Rating:  Summary: Cold and vicious...in a good sorta way. Review: Sometimes I think this is my favorite Metallica album. Favorite or not, it's hard to see how anyone can bestow reproach on such an incredible record. Metallica incorporates long, complex instrumental passages into their lengthy songs...err, not songs -- *compositions.* Simply calling them songs would be almost insulting. The title track is especially laudable -- a dazzling tour de force. Instrumental virtuosity is highly emphasized on this album, more so than before.People whine about the production, and yes, it certainly overshadows a few of the album's merits. On the bright side, the cold, mechanical sound fits perfectly with the intellectual, progressive music and the album's sociological/political theme. Hetfield's singing has improved tremendously since Master of Puppets. He sounds more like a real metal vocalist and less like some young punk trying to growl. Album structure sort of parallels that of the excellent Master of Puppets. The first and last songs are the slick speed metal tracks. Both are excellent and overshadow both Battery and Damage Inc from MoP (which are GREAT songs, so that's no mean accolade). Song two is the long title track, which I've already discussed. The fourth song is the most popular from this album, and one of the band's most well-known songs: One. This is an AMAZING song...it starts with elegant, slow, clean electric guitar and gradually builds to an unforgettable machine-gun-esque riff that brings the song to its incredible climax (topped off by some of Hammett's best solos). The second last track, "To Live Is To Die", is essentially an instrumental (a la Orion), with a little vocal interlude in the middle. A tribute to former bassist Cliff Burton, this song features seamless melody changes that move the song from mind-numbingly heavy to florid and light. This is the band's best instrumental, anchored by a sorrowful acoustic number that plays at the beginning and the end. The middle, with its fluid guitar harmonies and aching melodies, is just gorgeous. Why doesn't the band do more of this kind of thing?! Oh yeah, it's because they're rotten these days. If I was stuck on a desert island with only one Metallica album, it would be this one. It's musicianship is superior to their other releases, it has the best lyrics of their pre-Bob Rock days (though they are a little contrived, at times). The production sucks, but this is one of those albums where it doesn't ruin the experience. Who needs bass anyway...the guitars are where it's at! (If this were Jazz, then not hearing the bass would be a problem. It's not that I think bass is unimportant, it's just that Metallica's music was never written to make bass all that important. It usually just layers the guitars, which are bottom-heavy enough anyway.)
Rating:  Summary: Metallica's Best! Review: It took them 4 albums to finally write a dark and mature album. This is heavy metal at its finest. Justice has far more power than master, ride, kill em all, or any other of their over-rated work.
Rating:  Summary: The Hardest Metallica Album Review: I give this Album Four stars for a few reasons. 1)The production is not that good,but in a way it conveys the albums message even further.The sound is cold, harsh, and unrelenting;which mirrors the bad side of our society.2)Jason is not heard in the entire album. Jason is an excellent player, but becasue of the poor production he is inaudible.3)There are some songs which are low quality, or lack any distinction.If you listen to the album all the waythrough(which clocks in over an hour)it is consistent and blends well. But that is the only was you will probably want to listen to some of the songs, becasue they dont hold there own by themselves. The songs that are always great are Blackened, One, Harvester of Sorrow, Eye of the Beholder. They are the right length and dont get too repettive. The title track is cool, but a little too repetative.The instrumental To live is to die is a tribute to their former bassist Cliff Burton(R.I.P), but you most likely wont find yourself listening to it that much. The rest are forgetable. Very intricate and the band stays on time always, but because of the production, lack of bass, and some forgetable songs, the album is not the best one.I rate this album higher than Kill em' All, but lower than Black Album, with Puppets and Lightning being above The black album. Definately worth getting for any Metallica or Metal fan, but not a great album to start with. It is not the fatstest or most melodic, but it is definately their most hardest album to date.
Rating:  Summary: The beginning of the end Review: Too repetitive and most of the melodies are uninteresting, the counter melodies of the prior two albums are nowhere to be found in this work. I guess those were the contribution of their bassist who died before this album was made. This album is better than any of Metallica's albums that came after it, but that's as positive as I can be about it. The beginning of the end. At least they're selling more product now. Ultimately, all you need from Metallica are 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Master of Puppets'.
Rating:  Summary: the gold standard of heavy metal Review: this is, quite simply, the greatest metal record of the modern period (1980-current). few thought metallica would be able to top the previous monolithic effort, "master of puppets", but they did. it absolutely amazes me to think that the same metallica that puts out the relative trash of "load", "reload", and the current raft of () singles like "i disappear" ever was able to tune into the metal muse that produced these amazing albums during the years 1985-88. it boggles the mind. word has it that the band dosen't play anything other than "one" on tour now because they simply can't play the riffs. judging from the quality of their riffs on everything post-"black album" it's no surprise. this is a band that has abandoned everything they once stood for musically and ideologically. well, back to the album. really, what can i say about an album that is literally perfect? go buy it! it's a must have, it's genre-defining, it's a masterpiece. all accolades apply. along with their own "master of puppets", paradise lost's "draconian times", megadeth's "countdown to extinction" and queensryche's "empire", "justice" forms the Holy Quintet of modern heavy rock. 'nuff said.
Rating:  Summary: Justice Is Served Review: This is my favorite Metallica album, which is odd because this album has so many tracks that I faithfully skip over. It's my opinion that Metallica has great songs but terrible albums. On this disc the tracks that I skip outnumber the songs that rock hard. Still, the numbers that do rock hard will leave you pumped and psyched. I love the hard sounding guitars, the pounding drums, and the thumping bass that dominate the best tracks on this disc. Best tracks: #1, 2, 4, and 5. The rest is for diehard fans.
Rating:  Summary: Another Metallica Masterpiece Review: From the starting of Blackened through Dyers Eve, this was the last great Metallica release. This release is raw, energy driven and uncompromising. As with there three albums with Cliff, there isn't a bad song among them. My personal favorites are Blackened (total energy), Harvester of Sorrow (What balls it took to write a song about baby killing), and Frayed Ends Of Sanity. This album came out in 1988, a year in which rock giants such as Van Halen, Scorpions, and Judas Priest released the worst albums of their career. This is true Metallica. Nothing but down and dirty metal. After this release, Metallica lost it's edge and became Metallica 1991 LTD.
Rating:  Summary: Pretty damn good Review: Actually, the Justice album is known for the song "one" which is one of my favorite Metallica songs. That song alone gives it a four-star rating. I didn't give it five stars because a lot of the songs are too slow. In fact I only listen to 3 songs, "Blackened", "One", and "Shortest Straw". The good thing is that these are really good songs. I can like two or three songs that are awesome and still call it a good CD. But if there are two half-good songs that I don't really enjoy I give it away. Metallica has made even a few songs enjoyable. That's why I love them so much. To me that is a good rock band. But I wish Justice had more thrash on it. But overall it's pretty good.
Rating:  Summary: Jason's constipated look on the back cover, Review: the bad production, we've heard all that already. But it's still a great CD...They should've called this album "The Lars Album" because he is doing so much with the drums it's incredible. "Blackened" has got to be one of the weirdest songs they've ever done...tempo changes, speed of light guitar solos, etc. my only complaint is that the 2 nearly 10-minutes songs could've been shorter because they get too repetive..ok, we get the drum/guitar doodling in the title track but do they have to keep coming back to it after the solo and 7 minutes of hearing it? Good CD regardless...bad bass production and all!
Rating:  Summary: Their last serious album Review: M,. this sucks! yes, with no doubt about it. carnal forge from entombed was a much better song than "One" is. That isn't sayin, they sold out but it they did anyway. The only record I would buy in a nutshell, not in a way.
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