Metallica had been really torn apart after the death of their brilliant bassist Cliff Burton in a road accident which occurred sadly when he was run over by the band’s own tour bus, which is a highly suspicious sort of thing to occur in the first place, much of which has been written about since. The band felt as though they had lost the one member of the band that they had all looked up to after this unfortunate incident. It was a very sad moment in Metallica’s history. They were never the same again afterwards. To replace him, they chose Jason Newsted who was never as good as Cliff as a bassist but was okay for the time being, or seemingly so. He lasted until 2001 in the band but was no Cliff Burton on bass. The insecurity of things led to the overall sound and mix which is very much a scooped sound with no bass guitar on this album, amongst other production values present which made this album sound unusual. Still, in many ways, although this album is not seen as consistent as Ride The Lightning or Master Of Puppets before it, it is however seen as another Thrash Metal classic to listen to. The album itself is a pseudo-concept album, looking back at the Progressive Rock movement of the 1970s, and is about injustices in society, even if Metallica did not intend this to be a formal concept album. In any case, let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear how it sounds.

Blackened begins with some eerie guitar fade-in, but sounds well played and interesting throughout. The music here is undeniably powerful. This continues for a bit before drum rolls enter and a manic guitar riff enters the scene. This instantly is headbanging and very, very catchy. Metallica had not wasted any time in between Master Of Puppets and this release to create a mastercraft listen. This song is about armageddon on this planet, and it sounds eerily prophetic as a result. Even though the scooped mix and sound present will not appeal to everyone out there, this is absolutely fantastic music to listen to. It certainly sounds like the group had taken their music up a notch in terms of its overall theme and appeal. A breakdown occurs after a few minutes with some slower and heavier guitar riffs throughout. Powerful, enjoyable and undeniably Metal, this is a great musical moment. Sadly, the planet we live on may become subject to destruction in the future, and this is less about environmental issues and more about human extinction. Its graphic music and imagery nonetheless is from a deeply intellectual place. If Karl Marx was alive in the late 1980s and liked Metal, he likely would enjoy this doom-and-gloom prophetic listen. Kirk Hammett rips into a fantastically played guitar solo on this song, and continues to shred away, sounding like an official Guitar God present on the record. Nonetheless, the soloing ends and we return to the main riff at hand. This is a brilliant and totally enjoyable song to listen to, even with its scooped musical sound. James Hetfield’s singing has improved in a big way since the early days of Metallica (in comparison his screechy screams on Kill ‘Em All). This is a masterclass and is a direct warning to the human race about the future of the world.

…And Justice For All begins with some clean and intricate guitar riffing on electric guitar that sounds brilliant but with a melancholy vibe. Extra guitars enter, before distortion kicks in and this sounds very monumental listening. A very solid start to a song that nearly runs at 10 minutes in length. Soon enough, a percussive change led by Lars Ulrich on drums occurs, along with some sustained guitar chords. The main riff of the song enters, and we have a fantastically catchy listen musically. This sounds fantastic, although it does lack bass guitar prominence. James Hetfield sings about the corruption in the political and legal system, which is an everpresent thing in most societies today. A supercharged and excellent listening experience that points out the hypocrisy of justice itself. This is a naked warning to the listener about the difficulties in surviving such hostilities in life. Musically, this is extremely catchy and powerful Metal, even if the mix and sounds particularly lack midrange qualities. Still, this is an addictive listening experience throughout. The main riff continues on until the middle of the track, before some drastic changes occur leading into the guitar solo section by Kirk Hammett which is well played and has some excellent shredding galore. There is a bit of wah-wah guitar present as well. The playing is very insane throughout. There is a return to a riff-based passage before this slows down a little bit and sounds gloomy. The bass is slightly audible in this section, which is a bit different. The sounds and playing, even in the slower, less complex musical sections really are quite amazing as well. Soon enough, this progresses to some very heavy descending guitar riffs before launching back into the primary guitar riff section. James Hetfield sings about the corruption in the justice system present. Nonetheless, a really impressive song. “I can’t believe the things you say, I can’t believe the price we pay…Nothing can save us, justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is gone…” is a fantastic lyrical statement present. A really great listening experience. The outro is heavier than God, which sums it all up. A great, great song from start to finish.

Eye Of The Beholder begins with a lengthy fade-in of guitar riffing and excellent drumming. This is very suspenseful and enjoyable to listen to. Once the fade-in finishes, we enter into a great section of melodic distorted guitar riffing, before launching into the main section of music at hand. This does sound really fantastic. Soon enough, this song gets going with James Hetfield singing about the pros and cons of the said eye of the beholder. All in all, although this is not a standout track from this album, it still sounds amazing to this very day. There is a great chorus revealing a personal philosophy that is not overly inclusive. This continues the overall theme of the album, which is about society’s injustices. Surprisingly, this is just as quintessential listening as the rest of the album. A great piece about dealing with issues in an increasingly Orwellian world, this is the next step up from Metallica’s earlier album Master Of Puppets. The playing throughout is also fantastic, with riffs galore and a sturdy rhythm section. This eventually begins to lead into a really good guitar solo by Kirk Hammett that sounds glorious, for this sort of music. A very good song, Kirk Hammett shreds extremely well on this piece, and he is quite underrated on this album as a guitar player. This continues on nicely, and has some of the most intelligently written lyrics for a Metal tune in history, at least on this album. It concludes after over six minutes in length but sounds great from start to finish.

One is a very notable song in the back catalogue of Metallica songs, primarily as it was their first single release (which charted) and had a video recorded for it. It begins with a recording of warfare, gunfire and generals shouting, with a helicopter as well. It quickly launches into a very Fade To Black musical-styled guitar riff and soloing over the top of it all. Very dark sounding. Drum beats enter, and this song begins to progress away nicely. It is a very captivating and interesting listening experience. The guitar playing throughout is very, very good. James Hetfield sings about crying out for help as a war victim, unable to see, move, hear or speak. An awful situation, and this isn’t necessarily just an anti-war song, it is a pro-euthanasia one. It has lyrics about being on life support for no real good reason and wanting to go on into the next world, this is a very, very dark listening experience. Near the middle of the song is some pretty guitar soloing by Kirk Hammett, before this song returns to the chorus. A gloomy listen, but with purpose and reason. In the second half, the chord changes are very moody indeed. Some awesome changes are here as well within the music. This eventually leads to an extremely nice palm-muted section of guitar riffs and synchronised drumming. James Hetfield screams about being a helpless victim of war, and unable to deal with the consequences from it. A fantastic climax. The section afterwards is hard, heavy and full of some fantastic guitar playing by Kirk Hammett. This is memorable for many, many reasons. Kirk Hammett plays like nobody else, and he cements his reputation as a great lead guitarist. More musical changes lead to another section of soloing throughout. A great warning about the glorification of war and violence in our world, and in addition, a great anti-war song. Fantastic from start to finish.

The Shortest Straw begins with some thunderous and synchronised guitars and drumming. This quickly launches into another good song with some more awesome Metallica guitar riffing present. Sure, these guys had lost Cliff Burton, their main musician, but the material present is still highly enjoyable on this album. An unusual guitar riff enters, and this speeds up a little, leading into the main section of the song. James Hetfield sings about chaos in society and the results from a personal experience. Another awesome song, even if this is not paid too much attention as a lesser track. A great tune, this sounds awesomely supercharged throughout with some of Lars Ulrich’s best drumming. Again, the lyrics are very well written and James Hetfield is really finding his voice on this album. Although the chorus is a little repetitive, this is another worthy musical addition to the back catalogue of Metallica songs. The second half of the tune has an interesting set of chord changes, leading into a shredtastic and wonderful guitar solo by Kirk Hammett. This continues on very nicely and sounds extremely furious. A genuinely cool listen, especially for Metalheads out there. Plenty of whammy work is present in this song’s solo section. Towards the end of the song, the music gets very intense sounding and finishes up with the chorus. This possibly could have been edited, but even so, this sounds fantastic. The outro has some furious drum work by Lars Ulrich and some synchronised guitars. Excellent.

Harvester Of Sorrow begins with some good drum rolls, and some moody guitar parts and launches into a dark and heavy tune. This sounds rather demonic at the beginning, with some Slayer-styled keyboard parts in the background. Soon enough, guitars galore get this fine song going. A powerful and excellent listening experience is present in this song. After some time, some great palm-muted riffing enters and we are underway. James Hetfield sings about falling down in hard times and losing perception and focus, this is a brilliant listening experience that continues the overall concept of this album. A really great listen, and it sounds energetic and powerful throughout. The lyrics of this song are not as consistent as songs before it, but the music is still very consistent and enjoyable throughout. The chorus is very memorable. In the second half is a slower, but very descriptive-sounding guitar solo that sounds wonderful. The music pounds on nicely after that with some killer chord progressions and an overall sound that is really fantastic. Nonetheless, another winner of a song by Metallica. It sounds top-notch and explores the depths of the dark nature of the human psyche. The outro is fairly repetitive, but this does sound great. Nice work Metallica.

The Frayed Ends Of Sanity begins with some heavy and hugely overdriven/distorted guitar chords. Some looped mixture of vocals and keyboards are present here, along with some excellent drum rolls. Soon enough, a chord change occurs and this song gets going nicely. It is a joyous and thrilling listening experience, and it deals with the loss of sanity and loss of one’s mind from mental illness. Despite the dark lyrical themes throughout, this is a winner of a song. The chorus is awesome: “Old habits reappear, fighting the fear of fear, growing conspiracy, everyone’s after me, frayed ends of sanity, hear them calling me…” is pure intellect and mental health decline, addressed in typical Metallica fashion. The music matches this song nicely, and it sounds furious and deep. This song may be quite lengthy, at nearly eight minutes long, but it still sounds fresh and exciting to this very day. A fantastic listen throughout, James Hetfield’s singing is beginning to get that low-end growl on this album. The midsection has a multitude of excellent guitar riffs that sound absolutely wonderful. All in all, a joyous listen. Some intricate drumming from Lars Ulrich indicates a shift musically, which quickly launches into a great guitar solo by Kirk Hammett. A fantastic piece of shredding occurs which sounds very wonderfully played and performed, building up to some awesome tremolo picking. This fades away, leaving the rest of the band to play on nicely. A great and underrated slice of Thrash Metal on this song, this is really fun to listen to. The music re-enters the song section about further mental health deterioration, and it sounds monumentally awesome. The chorus at the end has a lyrical twist, as it paints one to be their own worst enemy, before finishing up with a superb outro musically with great guitar riffing, intricate drumming and a great finale. Sweet.

To Live Is To Die is actually an ode to Metallica’s much loved bassist, Cliff Burton. The title of the track was actually an often quoted phrase by Cliff himself. It begins with a slow fade in of loose acoustic guitar parts that were going to be used for this album which Cliff Burton wrote, prior to his unfortunate death. These are magical, yet moody. These are matched by some simple drum beats by Lars Ulrich. This is a different listen than what one would typically expect. This goes on for some time, before some guitar riffs and synchronised drums enter, ushering in the next section of this tune. It sounds moody and dark, likely intentionally so as music. A very different musical listening experience, but still retaining the Metallica vibes of the album, this is a good instrumental to listen to. Layers of guitars are present throughout, and the music has a sobering and emotional edge throughout. Nonetheless, this is very enjoyable and definitely worth listening to. The band play on nicely, with a great guitar solo by Kirk Hammett entering the scene. If anything, Kirk Hammett is the unsung here of Metallica on this album, playing some great guitar work with finesse and fury. Indeed, the music here, despite its length, is definitely quality over quantity. After his soloing concludes in this section, the chord progressions and drums continue, before entering a very moody and melodic section of music at hand. Obviously, Metallica were feeling the loss of their great friend and bandmate. This eventually launches into a sad and melodic guitar section that sounds very deep and emotional, backed by violining guitar swells. This is enough to move the listener. The sounds and playing throughout are really fantastic, all the same. Some more soloing by Kirk Hammett enters, and this piece of music continues to impress the listener. This has a deeply saddening sound to the music at hand. A brilliant listening experience, and hats off to Cliff Burton, indeed. Soon enough, this progresses with more complexity and launches into more different melodies, before launching into a spoken section of lyrics, allegedly written by Cliff Burton, spoken by James Hetfield. It sounds like something out of an H.P. Lovecraft novel. The music continues on and could have been cut down a little in length. Still, it sounds great. Soon enough, it reaches a conclusion, being faded out with the acoustic guitar riffs re-entering, before segueing into the next track. Excellent.

Dyers Eve is the final and shortest track on this album. It launches straight into action, with some pounding guitar riffs and powerful drumming to match. This is more like an earlier Metallica song in approach. Soon enough, tom-tom drums indicate the vicious assault to follow, which sounds really fantastic. This is perhaps proof that Metallica could play faster and more consistently if needed at the time. This is a song about being controlled by parents on a “do as I say, not as I do” basis, which is deeply personal, especially for James Hetfield to sing. Nonetheless, a great and joyous listen, fitting in with the themes of this album. Lars Ulrich proves himself to be a better drummer than expected, with the rest of the band playing with aggression and power. A great song all in all, and this still fits the pseudo-concept album nature of this release extremely well. There are some percussive changes before Kirk Hammett plays a very fast wah-wah guitar solo on this song. An absolute joy to hear. This music sounds like a really intense yet quintessential listening experience. James Hetfield continues this song on with passion and anger. It ends after just over five minutes. Nice job.

Is this the best Metallica album to date? Yes and no. On an intellectual level, it thrives and certainly sounds viciously powerful. In other areas, some editing may have been needed, and it does lack Jason Newsted’s bass guitar playing in the mix. Still, this is another Thrash Metal masterpiece by Metallica that stands tall to this day. A good listen if you need to hear some uptempo Thrash Metal in a very intellectual way.

A thrash metal masterpiece. Essential listening.

9/10