... And Justice For None

Metallica's fourth album, ... And Justice For All, was its last great release. I don't think I'm being controversial in stating that. It was the last one that meant anything to me. It was the last one before the band changed. After that release, any moments of pure Metallica were abnormalities and were no longer the standard. The band's game changed, and I did not change with it.

To be fair, I had problems with the release when it came out. I placed it as my least favorite of the band's output until then. Maybe I was nostalgic for the raw power that had come before it. Maybe I was bitter about the band's growing popularity, though I found it to be well-deserved in this case. I did not even hate it enough to not see the band on that tour. (Leigh Valley, PA, in case you care, with the embarrassment that was Queensryche.) It just was not as good as, say, Master of Puppets. Again, no controversy there, I think.

I believe if you had to place blame for the band's change it is because ... the band changed. At some point in the process of writing and recording ... And Justice For All, Metallica started to take itself more seriously. The men wanted to mature as musicians. They wanted to delve deeper into their craft. It's because they were artists, and not mere entertainers who were content with releasing the same thing over and over because that is what their audience wanted. Metallica changed because it wanted to. It needed to. To grow as musicians and artists, it had to.

And there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's good.

It just wasn't for me. Not at all. It's not that I wanted the band to stagnate. That is a prison I would never wish on an artist. For me it was that the place Metallica was going was not a place I wanted to meet them at, and I had no desire to be along for the ride. I did not want to listen to a band I used to love experiment with what it wanted to become. Perhaps I wasn't a true fan. Maybe that is true. A true fan would stick by the band no matter what it did. I believe I was a true fan up until that fourth release, though. With that, I sensed the tide was turning. I knew the ride I had so enjoyed was coming to a fast end, and I bailed.

Do I regret it? Not at all. But I do find myself listening to ... And Justice For All more than ever and wondering, "What if ...?"

25 Years of Monsters

2011 marked 25 years of the Monsters’ existence.  25 years of garage rock psychostomp.  25 years of Switzerland’s own making what is decidedly American music better than Americans.  With Pop Up Yours, out on the legendary Voodoo Rhythm label, the Monsters solidifies its stranglehold on the world. 

This release is 14 songs that maintain that patented Monsters sound while at the same time sounding a bit more polished than previous releases.  That rawness the band is known for remains, but it is a pristine raw, if that makes any sense.  Think of Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All versus the black album.  Then think the opposite.  That is pristine raw. 

“I Want You” opens the CD, and there is no mistaking what band you are hearing.  It’s a great way to start the release, and it captures your attention immediately, and you attention will be held until the final number, “Into the Void,” which is a moody, slightly sinister piece.  In between there are 12 other songs that are just as catchy and destructive, like candy dynamite.  “More You Talk, Less I Hear You,” “Ce Soir,” “Ain’t Crawling Back to You No More” – there is no stand out because they all stand out.  It’s a Monsters release.  What do you expect?

At this point in my life I have exactly one band related tattoo.  That tattoo is from a Monsters press release from years ago.  There is a reason why that is the only one, and this release exemplifies it.  It is one of the few bands that is timeless and I know won’t disappoint whenever it releases something new.  I can’t say that about many, but I can confidently say it about this one.

If you haven’t heard the Monsters before, this is an excellent place to start.  Frankly, any of the band’s releases are a good place to start, but this one may be the one that can honestly ease you into the experience.  Every other one kind of just throws you into the pool when you least expect it.  This one just gives a gentle nudge.  Either way, you end soaking in it.

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