Metallica - ...And Justice for All

Artist - Metallica
Album - ...And Justice For All
Released - August 25, 1988
Reviewed By - Siddique Humayun

...And Justice for All is the fourth album by one of the biggest, if not "t3h" biggest metal band of the world, Metallica. Released on August 25, 1988, the album starts off with the song, "Blackened" which by now has become a fan favorite. "Blackened" is the first song which was co-written by Jason Newsted. The song deals with the topic of the end of world due to a nuclear warfare. This album not only pushes the boundary further set up by the immortal, landmark of metal, Master of Puppets, but defines the sound of the genre to its roots. It's by far Metallica's most technically complex and fast album, which not only features lightning fast drumming but amazingly techincal riffs and lead guitars.

Each song deals with topics that are as real as life itself. The album focuses on the political scene and attacks the corruption directly. The title song talks about "Halls of Justice Painted Green". Eye of the Beholder talks about limited freedom whereas the song, One has become a heavy metal anthem by time. One was also the first song for which Metallica made a video, one of their finest videos of all time. Mainly the album talks about the miseries of war and the corruption of politics. The album showcases lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett's finest guitar work, the guitar solos on the song, Dyers Eve, The Frayed Ends of Sanity and the title song are a must-hear for any guitar-enthusiast. Dyers Eve also shows the thuderous drumming by Lars Ulrich, extremely technical and fast double-bass alongwith the riffs that match up the speed, Dyers Eve is one of the finest songs on this album.

The album features a tribute song to their late and great bassist, Cliff Burton. The song is aptley titled "To Live is to Die" and is basically an instrumental based on Burton's unused riffs along with the famous stanza of Burton which is read by Hetfield in between the song; '...can not the kingdom of salvation take me home..'

The album is highly recommended for any metal fan, and is one of Metallica's finest!

Rating - 5/5

Tracklisting -

1. Blackened (Hetfield, Newsted, Ulrich) - 6:42

2. ...And Justice for All - 9:45

3. Eye of the Beholder - 6:25

4. One (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 7:26

5. The Shortest Straw (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 6:35

6. Harvester of Sorrow (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 5:45

7. The Frayed Ends of Sanity - 7:44

8. To Live Is to Die (Hetfield, Cliff Burton, Ulrich) - 9:48

9. Dyers Eve - 5:13