New England Metal Review—January 7, 1989
There are some albums that are just made to destroy sound systems. Metallica’s …And Justice For All is definitely one of these. The production on the record emphasizes Lars Ulrich’s machine gun drumming and the razor sharp guitars of Kirk Hammet and James Hetfield. It’s not a sound for the faint of heart, and the incendiary intensity of the band is pretty much unrelenting from start to finish.
…And Justice For All works because it is such a focused effort. Every song and sound belongs in the framework that Hetfield and company have constructed for the album. From the haunting backwards-tracked guitar harmonies of “Blackened” to the final slash-and-crash of “Dyer’s Eve,” the entire four sides of this collection work together perfectly.
It’s interesting for a few different reasons that AJFA is Metallica’s best work. This album had some big shoes to fit as the successor to an album as well received as Master of Puppets. Metallica took on the challenge of repeating success by taking all of the elements of their style and kicking everything up a notch: faster and more complicated riffs, heavier guitar sounds, fiercer vocals, and tighter arrangements. Also important to note is that AJFA is the first album the band has put out since the death of bassist Cliff Burton. Metallica has emerged from what could have been the end of the band and proven that there is still plenty of vitality to the band’s music.
AJFA is without a doubt an album that people will be talking about for a long time to come. With a statement like this, there can be no doubt that Metallica has been inducted into the pantheon of heavy metal legends along with Sabbath, Priest, and Maiden.
