...And Justice For All

The Frayed Ends of Sanity is where I was after listening to this. There was just enough interesting stuff there to pique my curiosity only for my sorrow to be harvested when it reverted back to the unceasing cycle of shouting four or five words then playing guitar.

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: ...And Justice For All, One A scathing critique of government corruption and war. I didn't really listen to Metallica growing up (or honestly, any music from the Metal genre). Boy have I been missing out. It turns out I really like the genre. It resonates with me on a lyrical level and I find myself really enjoying the instrumentation too - some albums more than others - but enjoyment nonetheless. This album doesn't has as much staying power as Master of Puppets, but it is a very solid entry still. With the "Iran War" (is it a war or not?) really starting to ramp up, I can't help but think about the reignited relevance of this music. This music was and continues to be a powerful tool in criticizing institutions like Government, the Military Industrial Complex, Religion and even economic systems. It holds an important place in society serving as both an outlet for criticism and a means to communicate a message to people who might not otherwise necessarily have an awareness of such things happening in the world.

I’ve liked the other Metallica albums on here a decent bit so am surprised how flat this one fell for me. It just felt like the bad excess elements of Prog. The songs last ages without coalescing into anything more and they add as many chords/riffs as possible for no apparent reason. Maybe I’ll grow to respect this more as I understand the bands evolution better but for now it’s just trash metal Prog which is a match made in hell for me. Rating: 1.5

Classic! My favorite Metallica album

Some nice calming tunes for a raining day.

I’m not much into Metal, but this one is the gold standard, I suppose

3.5 Hard to rate - grew up on this, loved it, but today just sounds like classic vintage Metallica - not a lot of room in my life for this at the moment - but it's a solid solid album.

A clear step-down from their previous albums

Meth-ällicä, kovis, kovempi, kovenein. Tosi kova levy.

Vahvasti selkärangasta löytyvä levy kitarasankarivideopelien kautta ja nuoruudesta. Metallican parhaimmistoa, ellei jopa paras.

A solid album. I've been much of a Metallica fan, though I don't dislike them. But yeah, every song is good, and the album as a whole is good. It's got its imperfections, such as the sound, but it's easily overlooked. A solid 4/5.

Never listened to Metallica before. Now I have. That’s all I need. Never again. Sorry.

Ugh

Minder grote hits dan self-titled en tegelijk niet zo energiek en spannend als Master of Puppets. Ook deze is het nét niet.

Metal classic with orchestral arrangements. Technically tight with lyrics you can understand.

"Surgical aggression" describes this extremely enjoyable listen

2.8/5 A classic album with some great songs but it drags on a little towards the end.

Sounds like pretty standard metal to me. Growly voice (not singing), the usual riffs and solos. I'm supposed to be impressed?! By what, exactly? Technical proficiency, presumably? Meh. I just can't see how this is different to any other metal album ever made. They all sound the same to me. Boring! Next please!

De normal no soy demasiado fan de metallica, pero después de tantos albumes que no son mi rollo, lo he agradecido. Lo he disfrutado más de lo que recordaba.

There's many reasons why Metallica is considered the most legendary rock/metal group of all time, and this album is one of those reasons.

Nah

Blackened - 5/5 ...And justice for all - 5/5 Eye of the beholder - 5/5 One - 5/5 The shortest straw - 5/5 Harvsester of sorrow - 5/5 The frayed ends of sanity - 4/5 To live is to die - 4/5 Dyers eve - 3/5

There really is no audible bass part on this album, but it kinda doesn't matter, because the bass of the rhythm guitar part is so pronounced. The interplay between the guitars and drums is a thing of beauty, with rhythms transforming completely many times in every song. Trailblazing while paying tribute to the bands who preceded them, the Lizzy-esque harmony parts are a treat. Liked this more that I expected to.

It still holds all the same great qualities of Master of Puppets. However, this time the album is mixed like shit. It sounds incredibly dry. Still through this at times the great songs peak through.

Did not grow up with metallica which means I carry minimal nostalgic baggage. It’s fine stuff but that’s all.

All tracks sound the same , hasn’t passed the test of time

It’s an enthralling noise but also everything that’s juvenile about metal. Lots of musical wanking going on - in particular the tiresome kick drum histrionics

Poor newstead. He got to play with his favorite band and was cast aside. I really like the with bass version. It rocks

Maybe no bass guitar but sure can hear Lars. Probably the album that put Metallica on the path of overwhelming success and inclusion of melodic and instrumental features with their hard speed. Great lyrics.

You'd think that the loss of someone as crucial to Metallica's sound as Cliff Burton would spell the end for a band. But, much like AC/DC did after losing Bon Scott, Metallica soldiered on. And much like AC/DC, their first album in the aftermath defied all expectations. '...And Justice for All' continues a steady string of classic Metallica albums, with some even going so far as to call it their best one yet when it was released. Personally, I think it's almost impossible to say which of these 80's Metallica albums is truly the best, as they're all fantastic in their own way. One thing that made them so incredible was the band's desire to push themselves beyond what they did on each previous album. And with this one, not only did they push themselves, I'm pretty sure they took themselves to the absolute limit. '...And Justice for All' is far and away the most progressive and complex album in Metallica's catalog. The songs are longer, the tempo changes are more numerous, and while the hooks may not be as immediately apparent this time around, there's still an absolute treasure trove of great riffing throughout. Unfortunately for the band, when it came to playing these songs in a live setting, it proved more difficult than they thought, hence why you don't really hear too many from this album played at their shows anymore. A shame too, as this one is filled with classics, from the relentless album-opener "Blackened", to the epic title track, to the dark and eerie "One", undoubtedly the album's best known song and one of the few from this album that the band still play regularly to this day. Sure, this album has its setbacks, the most infamous of which being new bassist Jason Newsted's bass parts being virtually inaudible in the mix (there's a long story to this with different people giving different accounts of why this is the case that I don't feel like getting into). The production has been accused of being a bit more dry sounding than on previous albums as well. But honestly, I find these to be very minor setbacks in the grand scheme of things. Overall, I tend to agree with the masses on this one. '...And Justice for All' sees Metallica still at their absolute creative peak and is another one of the greatest albums the 80's had to offer. Fun Fact: In one of the more controversial moments in music history, this album was nominated for a Grammy in 1989 for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" and lost to Jethro Tull. Because, you know, the big-wigs at the Grammys just know music better than anyone else, don't they. 😑

Such a meaningful album, era defining. Cliff's death is very present here, both in the songwriting and in the fact that bass is inaudible.

Metallica's strongest album.

Really loved the lyrical themes and the technical skill throughout this album. Both are excellent, this album is acclaimed for a reason. Loved this.

I’m not really a metal fan, but it’s hard to deny the impact of …𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘭. The album is ambitious and uncompromising, filled with long, intricate songs built around razor-sharp riffs and relentless rhythms. At times the music almost feels progressive in its complexity, pushing thrash metal beyond straightforward aggression. Even if this isn’t a style I normally gravitate toward, the precision and intensity of the band are impressive. It’s a demanding listen, but one that makes it clear why many consider this album one of the high points of the genre.

Head bangers Fave track: One

Rips. Booster Justice - very important. 4/5

This is all just a bit too much for me. Relentless. Not enough variety. And I just don’t like this style of rock music it seems. Not enough to want to listen to it again.

Favorite: Edge of the Beholder and Blackened

Fairly unintelligible and overwhelming…did not resonate with me on any level.

Can’t do it. Got 3 1/2 songs in. Soz boys.

Yes, yes, yes. ‘One’ still hits like a landmine and the whole album is like jet fuel for the day.

4/10

Pretty great album, I give it a solid 9/10 One is the best song First listen tracklist ranking: 1. One 2. Blackened 3. Dyer’s Eve 4. … And Justice for All 5. Harvester for Sorrow 6. The Frayed Ends of Sanity 7. To Live is to Die 8. Eye of the Beholder 9. The Shortest Straw

When to listen: want renaissance metal vibes. Cool instrumentation, absolutely loved the song "One"

I would but this album just to listen to “One” over and over againx

сорри я не люблю металику, да тут есть песня оне, которач нутда мне нравится даже, но мне все что было после Клифа Бертона вазе не нравится

The soundtrack for watching the rugby lads chugging 8 pints before 8pm. Like the rugby lads it is repetitive and monotonous.

Really just horrid. There are definitely individual songs I like from various albums but this is just a auditorial assault. Bleh.

I mean, it’s good but I would have to be in a super specific mood to listen to an entire Metallica album.

Not my favorite Metallica album, nor do I think it's their best, but this album is more than just the album with their best song

It either gave me a headache or made it worse. I respect the artistry but it’s not my jam

You can't go wrong with Metallica. The length of the album was great and I never got bored of it. I really liked the album cover image, it aged like fine wine these days.

Got a pair of Heavys and I can hear the bass.

Not quite at the level of Ride and Master, but Blackened and Dyers Eve are top 5 songs in their discography, so rounding up from a 4.5.

And so it begins. Let it be known that on this day, Friday March 6, 2026, album 246 (That’s 3 6’s btw, I didn’t plan that) is FINALLY my first Metallica album!!!! Bonus, it’s also my weekend album, so I get to listen to it longer. Let’s fucking go!!!! Full transparency, growing up as a little kid, my very first musical favorites happened to be Pearl Jam and Metallica. We played more of those 2 bands in the car than you could possibly imagine. I haven’t rolled Ten yet, but it’s going to get a 5, and has a high likelihood of being selected as my favorite album for this entire project. I’d kind of been planning this little blurb for when I finally rolled one of these albums, never cared which one it happened to be. In this case, it was Metallica’s …And Justice For All, which is the first of 4 Metallica albums I’ve rolled for this project, and naturally the first of 4 to get a free 5 star rating from me. I even thoroughly enjoyed 72 Seasons, which is their latest album at the time of this review. I’d give that a 5 as well if it was on here. They’ve still got it. Hell, the only time for their mainline albums they ever really missed was with St. Anger. Please don’t even get me started on Lulu either, that’s just astoundingly awful. Even though my musical repertoire has expanded heavily since childhood, Metallica is still likely always going to be my favorite band, and this album is no exception. As far as Metallica albums go, to me, this one is marked in my mind as being the first without bassist Cliff Burton, who tragically died in a vehicular accident while touring for the release of Metallica’s third album, Master of Puppets, which is also on this list. Replacing him, and doing an excellent job at that, was Jason Newsted, who would continue being their bassist for a total of 4 albums. Evidently, he picked a good time to jump ship. He missed out on St. Anger. Following that letdown of an album, current bassist Robert Trujillo would take his place, and he’d end up having plenty of time later to make up for St. Anger and its many shortcomings. After all these years being a fan, he’s still “The new guy” to me. That was without a shadow of a doubt the most amount of background info I’m ever going to provide for a bassist, but it’s a prevalent part of this album if you’re a Metallica fan. They’ve had the same core lineup, bassist excluded, since the very first album came out. Obligatory Dave Mustaine commentary goes here. Dave, the OG guitarist before the first album was recorded, ended up doing pretty well for himself after the fact. OG bassist Ron McGovney was not as successful, but is still worth a shoutout. So yeah, with 2 members departing before the first album was recorded, and more importantly Cliff’s tragic death, it’s fairly pivotal context and paints a picture of the terrible headspace James, Kirk and Lars were probably in while creating this masterpiece of an album. …And Justice For All features some of the best riffs of any Metallica album, the most iconic of which featured on this album belonging to “One”. I’m going to play it safe and list that as my favorite song on the album, but I also love “Blackened” and “Harvester of Sorrow” just as much. Metallica is my favorite band. To finally roll 1/4 of the albums they have on here brings me immense joy. Until the next one where I also give it a 5!!

favorite song: to live is to die vibe: hard times depth charge essay crunch time rating: 56/100 (obvi a really well crafted album and i can appreciate the artistry of it but it's all a bit one note for me. fave song has most breadth)

real dad music and a banger album cover

Una merda

6/10

Master of Puppets got a 4 from me, leaning towards 5. This also gets a 4, but leans towards 3. It doesn't have the same warmth and depth that MoP haa in my opinion. These songs felt longer, more abrasive and less accessible. However, the skill and talent as ever is undeniable and 'One' is arguably one of the best metal tracks for me.

Metallica my beloved. I could listen to them all day.

It should be a 5, but gets a point off for burying Newsted’s bass in the mix.

…and justice for all earns a score matching the number of good songs it has, one. ironically the name of the song as well.

Gammal klassiker ändå. Inte min favorit av Metallicas album men tycker den är bra. One är en fantastisk låt och jag gillar Shortest Straw och Blackened mycket också. And justice for all låten tycker jag är ganska uttjatad men visst är den bra.

Rough Mix TT

'One' is great. The rest is plodding, overlong and dull.

Buen álbum de Metallica mucha caña

Not my favorite by Metallica, but high level

Magnífico!

Old dude rock

A high energy album that swings wide on its collection to varying results

Monotonous metal

7/10

A lot better than I expected.

I like metal so this was an amazing album for me. Not much else to say.

Yasssss

I can see the vision, but no matter how good and varied the riffs are, it's too little diversity in timbre and melody for me. Faves: Eye of the Beholder, One

I appreciate the technical skill. But I don’t care for jam bands, and I don’t care for Hetfield’s voice. This just didn’t get me amped up like other heavier rock bands I’ve listened during this project. It’s fine, but didn’t do much for me. 3/5

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest records ever made. It’s nearly perfect and it’s part of my youth. This record has so many memories for me. I spun it nearly nonstop for a long time. It’s still one of my favorite records. I know every note, every word and every solo.

The mix is honestly a mess because the total lack of bass makes the whole record sound thin and irritating. The technical drumming and repetitive structures feel super detached from the songs and it just turns into an exhausting and boring listen.

Favorite tracks: Blackened, Harvester of Sorrow, Dyers Eve Heavy freaking metal.

Classic

Pas mal

we're done

You can’t say it isn’t epic! I don’t like the hyper masculinity of it all, but I do like the pace and intensity and its ability to slow down and have those beautiful moments. Technical skill on point too.

Great coming back to this one. So intense and tight

🫤It’s OK. I think they’re better than their contemporaries. But this shit gets boring after a while. Turn up the bass! These boys need to step into some funky stank!

Bought this when it came out, saw them on this tour. It’s a four for me. Yes, the production is an issue but it is what it is. Maybe not quite on the par of their first three albums but a ripper nonetheless and their last great album in my opinion. No real duffers on here, although I always skip One.

Probably their best.

Mix is off and songs are repetitive at times. Still, I felt my head nodding along to plenty of the songs. Appreciate songs like One and To Live is to Die, since they provide a little more color than other parts of the album.

Good. Rate 9/10

One of the things I expected from this challenge is to get further into metal but for now it has not been the case. 7/10 [SWAP]

Metallica’s first four remain their best, and this remains fourth of the four.

A guy in my cricket team was a Metallica super-fan. When they announced their first New Zealand show, I asked him what he’d pay to go. “About a kidney” was the answer.

It has one good song. One.

I've never understood the draw of Metallica. They have 5-6 great songs and the rest is formulaic and weak. My college roommate introduced me to them, I was a metal guy but this new incessant beat, angry voice and angry lyrics weren't my thing. I saw them live in '87-'88, opening for AC/DC, and went and got a beer halfway through the set. This is just more of the same. Their sound is repetitive and overly heavy handed and he was still an immature vocalist back in '88. I can't follow his lyrics, perhaps they speak to the masses and are enlightening to some, but I just find them irritating and buried beneath a wall of repetitive chords and power drumming. The listener counts are ridiculous ("One" has 805M listens!?), I cannot imagine sitting around listening to this repetitious drivel. This got on here for "One" which never struck a chord for me. I thought the video was dumb too but it was always on MTV. Every song sounds the same, except "One" which is why it was a hit. The Black Album deserves a spot on here, even "Master Of Puppets" for bringing this "sound" to a wider audience, has more merit. "Hold my breath as I wish for death". I guess I was just never angry enough to get into this so I don't consider it a must-listen or a T1001 album. 2 stars

I wish I knew exactly why this is less good than Master of Puppets. It isn't just the thinner production, which makes apparent Lars Ulrich's limitations as a drummer. Nor the absence of bass. The riffs are just as hard on this record, even if they don't sound as full. The leads are great. But, hearing the line "pulling your strings" on the title track, just as those three words appear on the title track of the previous album, highlights an emotional and artistic paucity here. Master of Puppets is pained and raw, a rage against addiction and the pain it causes others. Hetfield's triade against the justice system on this album is not raw or pained, it is petulant and juvenile. Not that adolescent lyrical themes should ever be a disadvantage in metal, but it does suggest a quality that elevates that Master of Puppets that maybe couldn't be repeated. 3 The English conductor Sir Thomas Beecham once described the sound of the Harpsichord as ‘two skeletons copulating on a tin roof’. This is very unfair to the harpsichord which is a charming instrument, even if it lacks all a piano’s expressive potential. It would be an entirely accurate description however, of Lars Ulrich’s drums on …And Justice For All and indeed Beecham’s famous quote sprang to mind early on. The biscuit-tin snare and the horrible trebly edge on the kick do terrible injustice to the roof of that tin shed in which the listener sits. Jason Newsted, infamously, is performing in a different shed altogether. This perverse approach to the rhythm section makes Justice a difficult listen, especially in its context as the successor to Master of Puppets. James Hetfield’s singing on that album - even on the more declamatory tracks like The Thing That Should Not Be or Damage Inc - was practically seductive in its melodic twists and turns, harsh as some of the melodies may have been. On Justice, with the notable exception of One, Hetfield’s melodic contours are as flat as ever they were or would be. Those lines are often a one or two note bark; another rhythmic dimension rather than melody - the top lines of Eye of the Beholder and Harvester of Sorrow wouldn’t have half a dozen notes between them. This is all accusation I suppose but also might work as praise. There is conviction on Justice - an admirable dedication to brutality that constitutes an artistic theme and unifies the album, making virtues of the sins detailed above, and even sort of absolving its weakest moments (Shortest Straw). The guitars are…awesome; in a fully adolescent sense of the term. Great riffs, great solos, terrific whiny bits that sound like 80s computer game music. Absolutely beguiling details everywhere - even in the drums - that I find make it difficult to get bored. It’s not Master of Puppets but it is still Metallica at their best. 3.5/5

Solid album but the lack of bass and the diabolical time signatures is off putting.

This is the third Metallica record I’ve listened to now. And I think I can pretty confidently say I don’t get the hype. Most of their songs just aren’t that good. Many sound like the same repetitive riff and singing for far too long. Why are these songs 7+ minutes? Production is terrible. One guitar tone , no bass, and a metronome drum kit for an hour. One is awesome. Always liked that song. Amazing what a little dynamics will do for a song. Would skip everything else on this record. 2/5.

Металлика ультрабаза

Classic. Gets old after 5th song, but still passes the test of time.

The third Metallica album in less than 100 albums. Second song at 9 minutes is immediately off-putting. It feels more cliched and monotone than some of the others - falling into the thrash tropes. It's a shame. The introduction to One is a genuinely good bit of music that showcases their ability beyond just noise.

Sin duda se trata de un muy buen disco, con muy buenos momentos, y varias canciones copadas. Peeero para mi le juega en contra la longitud de los temas. Y eso que a mi me gusta el rock progresivo. Pero en este estilo las canciones tan largas me aburren un poco.

Good. I like this. Metal isn’t my favourite but I enjoyed the musicianship a lot here.

I don’t get this I think. The songs are far exceeding their interest in length and frankly it’s pretty boring. Some interesting sounds here and there maybe?

i get they’re kind of pioneers of this sound but it sounds like such generic metal/rock

I'm not really into heavy metal, so this album did nothing for me. I was real close to DNF-ing this album. A lot of noise, not any of it pleasing to the ears. "One" is the only track I can actually say I noticed to be different. Even the band said, these songs are too long!

Never heard a Metallica album before and I was very disappointed. Bad production aside , it was so difficult to listen to the monotone delivery of the singer and the drowning double bass style thrash on every fucking track. Track 4 showed they do have the ability to break it up and play something good and it's why I gave it a 2

This clearly isn't for me and way too long. Leaving it to those who partake, if it was less long I might have felt generous and gone for a 2 but it's too much

I am an absolute fan of James Hetfield and Metallica, but this album kind of felt distant and long. No matter what Metallica is a legend.

The album goes hard but it is too long. A lot of sounds very similar to me.

Guitar riffs are crazy and heavy hitting. Hetfield kicks ass. Lars' drumming on To Live is To Die is so laughably bad. How is this man drumming for one of the biggest bands of all time?? One is such a good song, the rest make for a great supporting cast of an album.

I mean, it's the first album of theirs I ever heard, so just on nostalgia factor it's going to be highly rated. Plus, it still holds up. My one complaint about Metallica has always been the songs are just too long. While still true here, the songs never got boring, which is the complaint I have about some of their later stuff. There's no way this would be anything but a 5 for me. Love this album so much.

I found this surprisingly enjoyable.

Don’t like metal

Fan-fartin-tastic songs. Awful production

Honestly kind of an overrated Metallica album. I like them but this isn't anywhere near their best work though has some great songs like Blackened and Harvester of Sorrow

already listened

Favourite Songs: Blackened Dyers Eve

Banger riff after banger riff after banger riff

Not as good as master of puppets. Low 3 I guess.

Muy bien para una cena con amigos afines a este estilo, birra por medio.

I positively hate the production on this album. Forget that they all but removed the bass to haze the Newkid, its sounds lifeless. And Lars chose that clicky kick sound? There’s a few moments. The verse riff on Shortest Straw is probably my favorite thing on this album. Imagine a 16 year old kid. All he wants to do is listen to music and ride his skateboard. Master of Puppets is his favorite album. He buys And Justice For All the day it’s released. In his sixteen years on the earth he has never felt such disappointment. Then the video for One is released and all the kids that thought Metallica was “kill your mother music” are fans? So yeah. I never got down with this album. I just really don’t care for post Cliff Metallica. 3⭐️ for still being pretty great live when I saw them on the Damaged Justice tour.

Not my thing.

Really good

boring

Metallica is very hit or miss for me, and I was bracing for a rough hour+ but honestly I really liked this. This album still fell into some of the trappings of metal that drive me crazy, but overall it was a really good album, which fell short of the brilliance of their self-titled album, but not by a lot. When Metallica are at their most melodic, they're at their best, and there was a lot of that on here.

Very unimpressed. This is an album that mistakes aggression for depth, and length for ambition. The riffs are there. The anger is there. But the creativity? The dynamics? The willingness to take you somewhere instead of just pummeling you? Missing. For a fan of long, adventurous tracks, this isn't adventurous. It's repetitive. It's exhausting. And it's not nearly as smart as it thinks it is. The bass is invisible. Drums sound like typewriters. Guitars just chug the same riff for an hour, shifting tempo occasionally and calling it progress. Vocals? Zero dynamics. Just the same shout from start to finish. Lyrics try to be deep about corruption, injustice, the system, but they're buried under music that never earns its length. It's like listening to that colleague who thinks his opinions are revolutionary. You know the one. He's so smart, so groundbreaking. Until you actually hear him speak and realize he's just another guy who doesn't understand that the problem is structural, that it needs to be cut at the root. And for that, you'd need to be brave enough to ditch the same tired "let's pretend to hate the system" phrases. But he's not a political person. He just plays one on coffee breaks. Even a jazz singer takes bigger swings, with better lyrics, vocals, and production. For an album this long, there's shockingly little imagination. One is the only track with real melody. And even that's not groundbreaking. 1/5. And that's being polite.

Good but boring tbh.

Está guapo pero más largo que un dolor. Ningún tema por debajo de los 5 minutos

Even though heavy / trash metal is not my cup of tea, I have to say that I was surprised by this. The powerful lyrics made me look past the over-screechy voices that I don’t usually enjoy, and in this case I felt it gave a rawness to the lyrics

For me, I feel ...And Justice For All by Metallica is the lesser of their classics. Technical wizardardy sure, but for me.. it’s entertaining, just not that memorable. For me. So I would say this for me is 3 stars.

This is fine. Definitely not as grand or majestic as the album with the orchestra. 5/10

Previously unknown. Feels try hard and unedited.

A second Metallica record in two weeks? I'll get to this eventually but outside of One I'm not sure how great this album is.

it’s fine I guess? nothing about it makes me want to listen to it again, maybe there are other albums of theirs that I’d find more enjoyable

A defining album mainstreaming an entire genre of music to a mass population of young listeners. Every beginning guitarist wants to learn to play “One”. And Justice for All straddled hard rock and heavy metal which made it consumable on MTV while still providing a radial rush of defiance to popular culture.

This was the entry point to Metallica for a lot of people my age, thanks to the ubiquity of "One." But this album was when I stepped away from Metallica for a bit, because of all the kids at school now claiming to love Metallica (again, thanks to the ubiquity of "One,") whereas I didn't like this album nearly as much as Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets (or even the Garage Days EP of covers,) which none of those kids had ever listened to. And because it was on MTV all the time, I never liked "One" back then. Middle school is a very dumb time. I have since come to appreciate this album but still don't love it as much as those two, or even Kill 'Em All. The songs run a little long, but it is good. Still a tier below the first three albums for me. I did love Jason Newsted though.

Det var tråkigare och enformigare än jag kom ihåg men kanske därför man inte lyssnar så mycket på metal längre

This is the second Metallica (so far) and it has little to offer. Loud , monotonous, and tinny.

Good Metallica

This was the album that I was introduced to Metallica with….awesome album, top to bottom. I have a complete memory of the entire albums guitar riffs

Strong 3,5

I don't get it. I suppose this one is also "great". Not for me though.

Album #60 Metallica: ...And Justice For All Not really a metal guy, mostly due to my not really understanding what metal is. My whole life I kind of just assumed it was all really harsh and scratchy guitars and screamo vocals, which I can’t stand. But I have enjoyed quite a few 70s albums which have been considered metal, especially Black Sabbath, as they often resembled the hard rock of the time. I think Metallica is in the middle period between when metal was more like rock, then when it became more like hardcore and even rap (nu-metal). I have been known to enjoy some Metallica songs; the band is so big that a lot of them are unavoidable. I often struggle to really differentiate their music, as I just don’t have an ear for it. This album is quite enjoyable, never really annoying, but to me, it seems like the same template of song done well, over and over again. Though I did like the acoustic elements, I felt like those created a more diverse sound. A pretty good listen, I’m open to more metal, but this one wasn’t quite enough to make a fan out of me. Best Songs: One, To Live is to Die, Blackened Worst Song: The Frayed Ends of Sanity Score out of 10: 6.5

not for me

Metallica album with longer songs doesn't work quite as well. Not sure if they were scratching a prog itch in '88. The production isn't great either although there are a couple of great tracks. Maybe just overly ambitious on this one.

Really not for me and very long and repetitive - something I’ve learned is I am not the biggest fan of guitar solos for the heck of it so that paired with not my genre is just not for me

#NotMyMetal Metallica was something I really looked forward to listen to, but this was very underwhelming. The guitars and drums do go crazy, don’t get me wrong. But for me there is just this feeling of something missing. I don’t always love the vocals when it comes to Metal music. And tbh these vocals again weren’t for me. But I have to say that with all this critique the album still have great moments. I also get that this must have been super hard to make since it was their follow up to the hit Master of Puppets, so I’ll be looking forward to that for now. A 3 from me.

The thing about Metallica is they're so listenable even if they're not really for me.

2,5

What can I write other than I think this group is a typical representation for what is termed metal rock. The drums are pulse pounding, hard, and repetitive. The guitar riffs are pretty constant. The themes are dark and centered around depression, suicide, and anger. I liked the opening, the bridge, and the end to "To Live Is To Die" and then the electric guitar cut in and the drums started pounding, and the song dropped back into the rhythms and sound I've been listening to while listening to this album.

If Les Claypool won the job he tried out for, he would have been on this album. However, they would have probably buried him in the mix as well...No worries Jason "New Guy," you made it in The Hall.

I HATE METALLICA. Ok so now thats out of the way this record blows like the rest of them. I will say that the bookends of the tracklist have the only listenable moments. Those double time sections are decent. Then it slows down and gets all self serious. And its bad news. 10 minute songs that just drag on and on with the guys jerking themselves off about how cool and edgy they are. And dont get me wrong I like metal music but metallica is not for me. Hetfield is still one of the worst singers I can think of. Lars generally sucks. And I could care less about anything they do. Kill em all maybe but I hate the rest so much I haven't bothered going back for many many many years. I will always appreciate what they did for music as a whole but I also cant forget how shit they are

-definitely not my favorite Metallica album -the guitar sounded the same for every song

This is like the laziest Metallica tribute band's first album of new content. No interesting songs really. Also "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" is based on the Winkies' chant from The Wizard of Oz??? Highlights: "Eye of the Beholder" kinda, "To Live Is to Die" because mostly instrumental

Cool!

Incredible. Just incredible.

3rd in a row ive heard multiple times. not any better than its ever been. blackened and dyers eve are good, one is great, rest is meh.

Not a fan of metal

Just one song: one

221125 20:18 3.5

Risible, au mieux. 2.49 étoiles pour Metallic A

headbanging in the library rn

Some great riffs that are only used once then songs that drag on too long. Also no bass but there’s still a couple of tracks so it’s not a 1.

This would go so hard if I had a little wiener and drove a lifted truck with a "We The People..." decal on the window but thought the biggest breach of my civil liberties is not being allowed to say slurs. After 90 straight measures of drop d tuned chugging on the guitar and several dragging minutes of Hetfield singing in the same half octave that he's able to achieve I had to tap out. The most interesting part of what I made it through in the album was the intro to One, but only the intro. Somehow Metallica manages to make 9 songs feel like 90 and I couldn't wait for the end. I will not listen again.

This gets a 2 because I recognize they’re very talented. Not my jam though.

Another band I just don’t get. Any track with vocals was painful. The couple that were instrumental got this to a 1.5, but not enough to round up. This 2004 movie about them was fascinating: Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

Wow, I mean, wow. Do these dude's know what the other one is playing?

Excellent album

Competent. But I just don’t connect with any of the songs the way I do with The Black Album.

I’m not sure where this album sits in Metallica’s discography, but it was alright. The mood is strong, some guitar parts are genuinely beautiful, and the vocals fit the tone. I still much prefer their ballads, as they are great at melodies, whereas much of this album feels fairly generic. "One" is the superior one he-he.

i definitely think i could grow to like it. i understand why people enjoy it, ive just never really been that into Metallica.

I've never been into Metallica, or metal in general with some exceptions, so here we go. I'm told that this is the proggiest Metallica album, so that probably makes it a good first attempt at this band for me. And yeah, several songs had moments that made me be like "wait, is this Genesis...? (lol no, it is NOT Genesis - commence headbanging) I really loved the music on this record, all the brutal bass lines, drum, and interesting guitar bits. There were great extended instrumental sections on quite a lot of the tracks; I especially liked the slower, heavy sludgey stuff, but the fast stuff of course was marvelous. Unfortunately, I found the vocals to be consistently annoying. But still, looking forward to more Metallica as I get deeper into this project. 4 stars

This one was okay. Some good guitar melodies. Lacking in dynamics though, everything sounded on the same level all the time. These songs are really long. I feel like they could have gotten the point across in about 40 minutes or so instead of over an hour.

Classically great

ROCKS!

A little heavy for me

This is probably the longest album I’ve listened to, but I throughly enjoyed. A very very Metallica album

Reminds me of simpler times. I’d roller skate around the pool table in my basement and my brothers would have a party with a mosh pit.

What a great fucking album. Already had my copy inside my old Philips 3 disc CD changer and was more than ready to give this classic another listen. No duds on this album. Tho, fucking Guitar Hero kind of sucked the fun out of One for me. I love Frayed Ends Of Sanity. Dyers Eve fucking shreds 🤘🏻🤘🏻

Not as good as Kill Em All or Master of Puppets....but not as bad as Metallica or Load.

So, I’ve been going through some really fucked up shit in my life lately, and I’ve been feeling angry, heavy, and completely overwhelmed by everything. And honestly, it felt almost uncanny that this site recommended me …And Justice for All at exactly this moment. I don’t think I would’ve connected with this album the same way if I wasn’t feeling the way I am right now. I’m not even a rock fan most of the time, so when I saw Metallica on my recommendations, I thought it would be a struggle to get through it. But it wasn’t. Listening to it, feeling the atmosphere, the intensity, the sounds — there were moments when I could literally feel the music inside my head. And I found myself thinking, okay, this is actually really cool. I genuinely enjoyed the experience. Will I listen to it again? Probably not. Is it a five-star album for me? No. But I liked it. It was interesting. I saved a few songs. And more than anything, I’m glad I listened to it. Because even if it’s not an album I’d usually love, it was the perfect album for the perfect day. It matched my anger, my chaos, my state of mind. It felt like some kind of strange emotional alignment, like everything made sense for a moment. So yeah. I really liked it.

Too dense and loud for me.

Like. They're kind of corny idk.

Я не поклонник жанра и группы, но послушать было интересно.

A real classic before they sold out, they were making some great music

Legendary

I was late to the party on Metallica, only falling on my radar after the black album. I didn’t understand why they were so huge until I heard this album first. I love the 80s Metallica, and One is such a special track and video. I immediately smiled when I saw the pick for today was this album I know well. It's certainly not perfect (justice for Jason!), but I love it.

En del härlig nostalgi, men nästan förvånansvärt trist mot slutet

Kanske inte deras allra bästa men genomgående bra, och med "One" kan jag inte sätta ett lägre betyg än "4".

Ett par starka bangers men tyvärr inte något av deras hetare album. Ikonisk produktion dock, på gott o ont.

Besviken. Till och med One är ju lite tradig.

"The bass is out of order! The drums are out of order! The WHOLE MIX is out of order!" - James 'Metallica' Hetfield, probably

I may have previously said that I think Metallica has three great albums. The first three. I am extending it to four now. This is clearly the fourth of four, it’s the least known president on Rushmore (I don’t actually know who all is on Rushmore and don’t care), but it’s on there.

Good workout music tonally broken up by one of the greatest tracks Metallica has released with "One". Shocked that Dyers Eve has some of the lowest streams on this album, I always thought of it as a highlight. Anyways, throw it on when you need a squat PR.

Is there a bassist here? Sounds like one dude with a guitar on "thrash" setting and a drummer - crazy sparse, and very few melodic hooks to hang a tune on. "To Live is to Die" is good.

These guys are clearly the titans of metal. I also give them props for being local (hey El Cerrito!) and for going to couples, I mean group therapy. This album has some undeniably good grooves, though James’ relentless delivery and their barrage of sound made me giggle. It sounds a little silly and self-important, young men with too much testosterone, or at least trying too hard to seem that way. They are mega influential and I rocked out to some of it. For me, it’s a 3.

This is relentless. I haven't had a chance to fully engage with this but I like what I heard. Shame there's no bass guitar here BUT that decision does make it a compelling listen. It gives the album its character. Metallica's first 4 albums are as good as any other band's.

So many classic bangers. I mean cmon its metallica

Alright, I have definitely heard this album but I don't remember anything about the songs (minus the ubiquitous "One"). I know it's infamous for having very little bass in the mix, and it's the first album with Newsted on bass after Cliff Burton died. In my head, the album's not much of a departure, if at all, from what came before it. I don't know, maybe it's the mood that I'm in, but I'm just not really feeling it. I'm not a huge metal guy, so maybe that factors in. I can hear the riffs, and I'm bobbing my head to them. It definitely grooves. Songwriting-wise, it doesn't feel like they've missed a beat here (and I honestly probably like it more than Master of Puppets). I think it's mostly the production. It's like ALL treble, no low-end at all. Is there a remaster of this that improves on it? Is this pretty common for thrash? It's honestly just really hard to listen to. I think I would like it more if it sounded better. Probably could have just been eight tracks as well, this thing is over an hour. Well, at least I always have "One".

Two great tracks, the finale is decent.

4/10 Was not in the mood for this. Too long, monotonous. Chugga-Chug-Chug-Chugga-Chug-Chugga. GAH! Make it stop. Takes itself far to seriously. "To Live is to Die" - Sweet Jesus

niet hun beste, niet hun slechtste... met One als enige echte uitschieter, beste song uit hun oeuvre...

I want to like Metallica. I have friends who think Metallica is awesome. I respect how they do heavy metal (or I guess, technically, "thrash metal") but aren't the dumbass spandex and hair metal type of band that were popular back in the 80s, and I respect that their topics aren't just vapid songs about partying and chicks etc. I have given them a very brief listen over the years, but they never really grabbed me. However, I'm pretty sure I have never listened to this specific album before. I think the only songs I kinda know by them are "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters" - both of which apparently came out after this album and were their big radio hits as far as I remember. I came in with an open mind and listened to this one 3 times . Some highlights ... This starts off with an environmental song ("Blackened"). That's a cool surprise, even if it's a little over the top. Good to see someone getting angry over the state of the earth. "And Justice for All..." - which points out that the American justice system and government in general is corrupted by money. I 100% agree with this sentiment. It's even more urgently relevant in 2026 (at the time of writing this review), than anytime in my life. And good for them to be sounding this alarm nearly 40 years ago. "One" - I like the intro, it's not the wall of thrashing, squealing, grinding guitar like on most of the other songs. Maybe that's what people like about Metallica, but it's nice to have a break from it every now and then. The lyrics are great, about a guy severely injured in war. It's a excellent anti-war song, highlighting the personal impacts of pointless wars. I had first heard this as the Chris Cornell cover years ago and really like that version. "To Live is To Die" - Maybe the best song - since it has NO singing and just a very short spoken word bit. Nice break from the growling and shouting. I can sort of hear how they've had some influence on other bands that I like - such as Muse, Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. There were a few moments where they sounded kind of like Rush to me - maybe there is a little prog influence showing there. My biggest issues with Metallica: 1) Why does this guy have to growl "aagghhhh" at the end of nearly every line? It think it's meant to sound tough or angry - but it just seems stupid, distracting and annoying to me 2) Also - I'm not a big fan of the hyper, sped up, high pitched, mechanical sounding, thrashing guitars. It just puts me on edge - and not in a "let's get pumped up" kind of way - but in an anxiety inducing way. Given that this seems to be their trademark sound - I'm not sure I will ever really get into these guys too much. Curious to see what their other albums sound like when they come up on this list. Oh well, I gave it a shot and ended up clicking "like" on the 4 songs listed above which means I'd be ok if they showed up on my automated playlists. That's 4 more songs from them than I had on my playlists before - so some growth :) I'll have to see if I still like these songs as they pop up in the future. I definitely liked the lyrics more than the music and the vocals - so now I'm wondering if there are other covers of their songs out there. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/9 Rating: 2/5

Every song dragged.

Like a McDonalds meal: You know exactly what you're getting, consumed and enjoyed but soon forgotten. 3 out of 5

It’s not for me but was alright for running on the treadmill

Some absolute bangers. A few songs sound a bit same-y though.

Love it. A classic

Another mainstay album from my teen years. Definitely not as strong as Ride the Lightning and MoP, and still pretty solid, but ...And Justice for All was always kind of a black sheep Metallica album for me. I never clicked with it as much as the others even though it was part of my rotation. It's a long album and does get a little tedious in the middle. The old Metallica thrash and speed is there, but the album kind of drifts into the background a bit. The lyrics were less poignant on a lot of the tracks than they are on previous albums, but there's some good stuff here. The intensity is there. Lars even tried pretty hard on this album. Standouts are "Blackened" "One" and "Dyers Eve." It's very solid, but not the best of the best. 4/5.

Metallica are very silly boys. So many sick riffs, so many daft lyrics. The notoriously bassless mix is such a dumb move that makes the album sound incomplete. All the songs are great, bar One for which the first half is quite meh, so long as you don't fully pay attention to the words.

1.5 not my thing but i can appreciate it

Wanted to give this a 2.5. I like it better than T. Rex but it isn’t my jam.

Claustrophobic production and monotonous rhythms leave the impression at least half this album is essentially the same tune on repeat.

4.2 2x catch up 1/27 fun album

Meh. Love the idea that there is social justice lyrics but can’t follow.

The infamous "bass-less" Metallica record. Yes, the production leaves a lot to be desired on '...And Justice For All', but that's the only real complaint in what is, in my view, Metallica's last truly exceptional record. This album was very much an emotional journey for Metallica, who were still reeling from the tragic death of Cliff Burton in their tour bus crash in Sweden, and although Burton's replacement, Jason Newsted, was the major casualty of the final mix essentially removing the bass (a decision from Ulrich and Hetfield, who had shot ears at the time due to relentless touring), the sheer complexity and grandiosity of '...And Justice For All' shines above its imperfect mix. It goes back to what I was saying in my Black Album review about the strength of Metallica's sound being in its imperfections, and this album is a perfect example of that. 'Blackened' is not too dissimilar to 'Battery' off Master of Puppets, although shows significant technical growth in Hetfield and Hammett's guitar work. The title track and 'To Live is to Die' (Burton's last songwriting credit) better the longer, more adventurous compositions that they'd attempted previously on Puppets' 'Orion' and 'The Call of Ktulu' off Ride the Lightning. The songs don't sound perfect, but they possess plenty of raw, unbridled energy, as well as boldness to push the envelope forward. They even manage to one-up the impact of Master of Puppets' title track with this album's clear standout: 'One'. A brutal tale of a soldier in pieces, literally and figuratively, 'One' is a harrowing reminder of the impact of war and its impact on a person's psyche. The restrained, 'Fade to Black'-esque intro leading into the aggressive Puppet-like meltdown to end the song perfectly encapsulates Metallica in my opinion. I may be biased a bit here as 'One' is my favourite Metallica song, but this is honestly the best anti-war song ever written. It's bleak, emotional and immensely impactful, and the entire band (Hetfield especially) is firing on all cylinders here. I also really enjoy 'The Frayed Ends of Sanity', 'The Shortest Straw' and 'Harvester of Sorrow'. They're probably the three more straightforward Metallica songs on this record, but they roll on with plenty of energy and aggression befitting of the band. Speaking of aggression, 'Dyers Eve' would have to be the most furious (and in my opinion, best) end to a Metallica record, and the strong themes of overprotective parents shielding their child from the brutal realities of the real world is something Hetfield would eventually explore in far greater detail on Metallica's most recent studio effort, '72 Seasons'. This was the album that got me into Metallica back when I was 15-16, so it's always going to be sentimental to me, but '...And Justice For All' is certainly Metallica's most complex record. The musicianship is God-tier despite the less-than-stellar production, and it ensured Metallica wrapped up the 1980s nicely with yet another thrash classic. It was about time the mainstream took note (see my Black Album review!). Best songs: Blackened, ...And Justice For All, One, The Shortest Straw, Harvester of Sorrow, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, Dyers Eve

This was a cool listen. I enjoyed it enough and wouldn't turn it off, it's just not my taste or something I'd reach for

Bueno pues de vuelta supongo. Amor odio hacia este album la verdad. Por un lado es mi disco favorito de Metallica, por otro la ausencia de bajo me irrita a niveles universales. Solo hay que escuchar alguno de los videos de YouTube donde cogen el álbum y le ponen una pista de bajo encima. Se duplica la chulada. Enfin temas muy buenos y nose, mola en general pero Metallica tampoco me enamora y Lars Ulrich existe. One es un temazo y To live is to die también, pero aún no estais listos para esa conversación. 7/10—>3/5 Sería 4 si tuviera el puto bajo

Pretty awesome. Justice for all and to live is to die are amazing.

Most tracks were kinda cookie cutter vehicles for the top tier guitar work at the end

86/100. It’s hard hitting, intense, and surprisingly consistent all the way through. The riffs are sharp, the songs are long but focused. Tracks like One alone put this among their better releases. It’s not the easiest Metallica album to casually throw on, but that’s part of what makes it so strong.

Hits just the same as when I found this album in the basement as a child.

Favorite Track: And Justice For All

It’s good, borderline great (a 4 on a good day) but just doesn’t stack up to Lightning or Puppets, and also doesn’t have the hardcore speedy energy of their first album. That plus the weak production makes for a just okay listen overall, despite having some strong songs

Riff to riff I enjoyed this music but it just rarely coalesced into tracks I liked. The cool moments go on for too long and get stale, even if they were cool to start with.

Not exactly my jam, trying to listen pretending I don’t know who Metallica is but that’s impossible lol. Can see has this is a super pivotal album for rock and metal (hearing how some of my faves getting influence from this) loved to live is to die (mostly instrumental) some amazing guitar licks, the tempo on some of these songs is wild! And the orchestral layer on the final track is cool. I also like the political message and theme of the album, lyrically relevant today. Not my cup of tea, but can see why it’s highly regarded.

While not my favorite of the early (pre-black album) Metallica, there are definitely some absolute bangers on this. It's extremely well put together in my opinion. While it lacks the crunchy chaos of the earlier albums, there's a sophistication brewing here

…And Justice for All is one of Metallica’s most complex and demanding records, and also one of its most divisive. Musically, it’s a relentlessly dynamic album that rarely settles into comfortable patterns. The constant shifts in tempo, harmony, and rhythm keep the listener on edge, giving the record a progressive edge that rewards close attention. Tracks often evolve rather than repeat, which prevents the album from ever feeling stagnant or predictable. That said, this ambition can also work against it. The arrangements are dense and occasionally overlong, and the famously dry, bass-light mix can make the album feel cold and fatiguing over extended listens. While this stark sound reinforces the album’s sense of tension and paranoia, it also strips some tracks of warmth and low-end impact. I listened to the MFSL SuperVinyl master, which does a commendable job of extracting clarity and detail from the original mix. Instrument separation is improved and the overall presentation feels more controlled, though it can’t fully overcome the fundamental production choices. Overall, …And Justice for All is an intellectually engaging album that rewards patience and repeated listens, even if it lacks the emotional immediacy of Metallica’s earlier work. 8/10

A flawed thrash metal classic. The band evolved their sound by bringing in prog elements into the mix. My sole gripe with this record is that the production leaves a lot to be desired. The bass is non-existent and the album has a thin and metallic sound that robs the album of some of its punch. Every song is crafted masterfully, with Hammett's shredding and Ulrich's drumming stealing the show. Despite its 65 minute duration, the album never drags and I was hooked throughout.

Love I’m on fire, but that’s about it. Bruce is power, but also too repetitive

I listened to it 4 times. I’m close to breaking it but not yet.

Just can't cope with thrash/death etc.

Divorced Dad Rock hits, there was a lot more instrumental moments than expected. Listening to this stuff growing up definitely has influenced my music taste

Not my style.

5 out of 5 Been rocking out to this one for over 35 years!

Very tight and crisp. Musically not as diverse with a handful of new ideas. Overall solid.

Solo me gustó One Pero es el género, no soy fan.

Liked it as a hype playlist, some cool guitar stuff. Wouldn’t put it on unless I wanted a very specific or ironic vibe probably

yeah definitely not my vibe

This is my childhood… I would have been six when it came out. But, early teens this was one of my football go to for getting ready for a game. Such a great band, so many great songs on this album. My favourite song off this album would be, ‘one’. This group had stood the test of time in my eyes.

*Steps up the the microphone* *clears throat* "MID" My metallica obsessed coworker was not happy I didn't really enjoy this album. Not sure I get the hype for Metallica, but hopefully their future albums will be more to my liking

Long rifts, deep sounds, dark, Metallica. Good album, lots to love about this. From that iconic Metallica sounds to the overall tone this album sets. Would listen again

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Not the most memorable Metallica album for sure, but a solid entry. I do enjoy that this album had a bit of a concept. Typical Metallica style for this era. Chugging and power metal solos. Pretty fun.

Album Review 049 …And Justice For All by Metallica (1988) Rating 3/5 …And Justice For All was a tough listen. I see why Metallica are recognised as one of the greats of the genre; their playing is fast, complex and tight but I simply not a fan of their music or thrash/metal in general. The highlights of the album are the couple of down-tempo shifts but ultimately, it’s 65-minutes of angry and that’s a bit too one-dimensional for me.

Definitely not for me. I'm sure it is great if you're into the genre — especially bc even I recognized a song or two from it being featured in random media throughout the years. Not sure this qualifies as an album that everyone must listen to; but different strokes for different folks.

I hate Lars' drumming. Hi Hat and snare are too harsh. As cited in Wikipedia, the bass guitar (and low end bass in general) is too flat. Makes the electric guitars and hi end portions of the drums overpowering. I do think this is their unique sound and it also be why I have always had a hard time listening to them, I find it to be annoying. However, I have never sat through a Metallica album and I did gain a little more respect for them. Thrash metal has never been my thing. Few Facts 1. One was bands first music video 2. Named after last four words of Pledge of Allegiance 3. Lars sucks Eye of the Beholder is probably my favorite song on this album as far as songs I did not know. The tempo change from 1:40 - 2:00 is cool. One of course is the best song on the album.

Fast, complex in both musicality and theme, and very angry. 7.5/10

A blistering start with Blackened - which sets out the album's mission - to drive the listener through a new extravagantly crafted dimension of metal; of shifting time signatures, intricate guitar solos and acoustic motifs that make way for heaving riffs and James Hatfield's stacatto roaring and vowel bending. Brilliant! On a side note, it's hard to fully enjoy Metallica, knowing that James Hetfield enjoys murdering animals in the wild and is happy to have the band's music be the soundtrack to US Forces videos of prison torture at the hands of US troops on foreign soil. Kirk Hammett on the other hand seems to give a shit.

...And Justice For All and Master of Puppets have always flip flopped for being my favorite Metallica projects, and after relistening to this album today I think I can confidently say this one is once again my #1 for Metallica. The more political nature of this album always stood out to me as it never really felt like somewhere Metallica would ever go with their sound and yet they absolutely crushed it here. Say what you want about the production but honestly I didn't even mind it this time around and I was honestly just banging my head the whole time without a care in my mind. The lyrics cut like knives and the anger held within the words really helped emphasis the instrumentation. ...And Justice For All is a very jagged and sharp album that I wish more people could give love to even with its' very obvious mixing failure, it still stands the test of time much like many of Metallica's other killer projects. Really happy I have this a second chance because I forgot just how much I adore this album. Nuff said.

Love metallica. This album is the perfect rock and metal blend. Faves are One, Harvester of the sorrow and To live is to die

I love Metallica but outside of One, this isn't an album I love

I’m just not a fan of Metallica

Good stuff! 4*

'One' is an absolute masterpiece without a shadow of a doubt, and it was the only song I knew off the album prior to this listen. I have to say, I'm a bit bummed out that it didn't get anywhere near that level throughout the rest of the album. The musicianship is, of course, great. It's Metallica. It's always great. It's just not as exciting as I was hoping it would be. I assumed this would be an easy 5 star, but I just can't justify a rating that high. That being said, a "meh" Metallica album is still a pretty good album overall. I just wanted a little more. It felt very "samey" between some of the songs.

*A loud noises album. Not easy listening

…4th Metallica album. Least favorite maybe. Starting to think Metallica may be wildly overrated.

It’s ok to just admit it, guys. There’s no need for the macho act, the rage, the aggression, the ‘dark’ brooding. Say it out loud and feel all that anger dissipate. Just one time, see how it feels. You’re gay. We know. We love you. We accept you. Don’t you feel much better now?

Meh. For me, the best album we heard from Metallica was Master Of Puppets. One is an amazing hit (...And Justice For All is an okay song too), but it doesn't support the entire 1 hour 5 min runtime. One good thing about hearing all this Metallica is that it reminds me of the Band Together Bay Area (a benefit concert I went to in Nov 2017). Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Dead Company and Metallica 😂 Admittedly, I wasn't a big Dead Head during that time. I knew a few tunes and it just so happened that they were going to be playing after my main man, Dave. I remember the majority of the folks around us clearly being dressed like Metallica fans and not bobbing to the tunes at all. Peppered in were some hippies who were really twirling and singing EVERY lyric which definitely made an impression. Their set only had 6 songs, but it really blew me away and started me down the path to true appreciation. RIP Bobby. https://www.setlist.fm/festival/2017/band-together-bay-area-a-benefit-concert-for-north-bay-fire-relief-63d7ae97.html

Long time fan of Metallica. Noticible departure from Master of Puppets.

felt like screaming i mean i know it’s art but not my type.

It is an increíble bounce back from the tragedy of Cliff Burton's death, and it manages to instill the fury and angst against the system, war and grief. All songs on this album are killer, I cannot stop listening to this album when I have the chance, easily one of the best from Metallica.

Actually pretty decent. Real metal niggas I can tell you that. That’s why fools get mad when you wear their shit without listening.

1988, une année charnière. J'ai 18 ans, l'âge où l'on croit tout savoir sur la musique, l'âge où mes oreilles commencent sérieusement à se tourner vers des trucs plus obscurs, plus sales, plus vrais. Je suis déjà en train de me gaver de la noise de Sonic Youth qui sort son "Daydream Nation" la même année, je commence à explorer les méandres du post-punk qui s'effiloche, et mes soirées se passent souvent à décortiquer des sons qui font fuir le commun des mortels. Je bosse pas encore chez le disquaire, mais je traîne assez dans les rayons pour savoir ce qui se vend et ce qui se respecte. Et là, au milieu de tout ça, le monstre Metallica débarque avec "...And Justice For All". On ne va pas se mentir, l'attente était colossale. Après la claque monumentale de "Master of Puppets" – album auquel j'ai lâché un 4/5 sans sourciller parce que c'était la perfection du genre – on attendait le messie, on attendait la suite logique. Et qu'est-ce qu'on a eu ? On a eu une démonstration d'architecture brutaliste. Un truc froid, immense, imposant, mais bordel, qu'est-ce qu'on s'y emmerde par moments. Mettons les pieds dans le plat direct : j'ai eu l'impression d'écouter le même morceau en boucle pendant une heure. C'est fascinant, dans le mauvais sens du terme. Tu lances la face A, ça part. Tu retournes le vinyle, tu as l'impression que c'est la suite du même riff, joué avec la même intention, le même tempo cassé, la même sécheresse. C'est un monolithe gris. Attention, je ne dis pas que ça ne sonne pas. Au contraire, y'a un putain de gros son. La batterie de Lars Ulrich claque comme une porte de prison qu'on te referme sur les doigts. Les guitares de Hetfield sont des scies circulaires. Quand tu mets ça à fond dans une bagnole ou dans ton salon, les murs tremblent. C'est physique, c'est lourd, c'est du béton armé. Mais le problème du béton, c'est que c'est froid, c'est sans vie. Moi qui vibre pour les dissonances habitées d'un John Zorn période Painkiller (qui arrivera un peu plus tard mais l'esprit est là), ou pour la lourdeur mystique d'un Sunn O))), je reste sur ma faim. Chez Godflesh, la répétition est une transe, elle t'écrase pour mieux te libérer. Ici ? La répétition est juste... mathématique. On dirait qu'ils ont voulu jouer aux plus malins. "Regardez, on sait faire des morceaux de 9 minutes avec 15 changements de rythme". Ouais les gars, c'est super, mais si c'est pour raconter la même chose à chaque mesure, ça sert à quoi ? L'album souffre d'un complexe de supériorité technique qui tue l'émotion. C'est sec comme un coup de trique. Et parlons de ce qui fâche vraiment, le sujet qui me fait grincer des dents à chaque écoute : Kirk Hammett. Mais qu'est-ce qu'il a foutu ? Sur "Master of Puppets" ou "Ride the Lightning", ses solos avaient un sens. Ils s'intégraient, ils faisaient respirer le morceau. Là... C'est ce que j'appelle affectueusement des "solos de merde", et je pèse mes mots. On dirait un gamin de 15 ans qui vient d'apprendre ses gammes et qui veut caser le plus de notes possible dans la seconde. C'est du tricotage stérile, ça monte, ça descend, ça chouine avec la wah-wah, mais ça ne raconte aucune histoire. Je compare ça avec ce que j'aime : prends un solo de Joey Santiago des Pixies. Trois notes, un larsen, et tu pleures. Prends une nappe de clavier chez The Cure, ça te transporte. Là, Hammett fait de la gymnastique, c'est de la performance sportive, pas artistique. Et franchement, je ne me souviens pas avoir été agressé par autant de vacuité sur les albums précédents. C'est comme s'il avait démissionné de son rôle de musicien pour devenir technicien de surface du manche. Alors pourquoi je ne le déglingue pas complètement ? Pourquoi je lui laisse la moyenne, un honnête 3/5 ? Parce que malgré tout ce fiel, je ne suis pas sourd. Il y a une efficacité redoutable dans cette machine de guerre. Quand "Blackened" démarre, tu as envie de tout casser. Quand "One" explose après son intro arpégée (bon, on oublie le solo mitraillette ridicule à la fin), tu sens la puissance du groupe. C'est bien produit, c'est carré, ça ne dépasse pas. Et puis, faut remettre dans le contexte de mes années radio et disquaire qui allaient suivre. Cet album, c'est un rite de passage. J'ai vu défiler des hordes de gamins en t-shirt noir pour qui ce disque était la Bible. Je ne pouvais pas leur dire "c'est de la merde", parce que ce n'est pas vrai. C'est juste... décevant quand on a goûté à l'excellence des deux précédents. C'est un album de transition, un album de deuil aussi (la mort de Cliff Burton pèse, et pas seulement parce qu'ils ont mixé la basse de Newsted au niveau zéro, une autre aberration de ce disque). Ils se cherchent en durcissant le ton, en complexifiant la forme, mais ils en oublient le fond. Plus tard, avec le "Black Album", ils comprendront qu'il vaut mieux faire simple et efficace que compliqué et chiant. Je validerai le "Black Album" parce qu'il assume son côté "gros rock qui tache". "Justice", lui, a le cul entre deux chaises : il veut être prog, il veut être thrash, il veut être intelligent, mais il finit juste par être épuisant. En résumé : si tu veux une démonstration de puissance sonore, vas-y. Si tu veux de l'émotion, de la texture, du grain, de la folie... passe ton chemin et viens écouter "Daydream Nation" avec moi ou attends un peu et jette-toi sur du Godflesh. Là, tu verras ce que c'est que la lourdeur qui a du sens. Metallica a voulu construire une tour de Babel avec cet album. Elle est haute, elle est impressionnante vue d'en bas, mais quand tu rentres dedans, les pièces sont vides et la déco est moche.

第一次听这个类型，叮铃哐啷的还可以，没有人声就好了。

Needs bass but what an album

Listening back over the big four, it's hard not to be supremely envious of the young metalheads crushing themselves to a sweaty half-death in some stanky mosh back when this was the generational sound du jour. There's something fair to be said about thrash really only being variations of the same general song over and over again. Of course, that's true of many genres. It's hard to deny that Metallica are pretty much the best at writing that song, anyway. Not sure how controversial this take is but I think Metallica's at their best when they're in those moments where they let Ulrich's drums take centre stage and pump this up and down bass-thumping heart-beating rhythm, rather than the flashier bright guitar riffs. fav tracks: One, Blackened, Harvester Of Sorrow, The Frayed Ends of Sanity

This was better than Master of Puppets! Apart from obviously the title track 4-5

powerhouse of energy; more appealing as it went along

Not my shit

This is not an album to listen to if you’re stressed out at work cause it will literally make you feel like you are at war. But lowkey…why did I crush through an assignment like my life depended on it? Perhaps the intense guitar and slamming drums that match the tempo of my typing. Don’t think Metallica is the band for me but I can appreciate the adrenaline rush it gives

Far be it from me to call a Metallica album “bad” BUT this album of 9 songs could’ve been 4 songs and still have the same essence. The songs were so alike that I can’t tell most of them apart (except One). All of them were enjoyable and fun to listen to but when you have multiple 10 minute songs that recycle incredibly similar riffs, it gets boring quite fast. Also the multiple and abrupt switches in melody and rhythm especially in To Live is to Die were not pleasant. I had to keep checking if it was a new song but nope, still the same one. Essentially 9 songs that could’ve been 4 songs and were somehow 20 songs at the same time.

I don’t need to listen to this album. This album has been sutured into my DNA since about 1990. I remember the first time I got …And Justice. It was through the Columbia House CD club. Remember? You pick out 15 CDs for a penny, and then you only have to buy 5 more at the regular club prices. And to help you out, they’d send you a new CD every month to listen to and decide if you like it. If you don’t, just send it back. Hmmmmm, to a teenager, this sounds too good to be true,e and, of course, it was, but they eventually stop trying to collect their money....I've heard. Anyway, I received …And Justice as one of the albums they sent monthly. I had heard of Metallica, but I wasn’t into thrash or speed metal at the time. To me, ZZ Top was heavy metal. I cracked the CD open and put it in and….ugh. This singer isn’t singing, he’s yelling. This is really fast music, but then it isn’t. Why don’t they pick a lane? Eventually, after not being impressed, I actually fell asleep and slept through about ⅔ of the album. I woke up and thought, I won’t need to listen to that again. And I sold it to someone at school. A little later, after Metallica had blown up because of …And Justice. I received Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All remaster from Columbia House. I thought they weren’t fooling me again, but I’ll give it a listen. I loved it. It blew me away, and it was faster and even more yellier. I couldn’t believe it. What changed? So, I bought a new copy of …And Justice For All and listened to it around 250 times. No joke, it’s easily one of the albums I’ve listened to most in my life. I love the progginess of it, the apocalyptic message (it especially rings true today), and James Hetfield is still yelling, but I get it. He can’t sing, so what’s he supposed to do? It got to the point where I knew where all the time and tempo changes were coming without counting beats, I could recite the guitar solos better than I could the lyrics. This might be my all-time favorite album. And, it’s not even really metal so much as it’s prog rock. Listen to …And Justice For All with all the riffs and time changes and tell me that isn’t prog rock. Now, for the elephant in the room, the Metallica boys made this album while they were still grieving the loss of their bass player, Cliff Burton. He was the genius of the group, but don’t tell Lars Ulrich that. Anyway, they hired Jason Newsted as Cliff’s replacement, then tortured him for not being Cliff. If that wasn’t bad enough, they mixed his bass to sound like the guitar riffs, and there is essentially no bass on ...And Justice. And you know what? I don’t care! I love crunchy guitars, so give me more. Also, I love the way Lars’s drums sound on this album. Their next album, the Black Album, would be the one to send them into mainstream superstardom, but for me, this is their best album. I can’t believe there isn’t anyone under the age of 25 who hasn't heard at least the song One from this album. Quickly, before all the things Papa Hetfield sings about on the album, listen to it immediately and change your DNA.

65 minutes of metal bliss. Blackened hits so fucking hard as an opener. The drums on the title track are gorgeous. One was the most played song on my iPod RIP. The album never loses steam.

Would have been 5 stars were it not for the fact that such verdict would place the same value on this album as on master of puppets

Absoluter Meilenstein und von Anfang bis Ende großartig, daher trotz der Schwächen in der Produktion 5 Sterne.

Bestes Metallica-Album!

Tatsächlich eines der ersten Alben, die ich mir überhaupt gekauft habe. Starkes Ding, aber auch nicht perfekt. 4 Sterne sind aber definitiv verdient!

Dieses Album ist gleichzeitig über- und unterbewertet. Überbewertet, weil es seine halbwegs platten Seiten hat und so eine abgrundtief beschissene Produktion ist. Unterbewertet, weil es grade in der zweiten Hälfte erst so richtig Fahrt aufnimmt und seine Vielschichtigkeit zeigt - und das „ohne“ Bass. Schwerer Start für Jason… (Randbemerkung: Death Magnetic gleiches Spiel, kack Produktion aber richtig gute Lieder. Das Album ist allerdings nur unterbewertet.) Doof für …And Justice for all nur, dass es mit Bass dann doch noch viel besser wäre anzuhören. Gut, wenn man davon irgendwas live mitnehmen kann/konnte.

Mag hier jeder 5 geben, aber für mich reicht es dafür nicht. Ohne Zweifel hat das Album geniale Tracks, in der Gesamtheit fällt es dann aber für mich persönlich ab. Da finde ich als Gesamtkunstwert andere Alben von Metallica einfach besser. So bleibt eine starke 4.

Die Musik ist gut, aber ich musste mehrere Pausen machen weil ich es anstrengend fand dem zuzuhören. Schlagzeug nimmt den Mix komplett ein und erst auf schlechten Boxen kam das nicht mehr so schlimm rüber.

Ok lets get this out of the way - "Where is the bass guitar?!? WTF let Lars into the control booth during mixing?!" As much as been made about the bizarre, tinny mix (Lars' dead snare drum sounds like shit and the total burying of Jason Newsted's bass lines, for reasons no one will ever get), this is still a solid Metallica album. Obviously "One" is a classic, but I love "Blackened" as an opener, and also "Eye of the Beholder". First half is way stronger than the second, in my opinion, makes the album drag a little. In general, Metallica is another band that may not be for everybody, but I think their first 5 albums build on - and are on par with - the best of their idols Black Sabbath. Was raised on them because my brother loves them so admitting bias.

It was meh, Harvester of sorrow was the only song i really liked

Felt very much like the same song in one long track rather than an album. Only thing that saved the rating was that at least it sounded good

no es mi vals

I thought I’d like this album more than I did. You can tell Metallica are talented, and they make sure to mix it up in their songs so that the riffs don’t get stale. It’s this close to being prog metal. But unfortunately for the most part that doesn’t do a lot for me.

I probably won’t be back but I get why it’s a classic. Solid riffs everywhere, kind of corny lyrics. Wildly long tracks for an album this acclaimed in pop culture. Can’t get past the hard rock voice.

I had to break my own rule and skip every track as there’s just no room in my head for this kind of turgid silliness. Each track is just a thudding dollop of merit-free tosh. I’m actually partial to a bit of metal, especially of the prog variety (I’m really hoping Tool make an appearance on this list at some point) but this, and every other Metallica record I’ve ever endured just bursts at the seams with everything I hate and absolutely nothing whatsoever of even the vaguest appeal. I can’t give zero stars so they can have one for the fade-in at the beginning. I can’t think of any other albums that fade in although there must be some. If there was a god, it would fade right out again though.

If all these songs were at least half as long I could do a Beavis and Butthead impression and enjoy myself. But they go on and on and stop being funny, quickly.

This album Fucks, this was the album where nothing was held back. Metallica at their prime and ferocity. Mix aside it’s still insanely great

I just really don't like this type of metal. It's clean, I haaate this kick sound, and the mix is a little claustrophobic for me. I'm okay with this being in the background, but I just can't score it high for my own taste.

This was fun to finally get around to. While it isn’t really my favorite of the band’s work (Blaming my disinterest in thrash metal), it still holds strong. The mixing isn’t my favorite, To Live Is To Die deserves maybe a bit of a different take. Yet, what was done with One is spectacular. I think it may be a contender for the top five metal songs ever released. At a Korn concert some time ago, my dad and I moshed to a cover.

A kick in the head jolt

Musically it gets like a 2 because...it really is the same song for 50+ minutes (and there is One in the middle) and there is zero bass and the drumming sucks. Don't tell Henry. However it is a lot of fun to just turn your brain off and go hell yeah, and One is a masterpiece, so.. If it wasn't SO DAMN LONG it would be a 4. but it's at least 20 minutes too long. Seriously, not every song needs to be 8+ minutes if you're just going to thrash out the same chords for 4 minutes straight of that.

Decided to listen to this one in the gym. It really is very good, with highlights including One and the mostly instrumental To Live Is To Die. I have two main quarrels though. 1. Where is the bass? 2. Why is every track so long? Seriously, there were only two songs shorter than 6 minutes. Good thing is most of them justified their runtimes and it's such an exhilarating ride that I didn't mind that a couple overstayed their welcome a little bit.

Favorite tracks: Harvester of Sorrow, ...And Justice for All You can tell they're starting to transition from thrash to progressive metal with this album, which is definitely my preferred Metallica era 🤘🏼

Another great album. Had it for years.

Class! "Blackened" is such an amazing opener. Other highlights were "...And Justice For All, "One" and "They Frayed Ends of Sanity". This one did lose me at points but the vast majority of it was BUSSIN.