... AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

Having been amused to Metallica's "Death Magnetic" album, I tried to spin another album. Thanks to all of you who have mailed me about the recommendation on which Metallica album I should explore further. There was a strong recommendation that I should continue with "Ride The Lightning" but unfortunately I have not got yet the CD. So I draw "..And Justice for All" from my CD shelf and tried to spin it last night. This was not the first spin because I did try long time ago to understand the album that most of metalheads consider as the best album by Metallica. Unfortunately the album turned me down at first spin because I hate the way Ulrich played his drum on the opening track "Blackened" - it's so bad and annoying. So I did not continue exploring the entire album - merely due to the opening track! But last night was different. I have been exposed deeply into Death Magnetic which I really love and I till keep playing it until recently. And for your information, when I listened to Death Magnetic, I used "prog" ears instead of metal ears. The result was impressive: I considered the album masterpiece.

When I played ".And Justice For All" last night, I used "Black Sabbath" ears and I could understand that the music of AJfA is basically the further development of Black Sabbath with heavier riffs (instead of using power chords), rough drumming, and faster tempo. And you know what time did I play the CD of AJfA? It was 2 AM in the morning, with relatively loud volume to get the music subtleties. The result of last night listening was that: yeah . finally I could digest the music and I consider this album is truly an excellent metal album with a bit of prog elements. The elements of prog are not as intense as Death Magnetic but there are still a bit. Even though I still have some reservation about "Balckened" drumming, but I really enjoy the album in its entirety. My favorite tracks include ".And Justice for All" and "To Live is To Die" (most favorite). I can understand why I love "To Live is To Die". It's basically about the song that is being instrumental and it's music flow from start to end which I really love. Of course, I do enjoy Kirk Hammet's solo and Hetfeld's rhythm guitar.

I understand also why I did not notice this album at the time of release in 1988 .. it's merely by that time, since 1983, my ears and my mind were full with Marillion's music. And 1988 saw the darkest period of Marillion since Fish left the band. But I still played the music of Marillion and stop purchasing rock music because I was so disappointed with the departure of Fish. If my friend introduced me with " ..And Justice for All" I definitely refused the music because it was not the right momentum. And now I am getting older, but I am much more interested with heavier side of prog music.

Overall, this is an excellent album that suits those of you who love the heavy side of music. You will enjoy the guitar solo backed with drumwork. Unfortunately, bass lines are not quite tight throughout the record. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW (i-Rock! Music Community)