589 Metallica - ..and Justice for All (1988)

 589 Metallica - ..and Justice for All (1988)

Studio Album - Progressive Thrash Metal 


About the Act:

Metallica were formed in 1981, became one of the "big four" bands of thrash metal, and are probably the best known (and likely the best selling) band of modern metal ("modern" meaning from about 1990 onwards, when the sound changed dramatically). They have had a fairly stable line-up, and are fronted by James Hetfield. Thus far they have released 10 studio albums, as I write this their 11th is on the way. They are famous for spearheading a campaign against the peer-to-peer sharing service Napster in 2000.

About the Album:

This was their fourth album. It has been noted that the musical structures are complex, leaning towards Prog. It has also been noted that the production is particularly "dry and sterile", and that the bass is inaudible. The producer says he was instructed to take the bass down so you can just hear it, and then take it down a bit more.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

Metallica need to eat more ice cream. Ice cream makes you happy. This is not happy music. It's thrash metal, which never seems to be happy. It's not sad, but it's fairly angry and bitter. 

Their favourite chord is E. I think it's an E "power chord" which is missing a third, so you cannot categorise it as a major or a minor chord, but the implication is minor, because another frequently used chord is G. E is a common chord in metal because that's the bottom note on a guitar. The most common noise used is a fast chugging of chords on the mega-over-driven guitar, in complex and fast switching patterns, mirrored by the drums. Usually in metal this is mirrored by the bass, but on this album the bass is inaudible. Genuinely. Patterns, time signatures and speeds all switch around in a very progressive/technical metal way. This all sounds very controlled and so somewhat negates the label "thrash". I would say that this sort of thing is about 80% of the album. The clinical-ness of the mix was probably in order to bring out the clarity of the fast hits and stops and starts. It is mostly pretty tight, and so would be fiendishly difficult to play and remember. The drums are very metal, and one thing that sticks out to me is the bass drum sound, which is quite "clicky" -it doesn't really ring, and cuts through really well. To my ear is sounds like it has been hard-compressed and then pushed up in the mix.

Sometimes there are guitar solos, although often more than one in harmony. They are either fast and technical, and remind me of Steve Vai, or slower, more lyrical, and harmonised, and remind me of "God Gave Rock n Roll To You" by Kiss. There are occasional acoustic guitar bits, which are some of my favourite bits, using a particular acoustic guitar sound that has become very dominant in metal for contrasting quiet passages. I don't know how it is achieved but it sounds to me like the strings have to be very new, heavy weight, and maybe played with a metal pick.

There is singing, and quite a lot of it, and most of it can actually be called singing. James Hetfield has a strong metal gravel quality, his voice sounds somewhat nasal to me and compressed. It's not a voice I am particularly fond of, but you can at least make out quite a few of the words.

The subject matter is generally anti-establishment, about politics, society and war. To their credit they are not mired in fantasy, Satanism or anti-Christianity. This seems to be a niche stance for a metal band, but may have contributed to their position as being the most establishment of metal bands (ironic in some ways given how anti-establishment their themes are, but it's kind of an acceptable level of social commentary). I think the first song is about the end of the world. 

My favourite track was To Live Is To Die. It was quite radical, for a start it starts off in F# not E, and has acoustic passages, and actual chord sequences. It is a respite from the incessant chugging. To be fair I noticed an earlier track in F# too.

And it's OK I guess. After the first 1.5 listens that were quite casual, I was ready to dismiss it out of hand. I decided to give it a more concentrated listen, and enjoyed parts of it. There were a couple of grooves I enjoyed, and some of the technical stuff was engaging, but the dominance of the same sound and the same chugs gets quite wearing. By the end I was glad it was over. If you don't like proper chuggy metal, steer clear, and if you do, can I recommend Riverside and Pain of Salvation to you.

6/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6Eycw3dwcDMEFSqkUvLQ7g

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6ogdCG3tAWhOUeMyn8UqrBTNgonrnbs3

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...And_Justice_for_All_(album)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots ...
Read more

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop ...
Read more

843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967)

Image
 843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967) Studio Album - Psychedelic Soul About the Act: The Chambers Brothers are an American Psychedelic Soul band from LA, who were formed in 1954 and are still going. They were at heart four brothers, but I think they have now all left the band.  About the Album: This was their debut album (12 years on from forming as a band), and it spawned their most successful single Time Has Come Today. My History with this Album: None. I had never heard of the Chambers Brothers before this list. Review: I am not an American, nor a Social Historian, but I think I can accurately claim that in 1960s America there was a certain separation between the Black community and other communities. As a result of this, and for marketing reasons, the idea of music that was created with a Black audience in mind was an actual thing. I'm not sure if today we would be quite so sure about what constitutes "Black Music", but then, I think, they were generally q...
Read more