Band:	Metallica
Album:	...And Justice For All
Style:	Bay Area thrash metal
Release date:	August 1988

01. Blackened
02. ...And Justice For All
03. Eye Of The Beholder
04. One
05. The Shortest Straw
06. Harvester Of Sorrow
07. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity
08. To Live Is To Die
09. Dyers Eve
10. The Prince [Diamond Head cover] [Japanese bonus]
11. One [live] [digital reissue bonus]
12. ...And Justice For All [live] [digital reissue bonus]

When I came across Aguirre's review of Metallica's '...And Justice For All', I immediately spewed Coca-Cola everywhere and threatened the non-stickiness of my keyboard. I didn't see it coming, I guess. Aguirre is entitled to his opinion, but what follows is my review of Metallica's 'last great' and 'progressive' album.

Within 30 seconds of listening to the album it is easy to tell it has a sound unlike any other album before it. The guitars are paper-thin, the drums are 'clinky', and sometimes you forget the band has a bassist. However, the sound fits the songs perfectly and it would be hard to imagine them with 'Ride The Lightning' or 'Master Of Puppets' era production.

The album starts off fantastically with 'Blackened'. It's about the end of the earth through nuclear war, much like 'Fight Fire With Fire' from Ride The Lightning. The title track is excellent and progressive. "One" is great (though it is overrated). I crank up my speakers while driving 80 mph down the freeway at 3:54. It's one of my all time favourite parts to any Metallica song. Other highlights are up, down, abound and around such as the slower 'Harvester Of Sorrow', the semi-instrumental 'To Live Is To Die' with a few lyrics penned by the late great Cliff Burton (RIP), and the farewell to Thrash speed of 'Dyers Eve'. The only song I find boring is 'Eye Of The Beholder', and even then I love the chorus.

This is an angry album. James is at his rage-spitting best here. It's great to listen to now and I can't imagine what the people thought when they heard this back in 1988. Plus it sounds even better today standing next to the following three Metallica albums beginning with 'Load'. It's a great, angry, slightly progressive, slightly slower album that deserves respect. It gets criticized due to its sound and progressiveness. I do not think this is a Progressive Metal album. It has progressive tinges and dabbles in it a little, but this is still a Thrash album.

...And Justice For All is not as good as the previous two Metallica albums in my opinion, but it is still a classic Metallica release and shouldn't be considered otherwise. Crank it up!