Metallica - ...And Justice for All

"Cold and vicious. In a good way."

I think this is my favorite Metallica album. Favorite or not, it's hard to see how anyone can bestow reproach on such an incredible record. Metallica incorporates long, complex instrumental passages into their lengthy songs...err, not songs -- *compositions.* Simply calling them songs would be almost insulting. The title track is especially laudable -- a dazzling tour de force. Compositional virtuosity is highly emphasized on this album, more so than before.

People whine about the production, and yes, it certainly overshadows a few of the album's merits. On the bright side, the cold, mechanical sound fits perfectly with the intellectual, progressive music and the album's sociological/political theme. Hetfield's singing has improved tremendously since Master of Puppets. He sounds more like a real metal vocalist and less like some young punk trying to growl.

Album structure sort of parallels that of the excellent Master of Puppets. The first and last songs are the slick speed metal tracks. Both are excellent and overshadow both "Battery" and "Damage Inc" from MoP (which are GREAT songs, so that's no mean accolade). Song two is the long title track, which I've already discussed. The fourth song is the most popular from this album, and one of the band's most well-known songs: "One". This is an AMAZING song...it starts with elegant, slow, clean electric guitar and gradually builds to an unforgettable machine-gun-esque riff that brings the song to its incredible climax (topped off by some of Hammett's best solos). The second last track, "To Live Is To Die", is essentially an instrumental (a la "Orion"), with a little vocal interlude in the middle. A tribute to former bassist Cliff Burton, this song features seamless melody changes that move the song from mind-numbingly heavy to florid and light. This is the band's best instrumental, anchored by a sorrowful acoustic number that plays at the beginning and the end. The middle, with its fluid guitar harmonies and aching melodies, is just gorgeous. Why doesn't the band do more of this kind of thing?! Oh yeah, it's because they suck these days. [Chimp Note: This review was written before Death Magnetic was released]

If I was stuck on a desert island with only one Metallica album, it would be this one. It's musicianship is superior to their other releases, it has the best lyrics of their pre-Bob Rock days (though they are a little contrived, at times). The production sucks, but this is one of those albums where it doesn't ruin the experience. I would possibly even argue that the crappy production style suits this album. Who needs bass anyway...the guitars are where it's at! (If this were jazz, then not hearing the bass would be a problem. It's not that I think bass is unimportant, it's just that Metallica's music was never written to make bass all that important. It usually just layers the guitars, which are bottom-heavy enough anyway.)