This band needs no introduction. They are living legends. Inventors of thrash metal. They singlehandedly changed the face of heavy metal.
"...And Justice For All" is a record that placed Metallica on the map and if at the time you were not familiar with their music, you most certainly knew the name.
Another thing. By the time this review gets published, Metallica will have officially been the only band to have rocked every continent on this planet !
Metallica (on this record) is James Hetfield: vocals and rhythm guitar, Kirk Hammett: lead guitar, Jason Newstead: bass guitar, and Lars Ulrich: drums.
1) Blackened: This is a fantastic album opener. Most songs on this record deal with some sort of political problem; this track deals with the environment. It's a very fast and dark song, and it very much defines the term "thrash metal". The speed of Lars behind the drums is just amazing, along with the picking speed of James, Kirk, and Jason, it's out of this world. Hearing this song makes you feel strong and empowered, like you can do anything. During the end of the first verse, the part that stands out to me is when James yells out "never!" Such aggression! Same goes for the end of the chorus. It's the part where you hear all your buddies yell out "blackened!" Overall, heavy, heavy song. Amazing crunchy, chunky palm muting just blasting out of the speakers.
2) And Justice For All: This grand song, to my knowledge, is the 3rd longest song on the Metallica library, clocking in at around 9:45. This track talks of corruption within the government. You don't know what to expect in the beginning of this song, but soon it gets you hooked by the genius layout of this entire song. This song is lengthy enough to keep a prog metal fan happy. I'll expand on "prog" in a bit. While giving this song a listen, you can hear the complexity of this song in the patterns and the repeated parts that happen here and there. Nearly the last of the lyrics for the chorus read "Nothing can save you. Justice is lost. Justice is raped. Justice is gone. Pulling your strings, justice is done." You hear this, and you're just in awe. Around 7:26, you might realize something; if you're not very much into progressive rock/metal, you might be thinking that this song is dragging on or that it never ended. Some might be surprise that they're still on track 2! But trust me, this is progressive music, Multiple tempo and time signature changes within one song. It's a very normal thing. This might be a song people love or it might be one people hear halfway through and skip on to the next. No matter which you are, you can't deny that this song is pure genius.
3) Eye Of The Beholder: This track is the 2nd single off the record; a damn great song. This song deals with limitations on freedom of speech. Hearing the track, you can detect the detest towards the civil right being restricted. Just like James roars, "Moving back instead of forward seems to me absurd." You can tell what Metallica really thinks about all this from these lyrics as well, speaking from the governments point of view, "You can do it your own way, if it's done just how I say." The music itself is very heavy-handed and powerful with lots of palm-muting. Great music, great lyrics, great solo, great song!
4) One: This is a Metallica classic. Every rock n' roller in the freakin' world knows this song. It's the 3rd single off of the album. This song concept was taken from the 1939 novel from Dalton Trumbo, "Johnny Got His Gun". It talks of a man who is brutally mutilated in a war to where the only perfectly functional thing is this man is his mind. A pitch black shell, if you will. "Land mine has taken my sight, taken my speech, taking my hearing, taken my arms, taken my legs, taken my soul, left me with life in hell." This song has one of the most iconic solos of all time and one of the most iconic drum parts of all time as well. One of my personal favorite Metallica songs of all time.
5) The Shortest Straw: This next track is a powerful one. Dealing with blacklisting and discrimination, you can hear, again, the issues Metallica have with such things happening everyday within our government. The very upbeat feeling in this track is one that is hard to just shrug off. As the entire record is, very head-bangable. You could see yourself going nuts in a concert to this song. The straight forward drum beat in this song, along with some double pedaling here and there, is one that's hard not to try to air drum. The very driving riff in this song along with the intense picking pattern between palm-muted and open strings here will make you want to pick up a guitar and learn this song right away! Though it's hard to keep up with the speed, it doesn't kill to try! Once again, the solo; just hard to follow, fingers going all over the neck and strings being pick left and right. There's actually two solos, the second being a bit shorter, but just as intense as the first. A great ending as well, with two kick drums being hit, bit cymbals crashing, crazy riff pounding away at your eardrums, it's a recipe for destruction!
6) Harvester Of Sorrow: This song was the 1st single off of the album, and for a good reason too. This song is immense. It's raw, intense, powerful, and rageful. The riff makes me feel as if there's doom approaching. This song is just a plain punch to the face! If it's possible, James' singing seems even more intense and rough. Assuming you have good headphones or speakers, the bass is just bursting through! Your ears my even start to ache a bit. I personally love the drum parts with the off beat tom and bass pattern in the beginning and the easy, but monster, verse and chorus parts. The riffs are so damn heavy, going at a slower pace to magnify on the beast-like power of these guitars and amps. The great roar of the changing chords and notes, and the great feeling of strength you get. It's all overwhelming to the listener each and every time.
7) The Frayed Ends Of Sanity: In my personal opinion, one of the most grossly underestimated and overlooked songs in Metallica history. This song so happens to be another of my personal favorites. This tune, from what I understand, and what the lyrics suggest, is about mental instability, anxiety, and the difficulties of coping with such things in daily life. It has a neat intro, with the marching theme from the film "The Wizard Of Oz". Quite catchy. As the song progresses and you hear lyrics such as "Old habits reappear, fighting the fear of fear. Growing conspiracy. Everyone's after me. Frayed ends of sanity. Hear them calling, hear them calling me", it makes you wonder about what's really out there to be afraid of. The riffs in this song are fast and crazy, heavy and angry. A fantastic song to listen to.
8) To Live Is To Die: This is one of the hand full of instrumentals that Metallica recorded. It's an amazing one, for sure. Personally, I believe this is the heaviest track on this album due to the moderate tempo, low chords throughout, and the aggression in the playing style. Hearing this song brings to mind this massive beast just stomping around, slamming the ground, going after prey. On a side note; the late, great Cliff Burton (R.I.P.), although not on this album, was credited on the making of this song due to an early bass melody that which this song was adopted from. This track also contains a very beautiful and calming melodic breakdown. This shows what the 'Tallica boys can do. They can make something so heavy that it scares you, yet, they can make the most beautiful melodies ever hear that could make a grown man cry. True true true grasp of musicianship, harmonies, and melodies, they have.
9) Dyer's Eve: This track is plain hate. Almost every single teenager in the world can relate to these lyrics. It's a rant from James Hetfield to his parents. Pure detest all over the place! It talks of how James felt oppressed, repressed, and put down by them. He talks about how he feels like an adult should not be treated as a child. Very relatable!
This album is just dripping...nay, gushing with rage and power. Easily one of my favorite albums. And all Metallica fans just can't wait to see what's next! This has been our Blast From the Past featuring Metallica's ...And Justice For All.
-Cerpin Taxt
The Skeptics Review