SPIN IT BACK METALLICA - AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

By Philip Sayblack

The 1980s was a key era for fans of hard rock and metal.  At a time when acts, such as Tears for Fears, Cyndi Lauper, and Tiffany were dominating the radio waves alongside the likes of Poison, Dokken, Ratt, and Whitesnake, it was also an age when hard rock and metal fans looking for an alternative to all of that happy, happy joy, joy content finally saw lots of material aimed at them start to show up.  It was during this era that progressive metal saw its beginnings thanks to Dream Theater, Queensryche, and Fates Warning.  It was also during this age in which industrial metal saw its rise in popularity surge thanks to the likes of Ministry and Nine Inch Nails.  It was also during this era that thrash metal saw its beginnings with the founding of bands, such as Anthrax, Megadeth, and one of my personal favorite bands, Metallica.  For me, I did not become a fan of Metallica until I was what would be considered today, a “tween.”  But that is because Metallica was founded the same year I was born, 1981.  Yes, I am that old.

Just like with Nine Inch Nails (for those who read my previous entry Sound & Fury’s “Spin It Back” series, my introduction to Metallica came thanks to one of my brothers.  I do not remember exactly how old I was when I was first introduced to Metallica, but I remember I was not even a teen at the time.  The album that made me a Metallica fan, you may ask?  It was the band’s 1988 album, …And Justice For All.  Released in September 1988 through Elektra Records (the band’s former longtime label home, which saw the release of many of the band’s albums), it blew me away the very first time that I ever heard it.  That is because at that point, I had never heard anything like it.  Obviously, there was lots of equally great thrash and heavy metal released in the 1980s from the band’s contemporaries, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Testament, and even Exodus.  But for me, I will admit I was not aware of those bands at that point in time.  But thanks to …And Justice For All I would go on to become a fan of those other bands and their music.

There is so much to say to the positive about …And Justice For All, not the least of which being its musical body.  From the beginning to the end of this nine song record, the band exhibits a clear evolution from the sound that it exhibited in its previous records.  More specifically, audiences can hear the growth in this album from Master of Puppets, the record that immediately preceded this presentation.  It has the heaviness of that album but steps it up even more.  One of the most notable ways in which this is exhibited comes in the form of ‘Harvester of Sorrow.’  Guitarist Kirk Hammet’s riff in the verse here immediately conjures thoughts of some of the riffs in some of Pantera’s most well-known works.  Considering that both Metallica and Pantera were founded the same year, it should come as no surprise that the noted similarity is there in the sound and style; that plodding, crunching riff.  More specifically, audiences can hear Hammet’s riff so close to that of Dimebag Darrell in Pantera’s hit single, ‘Walk.’  It is not exactly the same but the two riffs sure are close in sound and style. 

On another note, a song, such as ‘To Live is To Die,’ with its more “classical” guitar lick from Hammett throws back to a similar style and sound in songs from Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets.  Right alongside with that approach is the heavier sound that is more prominent in this record, the whole making for even more appeal. 

‘Blackened,’ the album’s opener is very similar in that vein.  It opens with a sort of building single tone from Hammet before going full thrash somewhat in the vein of certain works from Master of Puppets but still maintaining its own identity.  The result is that it makes a nice bridge between the two albums reminding listeners of what has come before while also showing them what is to come here.  What follows in each song makes this album in whole a complete success.

…And Justice For All’s musical body is just one part of what makes it such a strong, memorable record from Metallica.  The lyrical themes that the band presents make for their own enjoyment.  Right from the outset, the band takes on mankind’s destruction of the planet in ‘Blackened,’ with front man James Hetfield making that clear as he sings, “Death of mother Earth/Winter, it will send/Throwing all you see/Into obscurity” right from the song’s opening.  Later, he adds just as clearly, “Smoldering decay/Take her breath away/Millions of our years/In minutes disappears.”  This is a clear commentary about all the things that mankind is doing to destroy the planet, to “take her breath away” and make millions of years “disappear in minutes.”  This is a pretty straight forward message and one that hits especially hard when aligned with the song’s equally heavy, driving musical arrangement.

‘One,’ which is arguably one of Metallica’s biggest hits, is another example of the hard hitting lyrical content featured in this record.  This song is obviously an anti-war protest that tells the story of a man who has been so severely wounded by battle that he effectively wishes he was dead.  Considering the fact that this nation continues to find ways into military conflicts the world over (commonly under Republican administrations no less) and that our nation’s military sustain so many life changing wounds to this day, it is a song that still remains as prescient today as it was when this album was first released nearly four decades ago (yes, it’s been that long since the album debuted).

The album’s title track is a clear commentary on political corruption and the role of money in that corruption.  As if that is not enough, the band even takes on censorship in ‘Eye of the Beholder.’  This is evidenced as Hetfield sings right from the song’s outset, ‘Do you see what I see/Truth is an offense/You silence for your confidence.”  If this sounds familiar, it should.  Just look at what the current occupant of the White House continues to try to do to anyone who criticizes him.  He tries to silence the truth for his confidence.  So, this, again is just as important a message as it was all those years ago.  Hetfield continues here, “Do you hear what I hear/Doors are slamming shut/Limit your imagination/Keep you where they must.”  This could easily apply to the censorship of music or to creativity in general.  Trump, to this day, tries to use his state media (the FCC) to keep people where they (the powers that be) must.  He further adds, “Do you feel what I feel/Bittering distress/Who decides what you express.”  Again, this is a statement that resonates as loudly today as ever.  Whether it be under the iron fist of America’s dictator and his sycophants or under any other power that would try to control creativity, this song’s message is fully accessible and familiar, further showing just how much the record has to offer from its lyrical body.

All of the songs already discussed are perfect fits for the album’s title, as they clearly run in the vein of that title in one way or another.  They are not all that the band tackles herein.  ‘The Frayed Ends of Sanity’ tackles mental health in its own unique way while ‘Harvester of Sorrow’ would seem to hint at a similar theme.  In this case it would seem to tell the story of what is known as generational trauma.  The subject’s own trauma-filled past has caused him to bring violence and trauma on his own family.  That is just this critic’s own interpretation.  If in fact that is truly the case then it is its own powerful commentary, adding even more depth to the record’s lyrical body.  When this and all of the other themes examined here are considered along with the rest of the album’s lyrical content, the whole shows that there is just as much for audiences to appreciate in this record as there is in the album’s musical body.  It hopefully makes clear why …And Justice For All is not only one of my favorite albums (and most important in my own development as a rock and metal fan) but also why this record is considered one of Metallica’s most iconic albums to date.
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