1. Metallica / ...And Justice For All. 1988. 5/5.

Following on from three ground-breaking and all-time great metal albums, offset by the tragic loss of bass guitarist Cliff Burton, Metallica returned to the studio and produced an album that arguably outstripped them all.

Let’s get through the negative from the outset. New bass guitarist Jason Newsted could just as well have taken an extra six months off for the effect he has on this recording. If he had been turned down in the mix any lower, then his amps would have been at -1, not 11. Turn the bass up on your stereo when you listen to the album. You get the bass drum ticking away like a metronome in your chest, but the bass guitar is still in the background.
There can also be a case made for just how tight and exacting the instruments are on this album. Is it sterile as some have suggested, or just clinical? It's open to opinion and interpretation. There is no doubt that there is a much fuller sound on their album that follows this one, but does that make it better? In 1988, this was the bees knees.

...And Justice for All is a testament to the amazing growth in the band, to all that they had seen and learned in the previous years, both as artists and people. Hetfield's lyrics are cutting and concise, blisteringly brutal in places, much like the music that accompanies them. There is nothing friendly or polite here. Hetfield takes his thoughts and shoves them up you nose with force. Feel his anger at the stupidity rife in the world. It is a subtle as a blow from a brick to the head. Environmental issues ("Blackened"), injustice ("...And Justice for All"), the horrors of war ("One"), and even politely informing your parents of their wrongs ("Dyers Eve") are all covered here.

It's not just the lyrical content that shines here. The progressive arrangement of the songs is amazing. as heavy as they are, the time changes and the arrangement of the song structures is ahead of its time, so far ahead of what any other metal band of any denomination was doing at the time. It was the benchmark for metal moving into a new decade.

What can you say about one of the all-time classics. This album blew away even the metal world when it was released in 1988. It was just another step up from what Metallica had achieved before, and is a masterpiece.
Arguments will always ensue as to the greatest Metallica album. Rest assured this is as close as you can get if you don't already believe it is. Almost without peer was the tour which followed this album. I can vouch that it still remains one of the best I have ever seen. It also became the turning point in Metallica's career. It was the close of the first chapter of their story. For many, it went downhill from this point. Others believe that the best was yet to come. Almost all will agree that this was a ground breaking classic.

Rating:  "Blackened is the end... winter it will send..."  5/5