…And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by Metallica, released on September 7, 1988, by Elektra Records. It was Metallica‘s first full length studio (LP) album to feature bassist Jason Newsted, following the death of their previous bassist Cliff Burton in 1986. Burton received posthumous co-writing credit on “To Live Is to Die” as Newsted followed bass lines Burton had recorded prior to his death.
Metallica recorded the album with producer Flemming Rasmussen over four months in early 1988 at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. It features aggressive complexity, fast tempos, and few verse-chorus structures. It contains lyrical themes of political and legal injustices, such as governmental corruption, censorship, and war.
The cover, designed by Roger Gorman with illustration by Stephen Gorman and based on a concept by Metallica guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, depicts Lady Justice bound in ropes, being pulled by them to the point of breaking, with dollar bills piled upon and falling off her scales. The album title is derived from the last four words of the American Pledge of Allegiance.
Three of its songs were released as singles: “Harvester of Sorrow“, “Eye of the Beholder”, and “One”; the title track, “…And Justice for All”, was released as a promotional single.
…And Justice for All was acclaimed by music critics for its depth and complexity, although its dry mix and nearly inaudible bass guitar were criticized. It was included in The Village Voice‘s annual Pazz & Jop critics’ poll of the year’s best albums, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1989, controversially losing out to Jethro Tull in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental category. The single “One” backed the band’s debut music video, and earned Metallica their first Grammy Award in 1990 (and the first ever in the Best Metal Performance category). It was successful in the United States, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200, and was certified 8× platinum by the (RIAA) in 2003 for shipping eight million copies in the U.S.
The album was reissued on November 2, 2018, in vinyl, CD, and cassette formats, as well as receiving a deluxe box set treatment with bonus tracks and unreleased video footage. The reissue reached number 37 and 42 on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales and Top Rock Albums charts, respectively.
…And Justice for All is the first Metallica album to feature bassist Jason Newsted after the death of Cliff Burton in 1986; Newsted had previously played on the 1987 Metallica EP The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited. Metallica had intended to record the album earlier, but was sidetracked by the large number of festival dates scheduled for the summer of 1987, including the European leg of the Monsters of Rock festival. Another reason was frontman James Hetfield‘s arm injury in a skateboarding accident.
Metallica‘s previous studio album, Master of Puppets (1986), was their last under their contract with the record label Music for Nations. Manager Peter Mensch wanted them to sign with British record distributor Phonogram Records. Phonogram manager Martin Hooker offered them “well over £1 million, which at that time was the biggest deal we’d ever offered anyone”. His explanation was that the final figure for combined British and European sales of all three Metallica albums was more than 1.5 million copies.
Tracklist:
- Blackened
- …And Justice For All
- Eye Of The Beholder
- One
- The Shortest Straw
- Harvester Of Sorrow
- The Frayed Ends Of Sanity
- To Live Is To Die
- Dyers Eve
Metallica
James Hetfield: vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, second guitar solo on “To Live is to Die”, production
Kirk Hammett: lead guitar
Jason Newsted: bass
Lars Ulrich: drums, production
Production
Flemming Rasmussen: production, engineering
Toby “Rage” Wright: assistant and additional engineering
Mike Clink: drum engineering on “The Shortest Straw” and “Harvester of Sorrow”
Steve Thompson, Michael Barbiero: mixing
George Cowan: assistant mixing engineer
Bob Ludwig: mastering
George Marino: 1995 remastering
Reuben Cohen: 2018 remastering
Artwork
James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich: cover concept
Stephen Gorman: cover illustration
Ross “Tobacco Road” Halfin: photography
Pushead: hammer illustration
Reiner Design Consultants, Inc.: design, layout
Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986)
