Metallica

And Justice For All, a point in the iconic Metallica's career when they ran out of ideas to the extreme limit. So for their next record Metallica make major changes in their music. In this album Metallica quit playing thrash metal altogether. The music is mid paced and even laid-back at times, a stark contrast from their "slaves Hebrews born to serve" days. The music is much more influenced by ACDC which may not be a good thing but yeah the band pulls in off quite well.

The music constructed is such that it fits Metallica's lack of instrumental talent perfectly. Lars Ulrich no longer has to think about multi-tracking the drum tracks as his drumming skills suit the mid paced nature of the songs. So now we do not need to complain about poor quality drumming anymore (not that he drums excellently, but still his past performances...). The riff work is so-so. Metallica always had a problem in writing mid paced riffs and on this album the problem becomes a menace. The lead work is good and so is the bass work. The vocals play a major role in the album and thankfully Hetfield sounds good for the first (and only) time in his life. I wonder why he didn't die of the shock. The vocals vary from calm whispers to heavy growls and Hetfield puts a lot of efforts in them.

The album opens with Enter Sandman which may have sounded hideous in the single, but here in the album it does not sound that bad. The problem with it is that it is quite harmless like an 'Iron Maiden Number Of The Beast' in which nothing eventful occurs and which just plods along it's length. Sad But True is much better. It is slow even slower than the opener, but heavy, crushing and the way Hetfield sings it...it is quite amazing. Holier Than Thou is where all the fans of Metallica would feel at home. It is the first song which can be labeled as thrash metal. Don't Tread On Me is similar and also quite as enjoyable. Wherever I May Roam is the highlight of the album. Everything in the sing from the intro to the huge chorus, the solo, verses, and also lyrics rock hard. It is another midpaced like sandman but this time every element in the song works perfectly as these guys wanted. Nothing Else Matters is a love ballad and much controversial song. It is as if it's arule to hate this song in metal circles. And why not? A thrash metal band playing sissy love ballads? Hideous crap, right? Wrong. Not for this particular case. Hetfield sings amazingly and the atmophere created by the synths is also amazing. Another such song is The Unforgiven. Though it may not be a ballad, it contains many soft parts like Fade To Black. Where Fade To Black contained soft verses and heavy chorus, this one contains heavy verses and soft chorus. And the chorus, what an amazing chorus it has! The solo is also quite amazing. Overall this is the best song from the album. Of Wolf And Man increases the pace by several notches and so we can't be put off. This song is another highlight. The God That Failed and My Friend Of Misery are midpaced in the vein of Sad But True and again quite good songs. They would have sounded much better if the choruses had been better. The Struggle Within is another fast cut and ends the album on a positive note.

Contrary to popular belief, this according to me is a comeback album of sots after the so-so Master Of Puppets and the disaster known as And Justice For All. This album is much more consistent, the songwriting is much more competent and thus in all angles is a much more balanced album. The filler content which was much higher compared to any respectable album in the last two records is reduced here. There are only two or three songs out of the twelve which are not enjoyable and that much consistency is good. It has been a fashionable thing to slam this album since it sold many copies and pushed Metallica out of their underground status into overnight stars. Yeah I agree that the stuff released after this sucks big time and that this album was responsible for the release of abominations known as Load, Reload. I also agree that this album inspired countless other bands to change their musical direction into commercial crap. But as long this album is an enjoyable one we can't just slam it for it's negative influence. Also this album serves as an excellent intro album into heavy metal. Having it's share of thrashy, midpaced, catchy, simple tracks and even ballads, this album can be an intro album. I have seen many punks who used to sport dyed spike haircut and Bon Jovi t shirts now listening to Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath all due to this album. I'll recommend this album to any one listening to MUSIC and wanting to check out heavy metal is, as for the metal heads I doubt if there is anyone who has not heard it. But then if you haven't go and get it.