10 Amazing Rock Albums With Terrible Production
3. And Justice For All - Metallica
In the grand tradition of metal, every guitar track on an album is supposed to punch you in the face. From a raw sonic standpoint, the guitars are what make you bang your head and provide the backdrop for some of the best metal tunes of all time, from Black Sabbath to Pantera. When you're actually mixing the record though, you have to remember that the bass player is just as important.
Of all of Metallica's iconic albums of the '80s, the production of And Justice for All is still getting criticism for sounding like absolute trash compared to its predecessors. Coming off of the amazing sounds of Master of Puppets, this is the kind of lackluster job that you would typically find on a debut record from a lower tier thrash metal band.
You can't say that the guys didn't do what they set out to accomplish on this one though. Since Cliff Burton's death and the arrival of new bassist Jason Newsted, the band made it a point to make the bass as low as possible, leaving all of the low end sounding completely hollow as a result. There are still mixes floating around the Internet with fans attempting to fix the album, boosting the bass up and calling it And Justice for Jason. Even with over 30 years of hindsight, this is still being treated as one of the dumbest production choices made by a professional rock band.