JoeLumb's Album Review Metallica's "...And Justice For All" (1988)

 August 25,2023 is the 35th anniversary of Metallica's fourth record "...And Justice For All" the first with new bassist Jason Newsted formerly of  a metal band out in Arizona called Flotsam and Jetsam. After the tragic death of Bassist Cliff Burton while on a European Tour in late September of 1986. 

"Justice" was recorded from January 28,1988 to May 1,1988 at One on One Recording Studio in Los Angeles,California initially Metallica hired Mike Clink to produce the record however he was fired and Fleming Rasmussen was brought in to oversee the album's production. Rasmussen had produced two of Metallica's previous efforts "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets" "...And Justice for All" was a much different record than "Lightning" and "Puppets" The Mixing of the album was different than the two previous albums according to Rasmussen himself he was not there when the mixing took place that was on Steve Thompson  and Michael Barbiero. Then James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich did something  that was unheard of back then. They instructed to have the basswork of Newsted nearly inaudible, Rasmussen had no idea why they would instruct that and it was out of his hands. 

Now as far as the music and lyrics from "...And Justice For All" it was more of a concept record easing more into the progressive heavy metal sound than their trademark genre of thrash metal. The Concept behind Justice has themes of political and legal injustices,political violence,governmental corruption,censorship and war. While their previous album "Master of Puppets" it's lyrical themes deal with manipulation,control,drug use and ofcourse violence.

"...And Justice For All" was released in the U.S. on August 25,1988 made it's debut on the Billboard 200 at #6 and since then the album has gone 8 times platinum in American alone while selling millions more across the world.  "One" became a music video and it has since then became a live staple at all of their shows. The song "One" was unoficially nicknamed an anti-war anthem for the lyrica that portrayed of a wounded soldier who lost all of his body parts,but is still alive. The Music Video for "One" has clips of a 1971 movie "Johnny Got His Gun" taken from a 1939 novel of the same name authored by Dalton Trumbo. 

What are my favorite songs from "Justice"? "Blackened" the title track "One","Harvester of Sorrow" and "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" Overall Rating of the record is a 75/100 It was not as polished as "Ride the Lightning" or as complete as "Master of Puppets" but "Justice" delivered when it comes to it's guitar solos from Kirk Hammett.