#441: Metallica - ...And Justice for All (1988)

Zack: I’m not going to look it up, but I think we last listened to Metallica in the summer of 2011, because I think I had just moved into my apartment on 8^th St. before junior year of college. So we’re just getting back to Metallica like 6 years later, which is crazy. But it does make me a bit nostalgic, and that gets me thinking about how far my musical tastes have developed since then and how big a role this blog has had in that. When we started this endeavor, I would have said that I hated metal and country music. And while neither are my favorite genres by any stretch, I now have a more nuanced view based on subgenres and eras. On the country front, I spent this past week obsessively listening to Jason Isbell’s newest album and trying to figure out how difficult it would be to go to Columbia, MD to see Sturgill Simpson. And on the metal front, there’s how much thought I put in to deciding when to listen to …And Justice for All. Occasionally, I get into certain moods where I crave Metallica (and one or two other similar bands). I’ll listen to Ride the Lightning and the Black Album two or three times in a row and it’ll just feel perfect. But if I’m not in one of those headspaces, the music just doesn’t do the same things for me. And I really wanted to like this album, so I put off listening to it for well over a week, just waiting for the right time. Well, on a lazy Saturday afternoon, the time was right. I hit play, and I’m so glad I waited. I liked …And Justice for All a lot. Not more than I like the two other Metallica albums I listed above, but more than enough. It was kind of rough sounding, but sometimes that is exactly what you need. The guitar work was frequently exquisite, flipping between rumbling and growling and more virtuoso segments. It was a very dynamic album. My main complaint is that a number of the songs go on for a minute or two too long. They’re not overly repetitive – Metallica are always changing things up throughout the course of each song – but they just feel like they’ve run their course, and then just keep trucking on. That point's minor, though, as overall …And Justice for All really stood out as a powerful piece of art…if the mood is right anyway.

Favorite Tracks: One; To Live Is to Die; Blackened

Emily: I took a quick look back at my previous Metallica review (Zack was right - it was from August 2011) to see what I thought about the band before. I basically described it as kinder, gentler metal music than some of what we had experienced before, which greatly improved my listening experience. I think the same holds true for ...And Justice for All. The songs are tightly constructed with intricate guitars, and the sound is powerful enough to fill a stadium without feeling like your head is getting screamed off. It's no wonder that Metallica is still going strong today, and that One - the standout track on this album - is a permanent fixture in their setlist.

Favorite Tracks: One; Blackened; Eye of the Beholder

#127: Metallica - Metallica (1991)

 

Zack: When someone starts talking about “The Black Album,” I immediately go to Jay-Z. Then to AC/DC. Then to a series of artists with other color-based albums like The Beatles and Weezer. Then the person I’m talking to realizes I’m not paying attention and informs me that they were discussing the merits of Metallica’s Black Album. It makes sense for them to do so. It’s sold over 22 million copies. It spawned six singles. It’s received almost universal critical acclaim. It even won a Grammy. But die-hard metal fans still look at it leery-eyed. From what I’ve learned by conversing with several metalhead friends, Metallica is basically a joke right now. They haven’t released a good album since the Black Album and are widely considered sellouts by the thrash community. These people will usually say that early Metallica is awesome, but they think the Black Album is where Metallica started pursuing a more commercial approach at the cost of their thrash roots. Well, if that’s true, then I’m so glad Metallica decided to sell out. I haven’t listened to any of the older Metallica albums, but I know that the thought of listening to them terrifies me like a small furry animal that has a hawk circling over it. But this? This I can handle. Unfortunately, that accessibility upset a notoriously exclusive metal community. So when the next couple Metallica albums came out and they weren’t as objectively good as the Black Album, the die-hard metalheads felt betrayed. But we’re not talking about them. We’re just talking about the Black Album. And it’s not hard to see why it got so big. It’s a strong album that combines a really hard edge and a slower pace (by thrash metal standards at least) that can be appreciated by a much wider audience. Plus, just look at the handy-dandy year we include in each post. The beginning of the nineties: a big time for music. People may remember that era for Nirvana and grunge, but it was really just a rejection of all the weak ‘80s music. When Generation X hit their late teens and twenties, they had had enough of that hair metal bullshit. Metallica offered an out from all that, and when it became easy for the everyday radio listener to get into it, the perfect formula for metal success was born.

Favorite Tracks: Enter Sandman; Wherever I May Roam; The Struggle Within

Emily: As I look at the list of metal albums on our list, I must say that I’m slightly afraid. The sheer quantity of ear-splitting, hard-rocking, head-banging metal is simply dizzying. My ears already hurt at the thought of it, especially after our experience with Ministry a few months back. However, Metallica surprised me. This is the album with Enter Sandman, the one where they allegedly went mainstream. I gotta say, mainstream Metallica works for me. It’s not scary or overpowering; it’s much more subdued than most metal. This renders it much more creative, interesting, and listener-friendly. However, subdued Metallica is still Metallica – even the slower tracks still rock hard. With strong songwriting and intense metal instrumentals, the entire album certainly merits many a headbang.

Favorite Tracks: Enter Sandman; Nothing Else Matters; Wherever I May Roam