Metallica frontman James Hetfield talks about the 25th anniversary of …And Justice For All. You know, the one where you can hardly hear Jason Newsted’s bass playing. This interview comes courtesy of ARTISTdirect. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:
…And Justice for All is a very special record in the Metallica catalog. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the album now?
I agree. It wasn’t the first time with Jason Newsted, but it was the first real studio record he showed up and kind of was heard on the album [Laughs]. That’s another whole therapy session right there! Touring that thing, I think of it as our fancy, showing-off album, “We’re crazy progressive musicians. We really know how to play here!” [Laughs] Making that work into this is a challenge, and I love that part of it.
You mentioned the more progressive element of …And Justice For All. It’s definitely prevalent, but if you listen to “Dyers Eve”, it’s the most metal song ever…
I would have to agree that it’s pretty intense lyrically, sonically, and ability-wise with the playing, especially on the drums. It’s remarkable. We’ve played that song live before. It’s not on this live album though.