Condition: New
Metallica - ...And Justice For All
Label: Warner Bros. Records – 470716-1
Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Reissue, Remastered
New
Half Speed Mastered at Mobile Fidelity from the original analog master tapes
Country: US
Released: 2008
Genre: Rock
Style: Thrash, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal
Tracklist
A1 Blackened 6:40
A2 ...And Justice For All 9:44
B1 Eye Of The Beholder 6:25
B2 One 7:24
C1 The Shortest Straw
Engineer [Drum Trax] – Mike Clink 6:35
C2 Harvester Of Sorrow
Engineer [Drum Trax] – Mike Clink 5:42
C3 The Frayed Ends Of Sanity 7:40
D1 To Live Is To Die
Written-By – Burton 9:48
D2 Dyers Eve 5:12
The final album in the loose trilogy of Metallica albums that includes Ride the Lightning (1984) and Master of Puppets (1986), ...And Justice for All, is the most musically complex of the band's classic thrash metal in the 1980s. For many fans and rock critics, the album is the end product of the evolution of Metallica and stands as the apex of the band's development of the thrash metal style. Like those of previous albums, the lyrics on ...And Justice for All discuss politics and social issues, However, lyricist James Hetfield is more direct than ever before in his views. At the same time, and despite Hetfield's aggressive singing style, the lyrics refrain from overt confrontation or ringing calls for revolutionary change. Instead, as drummer Lars Ulrich explained it, the ideas expressed in the lyrics merely represented "interests"1 of the band, and were meant largely to be "documentary"2 in nature.
...And Justice for All continues the development of the modular song structure so characteristic of thrash metal. Like those on Master of Puppets, the songs on this album are long and have many different, unique riffs, particularly during the middle (or bridge; also known as 'the middle eight') sections. Furthermore, the actual production of the album marks an important development in the recorded history of metal for its clean and crisp atmosphere. Ulrich's kick drums don't "thud" so much as "click" (by boosting the higher frequencies and/or by using a coin (e.g., a New Zealand 50 cent coin taped to the bass drum for when the kickdrum hits, providing the "Metallica click;" this will provide the sound but damage the drum skin quickly), while Hetfield's guitar timbre dials out almost any sense of mid-range frequencies. And, in one of the more famous of Hetfield and Ulrich's controversies with bassist Jason Newsted, the album almost completely lacks bass guitar. The standard explanation for this combines Newsted's absence from the mixing sessions (where he might have asserted his opinion) and the lingering issue of his "newness" within the band following the tragic death of Cliff Burton in September 1986.
As said by the band in their magazine SO WHAT!, they wish that they could re-mix the entire album because the drums and guitar overpower the bass completely. Some believe this is because Jason Newsted was new to the band and they wanted to frustrate him.
Unusual production aside, ...And Justice for All was Metallica's breakout album and reached No. 6 in the Billboard charts. Though it would soon be over-shadowed commercially by the band's following album (1991's Metallica, aka "The Black Album"), this album nevertheless confirmed Metallica's large-scale arena status.
The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1989, but with much controversy, it lost to Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave.
"One" was Metallica's first music video and incited much controversy among Metallica fans, who had valued the band's apparent opposition to MTV and other forms of obvious commercial metal.
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL - Another soft build-up into a shout of protest. This time the target's the buying off of justice and the corruption of the system. The chorus is a total damnation of the unfairness of it all. Lars pounds every part of his kit in a display of virtuosity that only some metal drummers can manage. This track may be around 9 minutes in length, but I guarantee you'll be transfixed for that amount of time. "Hammer of justice crushes you, overpower . . ." Indeed.
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER - A strident track decrying the erosion of freedom and rights.Again, the chorus grabs you by the throat and won't let go." Freedom . . . with their exception!" The beat on the track is very militaristic.
ONE - The first Metallica song with an accompanying video. This has got to be my favourite Metallica song of all time. The tale of a soldier who has stepped on a land mine and now is an armless, legless, and blind vegetable. You can almost hear the desperation, the pain and the fury of being hooked up to a life support machine in Hetfield's vocal performance. The track goes from heavy ballad to out- and-out thrash with a deft flick of the wrist. Kirk's searing lead break and Ulrich's machine gun drumming compliment the tune perfectly.
SHORTEST STRAW - Powerhouse, fast paced monster about paranoia, ostracism, being the victim of witchhunts and blacklisting, and mental pressure. The one thing that's a certainty on Metallica albums, are catchy choruses and `Justice . . .' has plenty of those.
HARVESTER OF SORROW - A lumbering evil tune about child abuse and how a victim can repeat what has happened to them on the next generation. The rhythm section sounds like an `Imperial Walker' crushing all under foot. I especially like the `answer vocal' on the chorus.
FRAYED EDGE OF SANITY - Beginning with a musical in-joke (the band plays `The Guards' March' from `The Wizard Of Oz') then revving up for a tale of paranoia sliding into mental illness. This is pure head banging material with a literate edge.
TO LIVE IS TO DIE - A fitting epitaph to supreme bassist Cliff Burton (the lyrics are his), the band puts all they have into this mournful, melodic cruncher of an instrumental that ranks up there with `Pulling Teeth', `Orion' and `The Call Of Ktutlu'. May he always be sadly missed.
DYER'S EVE - A thrash masterpiece to end the album. This is a scream of rage towards parents who dictate and censor without supplying love or encouragement. Hetfield's voice spews venom and the track's instrumentation is stabbing, relentless. One final roared, "Go!" and the album is finished; leaving you emotionally spent. What a musical ride.
Metallica - ...And Justice For All (live)
live 1989
Classic Metallica. They were a scary hard charging metal band at this point with complex riffs and solos
Metallica - One (live)
live at reading festival 97
Metallica - The Shortest Straw [Gothenburg July 3, 2011
The most underrated metal song ever..
Metallica - Harvester Of Sorrow
Live in Moscow '91
there is no better band on the planet..
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