10 Best Metallica Songs
4. One - And Justice For All (1988)
And Justice For All was the weakest release by Metallica in the 1980s. Granted, it was still a great album in its own right, but their original sound was starting to lose some of its shine by this point in their career.
Though songs such as ‘The Shortest Straw’ and ‘Dyers Eve’ are certainly standouts, ‘One’ is the best track on the record.
Structurally, the song is reminiscent of the band’s first power ballad - ‘Fade to Black’, which also had melodic verses interspersed with a heavy chorus.
Yet what makes ‘One’ truly unique is the final section in which Hetfield’s aggressive vocal delivery works in tandem with the ferocious guitar work. Indeed, this section of the song is one of the best moments of a Metallica concert.
Lyrically, 'One' describes the case of a man who was wounded by a landmine, and was then unable to speak, see or hear. In this sense, the song is also a powerful anti-war message.