be Metallica’s best album, but it is still one the best metal albums.
…And Justice For All Lyrics
This is vocalist James Hetfield’s strongest contribution lyrically. His lyrics are powerful, and extremely focused; they deal mostly with injustice (both political and moral). The album provides a bleak commentary on American society in 1989. The death of former bassist Cliff Burton may have provided the fuel that would ignite the creation of Metallica’s absolute rage.
…And Justice For All Album Structure
This album follows the conventional format for the previous two albums (Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets). It begins with a melodic intro that leads into a full-force brutal expedition of metal. The title track (...And Justice For All) is featured as the second song the album.
Similar to the previous two metallica albums, the fourth song is a ballad, the 8th song is a lengthy instrumental piece, and the final track is a terse explosion of thrash metal. The songs contain multiple different components, and frequently shift time-signature changes (more often then previous albums). There are still plenty of thrash metal riffs to be heard in this album, but they are squeezed in-between guitar riffs that focus on technical execution.
Metallica “One”
The fourth song, “One,” is one of Metallica’s most successful and groundbreaking releases to date. It is a very powerful song, both musically and lyrically. Hetfield sings about the horrors of war and the lasting effects it has on people.
In 1990 it won the first Grammy Award for “Best Metal Performance,” ever awarded. The song is also ranked as #7 of Guitar World’s “100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.” Also, it is included in the extremely popular 3rd installment of the Guitar Hero series. This song is a good representation of Metallica’s skillful balance between their musical talent and accessability.
Recording Quality
The one flaw (of what would otherwise be a masterpiece), is the recording quality. The bass is hardly audible and many of the other instruments sound two-dimensional. It does not have the same depth heard from Metallica’s previous albums.
Regardless, …And Justice For All is an incredibly powerful contribution to the music industry from a band that evolved as quickly as it garnered mainstream success.
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