Review of And Justice For All
By Mark Lonergan
I’m old. I’m only 24, but writing this review made me realize I’m old.
Pop culture has passed me by. I know this because I remember when ...And
Justice For All was Metallica’s new record. (They were called records back
then). Angry youths all across the country were scribbling Metallica across
their notebooks. Everywhere you looked, the crumbling image of Lady Justice was
sewn onto the backs of denim jackets. This album was a cultural event. I hate to
get all Siskel & Ebert on you, but it was.
As their first release since the death of Cliff Burton, it was a re-birth for
the group. It defied MTV, going multi-platinum long before the video for
“One” was ever released. It defied radio, generating album sales solely on
word of mouth (radio stations wouldn’t touch Metallica during that era of Bon
Jovi and Poison). And it showed the entire nation that Metallica was here to
stay.
So what about the album? It rocks. It rocks like no other album has rocked
before. It has big hairy balls the size of that funky geodesic dome in Epcot
Center. The opening track, "Blackened" is a furious assault against
the pollution generated by our commercialized society. James Hetfield proves
himself to be the ultimate rhythm player/lead singer here. His staccato riffs
meld perfectly with his barking delivery. Lars Ulrich's shows more drumming
versatility than on previous albums, changing tempos and patterns with ease.
The title track exemplifies what Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi calls "darkness
and light." It starts off with minor chord arpeggios on a clean guitar,
then unexpectedly hits your ears with a fully distorted assault. The song's
musical complexity seems to be a demonstration of what the band means when
Hetfield screams about the "rolls of red tape" clogging the justice
system.
And if Master of Puppets’ “Disposable Heroes” was a showcase for
Metallica’s rage against war, then ...And Justice For All’s “One”
was a showcase for their fear of it. Kirk Hammett provides one of metal’s best
solos during the foreboding guitar intro. Hetfield is again in prime form,
singing in an insidious tone that eventually builds to outright rage. Ulrich
again impresses with his furious double-bass work on the drum kit.
The two other big highlights on the CD are "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
and "Dyers Eve." The former begins with what sounds like a bunch of
psychotics singing a sailor's chant. Its lyrics are mundane, but the music is
incredible. Hammett plays one of the album's best solos during this track. The
latter is a fierce diatribe against uncaring, overbearing parents. Its driving
rhythms will have you headbanging for days. Compared with this, Billy Corgan's
angst sounds more like a spoiled four-year-old's whining.
So who cares if the album is so poorly mixed that you can’t hear Jason
Newsted’s bass. I don’t. This is phenomenal piece of work is a metal
masterpiece, and outdoes every metal CD that came before or since.
Mood:
Bad Break-up
Hear it?:
Buy two copies
