...And Justice for All

[Benny H]

AJFA was first stuff I really wanted to be able play on guitar.

Song writing wise it's still a benchmark. (personally Dyers Eve is the only weak point)

It's ironic.. or something.. that this album inspired me a lot, and played a large part in setting me off on the path to writing music.
But at the same time, the fact that I can't come close to constructing such long absorbing pieces out of good parts is a BIG wall that I hit.
It's kinda like the archetype of proper metal songs taken to their full potential in my mind. And until I get there I've still got nothing.. no matter how good riffs, leads or sections etc.

 

[Russtopher]

It's tough for me to be subjective on this, because to me Metallica stopped being a good band after AJFA. I've never liked the music on the Black album, I agree that the production is stellar and a landmark, but the songs on it signified the decline of Metallica's songwriting.

To me, MoP was much more mindblowing of an album, I remember my friend sneaking into his uncle's room while he was asleep (hungover) and taking that tape out, and listening to it for hours on end. Production wise it doesn't match up to AJFA or the Black album, but the impact I think is much greater.

 

[Nick M]

One of the most influential albums of my generation (i'm 32) it was the 8o's 'sergeant pepper' in so many ways.


I understand all the reasons younger musicians have now to not like 80's and 90's metal and it's production, it's the same reason/s alot of people from my generation had for not liking 60's and 70's music. The Urge to fit in with the masses.
This disqualifies you from being a 'true' musician. I say this after having taught hundreds of kids ranging from 5 to 18 in schools for the past 14 years so I have seen every kind of attitude towards music and its various styles.

You may be the best shredder in the world, can cover any metal song ever written and have the perfect Pod Tact, BUT if you have ever said statements such as 'fuck man I hate (insert style of music here) It is shit, no one likes it, and fuck dude they can't even play I mean did you hear that gat solo, must have only been using about 4 notes, boring!'
Or something similar... Any way to me that person is not a true musician. Music appreciation is the first and most important rule of musicians club.
At least I hope its not to talk about musicians club otherwise I just broke the first rule of musicians club... twice. :Smug:

I do not mean you should love every style of music that we have, I am not even saying you have to LIKE them, but to say it is SHIT and to imply that a style or band had no real influence on them or others is just a narrow minded view on what is reality.
I think Jimi Hendrix is one of the greatest guitar players of all time.
I did not say he was the fastest because it takes more than speed to make you the best.
He did more than that, he brought guitar playing to the spotlight of the world, he pushed boundaries with sound, distortion and FX. He did not care what others were doing. So lets get to the point:
Jimi was a blues guitar player so the roots of HIS influences go back hundreds of years.
Jimi influenced a whole generation of new guitar players such as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.
Joe taught Kirk Hammet...
He played on Justice...
Metallica influenced almost every single metal band in the world today and without their influence metal would not be covered in TACT.
It is quite possible to assume that without Jimi there would be no Metallica. Without Metallica where would metal be then? Doesn't that make Jimi pretty damned important to us all?
Just because you don't like something does not mean it is shit and un-important. Learn to appreciate other styles for what they are. Every style of music is hard in it's own way and takes a life time to master and therefore deserves respect. Think of it like family, blues is like the great, great, great grandfather of metal. We all have some family we don't like but we know without them we would not be here now.


This is one of those moments in music history, it pushed boundaries and influenced a whole generation. I love this album.

I love this. Nice different perspective that made me think

 

[HandsOfDespair]

I remember when I heard AJFA for the first time, I was in high school at this time and I was just starting to listen to metal, I was in the middle of a transition between punk music and metal. I remember I was listening to a lot of Slipknot at this time.

I really hated AJFA haha. My friends put it in the CD player and I was like ''These songs are WAY too long'', ''WTF 2 minutes without vocals?''. It's funny because a couple of months later I discovered prog music with bands like Opeth and Dream Theater, and then I liked AJFA.

 

[dan weapon]

People forget that back in '88/89 this was pretty forward thinking in many ways. Brutal guitar tone and scooped triggery sounding kick drum (not to mention the machine gun bit at the end of 'One'). It had a massive impact on Death Metal production values and genre, even though you don't associate it with that.

I love it. Sonically and musically it still crushes. But that's just me and I'm blinded by my childhood memories.

 

[Felix Neumann]

People forget that back in '88/89 this was pretty forward thinking in many ways. Brutal guitar tone and scooped triggery sounding kick drum (not to mention the machine gun bit at the end of 'One'). It had a massive impact on Death Metal production values and genre, even though you don't associate it with that.

I love it. Sonically and musically it still crushes. But that's just me and I'm blinded by my childhood memories.

^This exactly sums it up what I think about the album, production wise They did pioneering work with that album, especially for extreme Metal genres.

 

[Taurean]

James' vocals are the sickest and angriest of all albums on Justice. I like that it sounds like the way it does: better than having the template/cookie cutter production aimed for these days.
One of the early uses of kick drum triggering with midi.

 

[ratsapprentice]

I can tell I am older than most of you, so quick bit of history... I used to go see Metallica play at the Nightbreak in San Francisco, before Kill 'em All came out. At the time, they were one of only very few American bands playing that fast and with the guitars so prominent in the mix. Between MoP and AJFA, Cliff died and the band nabbed up Jason N. and shoved him in the line-up as "bass player x" to make the 4th man, but they sure didn't let him out of his box for the record. In fact, if you listen to Garage Days Re-Revisited (between MoP and AJFA), the bass is actually mixed much higher. I think this is because they were all cover songs - making it harder to justify their "washing him out."

The Black Album (or whatever it's called) is not even a Metallica record, imho. It's a record written solely for the purpose of "bringing metal to the masses" and the brain child of Bob Rock who (while he DID do a great job twisting the nobs) sucked the life out of what was once an ANGRY FREAKIN' band.

Hardly state secrets buddy.

 

[prostetnic]

One of the early uses of kick drum triggering with midi.

Are you sure? I heard Rasmussen taped coins to the beaters to get that click.

 

[greyskull]

Okay... Im gonna throw an unpopular spanner in the works....
Short of the last two; my least favourite Metallica Album in every respect.

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BASS.... oh that's right on the master tape that got chewed up....
damn you ADAT

 

[axeman720]

No adat on this record it wasnt even available to the public at the time this record was made for another 3 years. It was recorded to tape and then put on a sony digital 48 track...

They just kept turning the bass down during the final mix.


And i've also never heard of any triggering going on for that record... but that doesnt mean there wasnt. Tons of editing for sure, just dont know about any triggering.

 

[greyskull]

No adat on this record it wasnt even available to the public at the time this record was made for another 3 years. It was recorded to tape and then put on a sony digital 48 track...

They just kept turning the bass down during the final mix.


And i've also never heard of any triggering going on for that record... but that doesnt mean there wasnt. Tons of editing for sure, just dont know about any triggering.

Thats the one...
My bad.

 

[xxxGRAVESxxx]

And justice for cannot compare to their other albums hands down one is the best song from that album

 

[Adari]

And justice for cannot compare to their other albums hands down one is the best song from that album

No, there is no "best song" on the album. 'One' is your favourite song on the album. '...And Justice For All' is my favourite track, and the album is by far my favourite Metallica album.

 

[dan weapon]

No, there is no "best song" on the album. 'One' is your favourite song on the album. '...And Justice For All' is my favourite track, and the album is by far my favourite Metallica album.

Exactly the same here mate. AJFA is my favourite song and album.

Your opinion is also more valid to me as you understand the importance of punctuation, which means you don't come across as a cretin.

 

[guitarguru777]

Are you sure? I heard Rasmussen taped coins to the beaters to get that click.

The coins were taped to the drum head not the beater.

You take 2 coins and use gaffers tape to put them where a strike pad wouild be on a kick. That gives you a distinctive TICK and you still get "da boom". Every kid in my high school was doing it from 88 to 95.

 

[Bloodsoaked666]

This album sounds like pure garbage to me, this was the end of Metallica for me. I remember waiting in a small line for the midnight release of this album. My friends and I all bought the album and hated it. Some ok songs but the production and guitar tone is pure garbage. Nothing they have done or ever will do will come close to ride the... or master, nothing, ever.

 

[AEL89]

Favourite Metallica album and I love the production. Its just the perfect representation of where they were at emotionally and musically - it had to sound like that. First album without Cliff? Turn the bass down! Listen to the aggression in the palm mutes, the scoopage, the amount of gain on the guitars! There's anger, resentment to Jason and a sense of injustice about Cliff in that tone!

They wanted the Garage Days vibe but it came out even angrier and more raw when they were pouring all the emotion into their own songs. I don't think it would have been Justice if they'd made it sound somewhere between Puppets and the Black Album.

Sometimes I feel that elements of AJFA have influenced proggier metal since then. Good to see a lot of love for such a cool album.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Have you guys not heard the stems from this album? The bass is a huge part of the sound. It just blends with the guitars.

 

[crillemannen]

Have you guys not heard the stems from this album? The bass is a huge part of the sound. It just blends with the guitars.

+ that Jason plays really really really good