Metallica- ...And Justice For All

Pretty much everyone has at least heard the name, "Metallica." Starting over thirty years ago, they have become one of the most influential metal bands in history. Metallica have released ten full studio albums and multiple live and compilation albums and last even released a 3D movie.

Personally I think ...And Justice For All was their best album. It was the fourth album released by the band in 1988 and the first album to feature bassist Jason Newsted. The album was very musically progressive and featured long and complex songs, fast tempos, and technical verse-chorus structures. The album's songs' dark lyrics mainly focused on themes of political and legal injustice, as seen through the acts of war, censored speech, and nuclear brinkmanship.

The album cover shows a statue of Lady Justice cracked, blindfolded, and held down by ropes with her breasts exposed and money in both of her scales. The title of the album is written on the cover in graffiti-type writing.

Soon after ...And Justice For All was released, the album immediately started getting great reviews by critics all over the world. In a review for Rolling Stone, Michael Azerrad said Metallica's compositions are impressive and called the album's music "a marvel of precisely channeled aggression." There were very few negative reviews for the album. Eventually, Metallica was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Peformance, but unfortunately lost to Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave. The album became so popular that the band created their first music video for perhaps their most famous song of all time, "One."

...And Justice For All has not been Metallica's most successful album, but it's definitely one of the best in my opinion. Personally, I think in order, Metallica's best albums are:
1. ...And Justice For All
2. Ride the Lightning
3. Master of Puppets
4. Metallica (also known as "The Black Album")
5. Kill 'Em All
6. Death Magnetic
7. Reload
8. Load
9. St. Anger

Here is a video of the album "...And Justice For All" in its entirety. Tell me what you think about the album and what your favorite Metallica album is. I'd love to hear what you have to say!

"Metallica." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Feb. 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

XMetallicSoul. "Metallica - ...And Justice For All [Full Album]." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Aug. 2012. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

Ives, Brian. ...And Justice For All. N.d. Photograph. Radio.com. CBS Local Media, 22 Aug. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.