...And Justice For All

I just can't shake the image of goateed suburban dads rocking out to this while sitting in their garages and neglecting their wives while drinking cheap beer and wiping grease on their pants. They wonder why their wives don't want to fuck them. Maybe if you stopped cosplaying as a tough guy and embraced the life your career in dentistry has allotted you you might find a warmer embrace in bed. That said, it's still kinda fun. Very technical and clean. I dunno, maybe I should shave my beard into a goatee. I'm giving this three stars as I wipe my greasy hands on my pants and try to go pork my wife.

I was 17 years old when this album came out. A friend introduced me to Metallica, via this album and also Master of Puppets. At the time, I described the experience of listening to Metallica as a kick to the gut, and I meant it in a positive way. I cannot stress this enough, how huge this album was. Among metal fans, Metallica was probably a known quantity at this point. But for the rest of us, they were new, startling and so refreshing in a sea of hair bands. It was like someone turned on the lights and everything was different after that. A freaking revelation. The intensity and the speed is obvious, the dark imagery, the social commentary, but with real musicality as well. I compare this to my experience listening to Napalm Death recently, and the contrast is worth noting. ND's music is designed to repel all but a very small audience. But Metallica had an awareness of where the boundaries were in metal at the time and they just pressed against the line constantly until they moved it. Some have pointed out that Metallica had a more progressive approach to their music, which I had never thought about but I think is correct. The complexity of the arrangements, the eschewing of traditional song structures... the band just existed in a different space from most of their peers. There are moments that are genuinely lovely, like the intros to "One" and "To Live is to Die," which makes the contrast against the heavier parts even more striking. What a great album. An hour+ of Metallica can be a little exhausting, even if you like them. But it's been a long while since I've listened to them, so today was a gift. Fave songs: One, Blackened, Eye of the Beholder, To Live is to Die

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Four albums by Metallica in this list is just a joke. Even the editors make apologies for this one (“tinny sound,” “overprocessed,”). Clearly they’re the experts on this genre and this band. Other than a very few redeeming bits (the opening section of “One,” which sounds briefly like actual, you know, music), I just hear repetitive sound and structure, grunted vocals, sophomoric lyrics, thrashy breaks with quick flips back to speed (what editors call “riff salads”). For all the extremity, it’s quite paint by numbers.

A masterpiece of thrash metal. One of my favorite albums of all time. "One" might be the best metal song of all time.

Hearing tracks like "One" on this album bum me out because it shows that Metallica has the talent and the capacity to make more interesting music but just generally chooses not to, instead focusing on the monotonous every track sounds the same except for one or two on every album. Technically super talented band.

Funny the first repeat artist on 1001 is muthafuckin Metallic-AH. Justice for All-AH. Longer tracks-AH. Bigger jams-AH. Thrashier thrash-AH. Less melody-AH. Technically precise-AH. Respect their intellectual property-AH. Vague commercial-libertarian messages-AH. I like better this Metallic-AH. Too same for too long-AH. C+

Well, it's a classic for a reason. It's mostly fire from top to bottom. I have a few issues with the mixing (why is the kick scooped out like a used melon rind?) but not enough to take the score down from full marks.

This album was huge for me when it came out. I think it's Lars best drumming. Hetfield's vocals are ferocious. I saw this tour in Irvine on a Thursday, went to Hollywood the next day to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and back to Irvine on Saturday to see Metallica again. I went to work in the morning after all three shows. To be young again. Good times. Every song is perfect. 5 stars all day.

One of my favorite Metallica records. It's not quite my favorite, and I rated it a five probably due to nostalgia reasons, but the riffs on this are too addictive to rate it anything less. Of course, the bass could be a little more present, but that's Hetfield's problem. The lyrics on this are as poignant as ever and the drumming is brutal without sounding like garbage like it does in their later records. I highly recommend this to any metal fan that hasn't listened to it already. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9.

Classic thrash metal. Doesn't have the melody or nuances of some of the other metallica record but it's all about the riffs. Solid riffage for some long ass songs. Great record but they needed to turn Jason's bass up.

Look, James Hetfield is a singularly silly man. In fact, Metallica are a singularly silly band. They'd possibly be a good one if they wore their silliness more proudly. Hell, if they wore it at all. But I was weaned on metal so I can tolerate the fundamental dumbness here (that muscly rage is the answer) so long as it's accompanied by shreddy breakdowns like the one that starts at 4:30 in One and carries on until next year, or the glorious combination of brutalised guitar and drums at the start of Harvester of Sorrow. Of the albums we've had so far, this is the one that delineates the directness of the path from Prog to Metal most clearly. Really, the differences between this and Made in Japan are negligible. So well done Metallica, you kept me chuckling, but nowhere near as much as Maddy singing along from the other room to deliberately misheard lyrics. Pride of place comes from the title track: "Pin your plimpsoles to your rear". Go on, listen again and find it.

Never been a huge fan of Hetfield’s voice, but I do understand that lyrically and sonically Metallica is one of if not the best metal bands out there. “One” is probably my favorite track. Shocker. I also like the opening track “Blackened”. I probably just need to listen to more Metallica to get used to Hetfields voice.

Crazy guitar riff after crazy guitar riff. So influential. Even though this isn't an album I will probably return to a lot, I can appreciate everything it does and created.

Unfortunately this band named Metallica (repeat that to yourself a few times, really roll it around - Metal-lica, Metallica, Met-al-li-ca) take themselves too seriously to take seriously. They are really good at guitar solos, of that there can be no doubt. They are less good at… well most of the other things that make music music. Maybe that’s too harsh - but their lyrics, their delivery, the overblown length of their songs, the fun-void at the centre of it all… it all points to the same logic that propels the ever more serious, ever more gritty reboots of Batman: you cannot laugh at this thing, this is serious - look how serious it is, it’s actually making some really serious points about… serious things. Hella good solos though.

Couldn't get into this one... As much as I enjoy metal I find a lot of Metallica kinda dull

Metallica makes good pump-up and hype music for crowds, but not so much music to listen to on a regular basis, at least for me. Didn't really enjoy this, actually liked their live album much better

Because of their reputation, I had written off Metallica and was surprised by how sophisticated and interesting it was.

* not what i typically listen to * very good album, sick instrumentals * would listen to again

This album felt like Metallica dropped a lot of the melodies featured in Puppets and went back to the thrash of earlier albums but combined lots of riffs and changes into longer and more complex songs. I liked it overall, the mix is weird, but the album feels meaningful and is a great listen.

Arguably the best Metallica album ever made. It's no wonder that everytime they try to do a "thrash comeback" it ends up sounding like Justice. Death Magnetic and Hardwired, I'm looking STRAIGHT AT YOU. Metallica's greatest moment influenced by personal tragedy. 10/10.

I think this album was Lars reaching peak narcissist- his drums are pulled far too forward in the mix, but the album still sounds fresh today. Probably my 3rd favourite album by the band

Yeah I can see why people like them, but I'm not one of those sorts of people.

C'mon, it's Metallica. Metallica always hits.

A masterpiece of thrash metal. One of my favorite albums of all time.

This is amazing! The playing on this track is phenomenal and the energy and power off the charts. This is not a genre I’m familiar with but I get the appeal - absorbing and exciting, an incredible sound. I kind of enjoy the angry political lyrics, less so the rebellious teenager stuff (but hey maybe this is as therapeutic as seeing a therapist), but overall a musical smack in the face.

Remember when Metallica was labeled "sellouts" for making the One video? It was a game changer. Yes, it was.

Metallica’s 4th album is refined from earlier works. It’s clear they found their footing with their new bassist Jason Newsted following the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton in a tour bus accident. This album boats “One” which is a beautifully crafted piece of work even for being over 7 minutes long it’s easy to get lost in masterful guitar work. This is a solid thrash metal album (4th of 5 in a row masterpieces in their genre) from arguably the greatest Metal band ever assembled. Giving 4 stars, but would give it a 9.4 out of 10. “Hold my breath as I wish for death”.

it's trite. it's been said. it's been a punchline and a dead horse and a nickel in the jar. but man -- not having bass (i will not be saying that word again in the review) on your thrash metal album REALLY makes you come to terms with how fucking bad Lars Ulrich is as a drummer. so many complex songs and all he can do is pound the same three patterns. he's like the guy in "Deacon Blues" who learns to play the saxophone as part of a midlife crisis, and you get the feeling this is his skill ceiling. instead of being OK with his cover band and job as a forklift operator, he's part of the biggest metal band in the world and earns millions from fucking up drum parts in front of thousands of adoring fans for over 40 years at this point. it's equally frustrating because for all the shit around Ulrich, Hetfield and Hammett are going insane on the guitar -- their most ambitious song structures and solos and scooped tones yet. and Lars, he's just not up to snuff. the whole band has to make room for him as he plods through each track. i also don't think that this album should be as long as it is, but i also really couldn't tell you what to cut. there's so much of it; i feel fatigued. "One" kicks ass though -- makes the whole thing worth it at least a little. the key to being a metal superstar is probably "writing songs based off of a book you read" if it and Iron Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" are anything to go on.

I liked Metallica a lot more before my prefrontal cortex finished developing. Since then it's . . . less.

As a bassist, I feel for Metallicas bass player on this album... Would be nice to actually hear him... Love master of puppets, but not this one...

LOUD NOISES - MORE LOUD NOISES - I LOVE LAMP

it's called bass, guys.

Trop de similitudes avec Ray Charles.

It’s my favourite Metallica album. Enough said

Heavy record best listened to at loud volume

My favourite band when I was younger Misspent evenings drinking beer Loud guitars Pounding drums Music that still resonates

Metallica at their heaviest and most technically proficient. Probably their best album even though the mix is awful. Justice For Jason!

Fantastic album

This shit is fire bro. Saved every song to my playlist. Love the political messaging, the angry line delivery, the sick beats. Favorite metal album so far.

Great stuff

Interesting, fun, and overall enjoyable! Great instrumentals and fitting vocal work. 'One' is top notch.

Oh wow, yeah. Personal top ten. One of the greatest albums ever. This album just hits top to bottom. Filled with super strong songs like Dyers Eve, One, Blackened. There’s not a weak second here. It could use more bass in the mix but this is an all time great and an amazing listen.

This is the last truly great Metallica album. They got really weird and creative here (this has most of my favorite Metallica solos). If they'd actually let Newstead's bass be mixed in properly, it'd be a true 10/10, but because of that it will always be a 9/10. I had many a 16 year old night lying stoned in my bed, listening to this on my iPod. Songs of note: - Eye of the Beholder: This is the only song on the album I ever learned to play. Something about the disonance in the main riff always stood out to me. This has my favorite solo on the album. It was shorter, more melodic and less shreddy than usual. For how progged out this album is, it feels much succinctly more tasteful (even though it is a 6.5 minute song). At the end of the solo, Kirk hits this big harmonic with the whammy bar and I remember being stoned and feeling like that moment sucked all the air out of my chest. - One: The undeniable classic of the album. Perfect mix of pretty, soft melodic, and crushing riffage. This has to be the best solo on the album (though Eye is my favorite). - To Live is to Die: The third in the early instrumental trio. I always listen to this as connected to Kall of Ktulu and Orion. Its a very pretty and sad song, but I was never sure what to make of the disjointed intro/outro. I read once that it was a tribute to Cliff Burton being cut short, and I've just taken it that way. - Dyers Eve: One of the best thrash songs they ever wrote. Fast and heavy as it gets. This is probably my sneaky favorite on the album. Perfect closer too. Album Cover: (A) So on the nose that it works.

Awesome. Metallica at the peak of their powers. Taut, muscular and relentless. They never sounded better before or since.

Not as good as master of puppets, but still great.

I didn’t expect it but this album impressed me a lot I enjoyed it heavily, probably the best metal I’ve heard so far this was a great first introduction to Metallica I can see why people like them. Favorite Tracks: Harvestor of Sorrow, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, and To Live is To Die. 2nd half was peak.

5 stars did you even need to ask??

I've already listened to this one more than once but i really dont mind another relisten

The opening notes of One are legendary. Brings back guitar hero memories. What a damn album.

Absolute trash metal perfection!

Started everything for the masses and still relevant all these years later.

My favorite Metallica album

Metallica raged against the machine... and their new bassist.

Fantastisches Album, mit zeitlosen Klassikern der Thrash Metal Musik. Ein toller klarer Klang der nur dadurch beeinträchtigt wird das ein bisschen der Bass flöten bzw. untergeht. "One" einer der schönsten Metal Songs ever und "Harvester of Sorrow" voll der Banger. Ich gebe 4 Sterne, weil "Master of Puppets" meiner Meinung nach noch besser ist.

The mix on this album was crap - it was very bass-heavy and I don’t like not being able to make out James Hetfield’s voice and lyrics. However, the drums were phenomenal and while this version of Metallica is less melodic and more thrashy than the Metallica that I prefer, there is definitely a place for this album in my heart. I loved the last track, “Dyers Eve.” What a way to end.

I remembered this album to be better than it is. Granted, One is sublime, and one of the best songs Metallica have ever made. But the rest is really uninspired; Thrash riffs chugging along with hardly any real original idea. Except for One, only To Live Is To Die offers something for the more melodically inclined. Yes, Thrash is not my favourite sub-genre, but Metallica can do (and have done) better even before this album. It doesn't help that massive disrespect was shown to bass player Jason Newstead, who was the new guy at the time, by making the bass tracks almost inaudible, and ruining the whole album's sound along the way. Compared to all the other albums on this list, this is slightly above average, which makes it a 3.5/5.

…And Justice for All, but Bass for None. As a teenager in the early and mid 90’s, I was a pretty obnoxious Metallica fan. They were the greatest band on earth, the band that mattered most to me. I’d stay up late nights in the summer watching Live Shit: Binge and Purge on VHS on my 13” TV with built-in VHS player (at least until 12:30, when I’d switch over to the antenna and pick up Late Night with Conan O’Brien). They’re the reason I started playing guitar. My identity as 14 year old was tied in very closely with being a Metallica fan. Justice, as us heads call it, was peak Metallica for me. It’s heavy and aggressive, technical with tons of twists and turns, and, most importantly it questioned authority - the long held past time of any American teenager worth their salt. Listening to it today, at 42, I can’t help but like it still, it’s practically ingrained in my DNA at this point, but holy fuck is this album longer than I remember. Maybe it’s just that time moved slower back then or my span of attention was longer. That there’s no bass on this record bothers more than it used to, as well. I get it and appreciate that it’s a homage to Cliff Burton, whose death left a massive hole in this band, but a lot of these songs would be better served with some kind of low end other than Lars’ omnipresent kick drum. About 40 minutes into this record, the sound of it starts to grate on your ears. In terms of runtime, less would be more on …And Justice for All. You could probably cut “Frayed Ends of Sanity” and the record would be just as enjoyable. Conversely, in terms of instrumentation, less definitely isn’t more - this record is all high end and suffers as a result of that production choice.

All that's missing is Jason Newsted. Dyers Eve contrasts tragically with a song ten years later, "Mama Said."

Daar was ik wel even aan toe.

Very cool, but one thing I wasn't crazy about is how many of the songs had no ending, they just stopped (and sometimes changed partway through like they know how to do a transition but not at the end of a song?) Also, fun fact: Keegan's house used to be owned by Lars Ulrich, the drummer

МОЙ РЭП - КУЛЬТУРИСТ И ОТЗЫВАЕТСЯ НА "ВИН ДИЗЕЛЬ"

boring

Metallica’s …And Justice For All is their fourth and most ambitious album. It features some of their longest and most complex songs, such as Blackened, One, Harvester Of Sorrow, and the title track. The album explores themes of injustice, corruption, and oppression with a dark, heavy, and technical sound. However, the album also suffers from some flaws, such as the poor production quality, the absence of bass guitar, and the tediousness of some tracks. This album is often underrated in Metallica’s discography, as it is sandwiched between two classics: Master Of Puppets and the Black Album. It is a great example of progressive thrash metal and deserves more recognition, but it is not as accessible or enjoyable as their other works. I appreciate the album for its ambition and intensity, but I prefer to listen to their more balanced and dynamic albums. Therefore, I give it a solid 3 stars out of 5.

...And Justice for All, Metallica, 1988 -Starts boring and very generic (i.e. - sounds like every Metallica song ever) but I mean hey: listen to those drums, nothing not to love there. -Metallica: incredibly skilled instrumentation paired with near-total inability to make their songs distinguishable from one another. They set the bar high with their preceding album, Master of Puppets, and I'm curious what they could pull off just 2 years later. -Really loved the opening for ...And Justice for All; the song doesn't evolve into anything to write home about though. 9 minutes in and I realize: this album is going to feel long as hell. Thanks Metallica... -Eye of the Beholder is a pretty decent song but forgettable -One has some absolutely delicious guitar licks and their shot a stylistic shift in the vocals really pays off - they communicate a sentiment both hopeful and devastated. We love this one of course and it does a good job hoisting the album out of snoozefest territory. -The Shortest Straw returns the album into snoozefest territory. Like so many of their songs, we build and build and build up to some self-indulgent drum and guitar ram-jams and fall back into some repetitive lyrics. Yawn. -Yawning continues through Harvester of Sorrow as the formulaic-metal intensifies -Did I just hear the WIZARD OF OZ flying monkey chant sample used in The Frayed Ends of Sanity, like what?????? LOL sure why not. It works. -Basically zoned out the rest of the album. Snooze snooze snooze. Great instrumentation but mastery of your instrument and your genre only counts for so much.

I can't admit to really listening to the album and I actually felt stressed when I heard it was Metallica. I have listened to some Metallica via Tim over the years and it always makes me feel quite stressed. I like some of there 'softer' tunes and I can appreciate their skill. I would never listen to this album on my own but I quite enjoy it in the right setting - very specifically a Metal bar in Hackney. I think metalheads seem like friendly people and so two stars for skill and a nice subculture.

Metallica what happened? One was great but the rest not so much. Full of their trademark sound but with none of the hook to make you come back. Its also very repetetive. And 9 songs still pushes over an hour.

It's a bit boring tbh. The songs don't merit going on on for so long. Also where is the bass?

Quelle déception ... Le début de la fin pour Metallica ! Fan absolu du groupe depuis le premier album (découverte du trash metal, grande évolution dans ma vie musicale qui m'a amené aux metals dits 'extrêmes'), je me souviens avoir acheté l'album dès sa sortie, et ... avoir été vraiment très déçu à la première écoute : - mauvais mixage, basse inaudible, son de batterie mauvais - morceaux terriblement longs et peu intéressants - album globalement mou, malgré les quelques accélérations ici et là (trop peu à mon gout) : où est passée l'énergie des précédents disques ? Même après d'autres écoutes, je n'ai pas changé d'avis et ai fini par abandonner l'album, puis abandonner Metallica avec l'album suivant ... A l'époque beaucoup d'autres groupes de trash faisait bien mieux ! Cette nouvelle écoute ne m'a pas fait non plus changer d'avis. => 2/5

Nr. 145/1001 Blackened 3/5 ... And Justice For All 2/5 Eye of the Beholder 2/5 One 2/5 The Shortest Straw 2/5 Harvest of Sorrow 2/5 The Frayed Ends of Sanity 2/5 To Live is to Die 4/5 Dyers Eye 2/5 Average: 2,33 Not the biggest fan of metal. Combined with the great lenght of the songs, made this not really fun to listen to.

Where's the bass?

Metallica is the Elvis Stojko of metal. This album in particular is straight ice dancing. Yes, like Olympics ice dancing. Everything is excessively choreographed, rehearsed to oblivion with the goal to be as robotic as possible and all the audience is waiting for is for you to fail. No failures here, congratulations, you're all robots.

This album sounds really thin and has some of the most unimaginative drumming of all time. No clue how this band got so big. This sounds terrible.

This felt like the longest album I've ever listened to. Goddamn these songs all go on forever. I will never "get" Metallica. Favorite track: One

this album is pretty one dimensional. I didn't really like that dimension.

I think I've aged out of Metallica. It's all so repetitive and dull anymore.

This is the third Metallica album I've had in this project, and I was not as taken by it as Master of Puppets or the Black Album. Not that there aren't some classic Metallica elements that I recognize and like. I get that they seem to be going for a bit more of an epic feel with the extended songs and changing tempos, but it lost me a bit. I'm also not sure what I think of environmentalist peacenik thrash metal. I like the message but it doesn't FEEL quite right.

It's so...edgy. Not really a fan.

Really? Another Metallica album? What in the name of shitting crikey did I do to deserve this guff. This is absolute shite. Simultaneously dull and intrusively loud. I'd rather listen to virtually anything else.

One of the most highly over-rated bands in existence. Every song sounds the same with a self-indulgent solo. From another review, I see that there are three more of these turd piles to get through.

The same shitty song nine times in a row

That’s one very long song.

сука как же скушно, сухо, нудно муторно

Christ, no

Metallica is an iconic band in the overall metal style, there's no arguing about that. But let's try to be honest for a second: generally speaking, James Hetfield's delivery of his bland vocal lines is totally dull and unimaginative. Another guy actually *really* screaming his lungs out would have taken those songs up to another level. As for the music itself, it sounds way too paper-thin on this particular record compared to a lot of stuff that was later done in said genre, including Metallica's own "black album" (yep, a lot of critics were right: where's the goddamn bass?). So I guess that as far as albums go, you can keep *Master Of Puppets* and *Metallica* in your list of potentially essential LPs, if only for their cultural importance, and throw everything else into the "thrash" can. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 798 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 106 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 50 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 46 (including this one)

Guitars, guitars, for adolescents only

Makes me nervous.

Just a bit dull really - too much grunting and gnarling.

This is such a fascinating album. It's the last of their classic albums before they transitioned to a more radio-friendly version of metal and exploded in popularity, but it's also their first album without original bassist Cliff Burton, after his tragic death while on tour. Cliff was the band member most interested in music theory and who pushed them to the brink of their ability as songwriters. It's also famously the album where they buried the bass in the mix. James and Lars have said their ears were shot from the tour and they just kept demanding their own parts be louder during mixing and couldn't tell the bass had become inaudible. The result of all of this is Metallica's most brutal album. They added riff after riff to every song, featuring lots of time changes and unusual song structures. It's a difficult album on first listen but it is truly awesome and only gets better the more you listen to it. I heard it for the first time about a year ago. I only wish that the vocal performance and production style adopted for their next album (and every subsequent album) could have been done on this one, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets. But oh well. This album rocks.

Honestly never been a huge Metallica fan. Always preferred Slayer and Megadeth. Slayer because they're more extreme, and being a big fan of drums, Dave Lombardo is easily the best drummer in the Big Four of thrash (always hated categorizing bands like that). Megadeth because they generally just had more range in their music. Metallica kinda always felt like they fell into a formula. And I probably would say I like Metallica over Anthrax, but Anthrax is a more fun band. That said, it's been a long time since I've really sat down and listened to Metallica, so we'll see if this holds up once I get the other Metallica albums, but I always thought this was my favorite Metallica album. Everyone rates Master of Puppets higher, but I remember not liking the back half of the tracklist on that album. But this record starts off with two fantastic classics, and just keeps the quality up. Love the aggression of Blackened, and the proggy riffs and licks throughout ...And Justice For All and Eye of the Beholder. It's very lightly treading on territory Coroner laid down (probably my favorite thrash band), just more in a prog direction vs technical. Then you got classics like One which as much as I hem and haw about how Metallica has never really wowed me, is still one of the greatest metal songs of all time, and thats inarguable. Probably their opus song wise. And for better or worse, the song that they've kinda been chasing ever since. The rest of the tracklist is great too, especially Harvester of Sorrow. The only thing kind of holding this album (and Metallica) back is Lars' drumming. Not that its necessarily bad. Its fine and does exactly what it needs to do (lays down a beat, follows the guitars), but for a band that treads in a prog direction, you kinda want more interesting drumming with fills that do more than just basic snare rolls. It contributes later to the whole feeling of Metallica being formulaic, with Hammet kinda always feeling like he's trying to remake One on later albums. Will say, Lars' drumming on Harvester of Sorrow is legit good, with some nice bass kick patterns. Lars is kinda like Anthony Keidis from RHCP. Clearly the weak link of the band by a wide margin, but they wouldn't be the same without him. That said, I don't think I can knock this album for those gripes because this is just a damn classic album. Went into it thinking I'd give it a 4, but honestly feeling a 5 now.

Shooting pool and listening to this cassette when it came out in the basement was the tail end of Jr High. Subsequent metal albums got a bit too heavy for my tastes. This is that nice sweet spot of loud and fast while continuing to have lyrics you can understand.

Almost legendary album

It's kind of incredible how often Metallica has gotten away with sound mixing that's completely ass. This album, rather infamously, has no audible bass; DEATH MAGNETIC is mixed so loudly people prefer to listen to it through GUITAR HERO; ST. ANGER... Has its defenders. But still, two nickels outta three ain't bad. And ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL specifically: you hafta feel for Jason Newsted. He had impossibly big shoes to fill being the band's new bassist after the tragic death of CLiff Burton, and on his first album outing with the band, his contribution gets mixed out entirely. James and Lars have said as recently as 2019 that they didn't do it to belittle Jason; that their hearing was simply shot during the mixing process because of touring — and from what I read, the bass parts were mostly just following the rhythm guitar anyway... But either way, sucks to be the new guy and this is the album that ends up sounding like the metal equivalent of "When Doves Cry". Which really just makes it all the more amazing that this album is as good as it is. As much as I have sympathy for Jason (and my following statements won't change that), the bass being missing in action does nothing to detract from how incredible songs like "Blackened", the title track, "One" and "To Live Is To Die" are. This is prime cut Metallica, and the last pure-type thrash thing they did before they started sliding towards more traditional heavy metal on the Black Album (which I also like a lot, but still). I mean, if the goofy-ass viking chant on the one song isn't a detracting factor, nothing can be. And I say "pure-type thrash" because this strikes me as the most prog-ish album they've ever made. Which, it's no Dream Theater, to be clear; it's more the Iron Maiden route of "longer songs" — and even in that lane, this thing's only 11 minutes longer than MASTER OF PUPPETS... But you can still tell they were going for a bit more complexity here with some of these structures and rhythms. There's even a bit more seriousness obviously apparent. It's nothing crazy, but I think it's nice to hear them trying out some new tricks. Though, at the end of the day, look, I'm a very simple girl. I hear a good metal riff, I go buck-ass wild — and I go buck-ass wild for this album. It's as good of a reminder as any that metal can be and is fucking awesome, with chugging riffs, pounding drums and seering solos. Even with the absence of a lower end, it kicks all kinds of ass, and frankly, that's all I'm here for. It's actually a little difficult for me to think of any further words I wanna say about this album as a result, because my enjoyment of this album is really just that wholly uncomplicated. The guitars chugga-chug and go meedly-meedly really fast and I jam the hell out to it — what more can I say? As I'm typing this last paragraph, I'm listening to one of the many fanmade remixes of the album that reinstates Jason's bass back into the mix. I'll admit, it does add a little something to head the gnoning of the bass back there, and if you're one of those people who can't get past its absence in the first place, or that Metallica didn't add it back in the most recent remaster, I say go seek this out. As well, I wanna admit that JUSTICE isn't my favorite Metallica album: the songs on MASTER OF PUPPETS are just that little bit better, and I'm a sucker for the commercial hooks on the Black Album. But seriously, JUSTICE is just a great time. With the mixing working against it, it shouldn't work as well as it does... And yet, it remains one of the greatest Metallica albums ever made. ST. ANGER sure can't make that claim, I'll tell yah that. So, yeah, I'unno why you're still reading me babble on. Go play this album and jam the fuck out. I know I'm gonna.

It's been said to death, but shame on the band for making the bass basically nonexistent since release. Otherwise, it's still some kickass thrash. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 5. The elephant in the room is of course the lack of a very audible bassline, but ignoring that (seemingly as the mixing process did), I’m just fucking annoyed at myself for not digging deeper into heavy metal & hard rock years ago. Metallica’s self-titled album proved it to me, every band & album within the genre we’ve gotten before & since has proven it to me (save for “Apocalypse Dudes”, which again, deserves a re-listen on my part), and this album has once again, really reaffirmed it. I’ve really got nothing major to complain about – I was just jamming out for 65 minutes, and I love the more political leaning bend this album takes. Everyone in the band deserves their credit, even Jason Newsted, despite his quite literally inaudible contributions to this album. Quite frankly, it’s a miracle this album is as good as it is despite a truly baffling mixing job at times. It’s not the same “commercially appealing” vibe as the self-titled is, but it’s a vibe I fuck with regardless. This is Metallica doing more of a prog rock approach on a number of tracks, letting the instrumentation set the tone even more than the lyrics & vocals already do, and showcasing it with some incredible fucking solos across the board, from a guitar & percussive standpoint. It’s just a kick-ass album, man. I fucking loved it; someone else can write the 700-word track by track breakdown & history lesson about this one, because it does deserve that type of breakdown. I’m just gonna listen to it again and rock the fuck out, because I think the music speaks for itself. A very easy 5 for me. If it had a bassline, I might be entering 10 territory, but c’est la vie.

Yeah, it's long (like a lot of Metallica's albums), and Jason Newstead's bass is inaudible, but this is a masterclass in melodic thrash with a ton of variety and some killer riffs. I am a little confused as to why this made the list and Ride the Lightning didn't, but I'm not going to complain when this list offers up albums more to my taste. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

ive heard this before and really enjoy the album. there is no bass in the mix which makes it feel thin and makes the runtime a bit of a slog. it deserves to lose a star or even two for the mixing but it still gets a five because it’s a classic and the first half of the album is so incredible

I have to say, I've never been a big Metallica fan, that's for sure. On the other hand, this album has always been my favorite Metallica album. It's the most progressive album of theirs, it's really really pleasant with some classic songs and my favorites from the band. The only issue is of course the lack of bass, obviously - it's diabolical. But well, to be honest, I can't deny how influential Metallica always was and how much impact on metal music that I love they had. Add that to the fact that this list doesn't have that huge of a competition of my actually favorite albums besides a few, I might aswell rate this one like that...

AJFA is Metallica at their most technical and complex. It’s long, aggressive, and at times borderline exhausting—in the best way possible. If Master of Puppets is peak Metallica, then AJFA is them flexing their songwriting and riff-crafting muscles like lunatics in a dungeon full of time signature changes. "Blackened" kicks the door open like a controlled explosion. That reverse intro into the main riff still gives me chills, especially when they open with it live. “Harvester of Sorrow” might be the shortest track here, but it hits like a tank. It’s also a sign of where they were headed—more groove, more crunch, less speed. That song crawled so "Sad But True" and "King Nothing" could stomp. Lyrically, they kept the heat turned up. If MoP flirted with political and religious themes, AJFA dives in headfirst. It’s pissed-off, cynical, and feels just as relevant today.

Love this one already. 5 out of 5.