iTunes Review

With 1988’s …And Justice for All, Metallica pushed their prog tendencies—wildly intricate compositions, sweeping sociopolitical themes, extended instrumental passages—to the fore. The result is a one-of-a-kind thrash tour de force that turns its back on the genre’s loud-fast-short ethos. The serpentine title track falls just shy of the 10-minute mark. Then there’s the mighty “One,” an antiwar anthem whose complexity would make Yes blush. Pay special attention to Kirk Hammett: His insanely precise fretwork is the high point on numerous cuts.

Biography

Formed: 1981 in Los Angeles, CA

Genre: Rock

Years Active: ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, ’10s