Search - Metallica :: And Justice for All (Mlps)

Rage Before The Machine!

Brent Evans | Rockhampton, Australia | 06/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After an extended layoff period and a classic `covers' ep, Metallica returned with a vengeance on AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. All the anger and sadness they held in on the death of bassist Cliff Burton was unleashed on the record buying public. The album is full of seething vocals and complex chord and tempo changes, with melody at its centre. Lars Ulrich (drummer) and Kirk Hammet (lead guitar) have never played better. Unfortunately for new boy bassist Jason Newsted, the house producer Fleming Rasmussen buries his contributions way into the mix, so it sometimes sounds like he's absent. However, this complaint aside, if you wish to hear some truly angry heavy metal way before `Rage Against The Machine' raised its collective voice in protest, check out the true rage and beauty of this release.BLACKENED - Starting, as the two previous Metallica albums on a deceptively soft note, this anti -war track suddenly roars to life with a snarl at it's heart, courtesy of James Hetfield. Jason Newsted's bass sounds like a buzz saw as Hetfield's spits out horror filled images: "Fire! To begin whipping dance of the dead". The abrupt change of pace in the track's middle only goes to prove what an impressive drummer Lars Ulrich can be. Kirk Hammet's lead solo incredibly shows an improvement since the `Master of Puppets' album. An intelligent update of the `Ride the Lightning' leadoff track, `Fight Fire With Fire'.AND JUSTICE FOR ALL - Another soft build-up into a shout of protest. This time the target's the buying off of justice and the corruption of the system. The chorus is a total damnation of the unfairness of it all. Lars pounds every part of his kit in a display of virtuosity that only some metal drummers can manage. This track may be around 9 minutes in length, but I guarantee you'll be transfixed for that amount of time. "Hammer of justice crushes you, overpower . . ." Indeed.EYE OF THE BEHOLDER - A strident track decrying the erosion of freedom and rights.Again, the chorus grabs you by the throat and won't let go." Freedom . . . with their exception!" The beat on the track is very militaristic.ONE - The first Metallica song with an accompanying video. This has got to be my favourite Metallica song of all time. The tale of a soldier who has stepped on a land mine and now is an armless, legless, and blind vegetable. You can almost hear the desperation, the pain and the fury of being hooked up to a life support machine in Hetfield's vocal performance. The track goes from heavy ballad to out- and-out thrash with a deft flick of the wrist. Kirk's searing lead break and Ulrich's machine gun drumming compliment the tune perfectly.SHORTEST STRAW - Powerhouse, fast paced monster about paranoia, ostracism, being the victim of witchhunts and blacklisting, and mental pressure. The one thing that's a certainty on Metallica albums, are catchy choruses and `Justice . . .' has plenty of those.HARVESTER OF SORROW - A lumbering evil tune about child abuse and how a victim can repeat what has happened to them on the next generation. The rhythm section sounds like an `Imperial Walker' crushing all under foot. I especially like the `answer vocal' on the chorus.FRAYED EDGE OF SANITY - Beginning with a musical in-joke (the band plays `The Guards' March' from `The Wizard Of Oz') then revving up for a tale of paranoia sliding into mental illness. This is pure head banging material with a literate edge.TO LIVE IS TO DIE - A fitting epitaph to supreme bassist Cliff Burton (the lyrics are his), the band puts all they have into this mournful, melodic cruncher of an instrumental that ranks up there with `Pulling Teeth', `Orion' and `The Call Of Ktutlu'. May he always be sadly missed.DYER'S EVE - A thrash masterpiece to end the album. This is a scream of rage towards parents who dictate and censor without supplying love or encouragement. Hetfield's voice spews venom and the track's instrumentation is stabbing, relentless. One final roared, "Go!" and the album is finished; leaving you emotionally spent. What a musical ride."

BEST METAL ALBUM IN EXISTENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David | California | 08/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is without a doubt (in my opinion) not only the best Metallica album in existence, but It is the best metal album in existence.BLACKENED- Like previous first Metallica tracks, it slowly builds into absolute mayhem as James screams anti-war lyrics. Lars stays busy, and really shines on this song. This is my favorite Metallica song of all time.AND JUSTICE FOR ALL- This is by far one of the most sophisticated, intricate, and complex metal songs ever. Clocking in at over nine minutes, this song takes you on the ride of your life, and when its finally over, you are left, shocked at what you just heard. You cannot count the changes in pace/tone on one hand in this song. This is definately a song that Kirk shines on.EYE OF THE BEHOLDER- Another awesome song with some great lyrics. "You can do it your own way, as long as its done just how i say." ONE- The first Metallica song with a video made for it. Also one of their best songs of all time. Goes from semi-ballad like to all out headbanging thrash metal. In the last few minutes you cannot help but headbang.SHORTEST STRAW- Great overall song with some awesome riffs and drum kicks. The chorus fits perfectly into the tone/atmosphere that the song creates.HARVESTER OF SORROW- Slower, more violent song about how people who are abused as children sometimes bring that abuse to the generation following theres. One of my favorite songs on the album.FRAYED ENDS OF SANITY- Great headbanging song, you will headbang, just because the rhythm of the song begs you to. Great all around song with awesome riffs and great vocals.TO LIVE IS TO DIE- This song is an ode to Metallica's late bassist Cliff Burton. Though its an instrumental, its incredibly heavy and works into a heavy ballad style song.DYERS EVE- This song and BLACKENED are the fastest songs on the album. Lars shows what he's made of in this song, and you can't help but give him props for being able to play drums as fast as he does on this song. The song is about parents to dictate to their children, and do not offer encouragement.IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THIS ALBUM, BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!"

The End of an Era...

Campbell Roark | from under the floorboards and through the woods.. | 11/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Epic. This is the line of demarcation... The toe in the dirt scrawling out the line bewteen fans of the old-school thrash Metallica and their more pop-conscious fans of the new. It's also my favorite Metallica CD, I find it to be their most consistently BADASS. Epic riffs, sprawling density; the songs are allowed to take up as much time and aural texture as is needed ("...And Justice For All" and "To Live Is To Die," both clock in at just under 10 minutes).



This one: Exceptionally well-paced, a tad thinly recorded, brutal sonic delivery. Killer legendary tracks. Thematically unified, this would be Metallica's most socially-driven release as most, if not all, of the tracks seem to deal (in some way) with ostracism, petty-tribal-hates, the plight of those passed-over, those forgotten, those stepped on or kicked out of the way... James's vitriol is unleashed in full! No sleepers, no skippers.



Something I don't see noted in here much: the drums! Lars really pounds the living soul out of himself on this one. There's more variety and interesting bass-drum fill work on this one than previous (and following) releases. It almost sounds like a different drummer at times. Early Metallica skin-work always comes off as a tad marginal... That's probably because I don't know anything about drums beyond digging double-bass-kicks. This one brings them aplenty.



...From the melodic building electric drone of the first track "Blackened," (which infectiously sets the tone for the what is to come), to the take-no-prisoners thrash mayhem of "Dyers Eve," a blistering and acerbic closer.



Some high points: The parts in "Eye Of The Beholder" When James starts howling "Independence, Liberty! FREEEEEDOM!" he comes off like a metal Braveheart, Plus it has one of all-time fave screechy "wong-wong--wong-WONG-WAAAAAHHH!!!!! blast-off" solos.



The chorus of "...And Justice..." is just killer. "Justice is rrraped, justice is DONE!" Recalling, "Master of Puppets" with its "pulling your strings, justice is done," line... Loss of Power/Control being an oft-recurrent major theme in the Metallica corpus.



I'm not gonna gush on and on about how slick the transistions are in "One," from the softer melodic poignance to all out thrash-insanity, seeing as how everybody knows the tune in question. But it does never seem to get old, at least to these ears.



The instrumental "To Live is to Die," is better than prior instrumental tracks (yes, there I said it- someone had to); the snakey blues-metal solo is sick, and then there's the dynamic shifting in the song...



Love the "Oh-EEE-OH," chorus opening off "Frayed Ends of Sanity," that could've sounded kitschy and dumb but the guys pull it off making it the only time anyone has referenced "The Wizard of Oz," in an ominous manner.



Nitpicking: As many other reviewers have noted- You can't hear the bass. As in: at all. It's just not there. These tunes are bassless accusations, mwah-hah-hah... Given how awful James, Lars and Kirk treated Jason for something like the first 4 years he was with them; maybe this is but one more sign of that... Still, as I think Jason is an interesting metal bassman (a rare breed) I wish there were more low-end theory on this classic... Maybe when it gets the remaster in however many years, they'll crank up the BOOM... Which remindeth me, O my brothers- completely off the topic at hand: AVOID AT ALL COSTS THE NEW MEGADETH REMASTERS; the vocals are unbelievably bad. I know, I listened. I suffered so that you don't have to: we all know Mustaine was never an able crooner to begin with (not that his chosen mode of expression demands that) but... wow. They're just plain awful, the new vox. You want to tell yourslef, "Hey it ain't that bad, but that tiny part of your soul that knows spit from spinola just keeps nudging you saying, "Dude... Umm... Dude... Just turn it off."



Back to Metallica: This one catches some flak from most fans I think, despite the fact that those who dig on this one dig the holy hell out of it.



Oh... This is perhaps the best weight-lifting CD ever. The tracks ably segue into each other so well... Great for maintaining consistent anger and power output for multiple sets of squats and deadlifts."