Metallica - ...And Justice for All (1988)

There's just so much I could write about Metallica. I once wrote a piece on their album "Master of Puppets" (read here). Recently I wrote a personal note on their 2013 concert in Jakarta (read here). If Bon Jovi was the reason I started listening to heavy metal, then Metallica is the reason why I loved the music.

I remember sometimes in my Junior High School, circa 1987. My friend introduced me to the album "Kill 'em All." It was the music I've never heard before. Very loud, very heavy, yet melodious at the same time. There were so much energy from the music. They said heavy metal songs made you want to do destructive things. I disagree with it. Just ask the FPI guys, how many of them listened to Metallica. Even if they did, how many of them were triggered by the music.

After "Kill 'em All" I was lucky because I get to hear their mini-album "Garage Days Revisited." It was a training session for their new bass player Jason Newsted. That was a rare record, at that time I did't know how precious it was. I was lucky for the second tie to have a friend who had the copy of "Cliff 'em All" - a compilation video of their concerts with Cliff Burton who just died in a traffic accident.

Later in 1988 I got "...And Justice for All" as a birthday present. Third time lucky. That album really brought rock music to a different level. "Kill 'em All" was raw, explosive, spontaneous. In "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets", Metallica showed that they were not just rock musicians - they were brilliant composers (remember "The Cal of Ktulu", "Orion"?). I think their creativity really culminated in "Justice." Blackened was just the perfect opening for the album. ...And Justice for All, the second track, was just brilliant. Eye of the Beholder allowed me to take a deep breath before listening to the masterpiece, One.

The only disappointment from the album is the missing bass sound. Jason Newsted later accused that as a prank or hazing by Ulrich and Hetfield. But Hetfield explained that in his rhyhm and Newsted's bass sounds were competing for the same space. Hetfield mainly played in low notes, while Newsted simply doubled his rhythm.

As we know, Metallica changed their sound after this album. I still follow their music until the self-titled aka "Black Album", but not after that. But Metallica is a giant, and nobody can deny.

Favorite track: everything