10 GUTSIEST Moves Metallica Ever Made (And Whether They Paid Off)

When he was first hired, Jason Newsted clearly had a musical mountain to climb. Not only would he have to hold his own against some of the greatest players in modern thrash, but he would need to create his own style independent of the work of Cliff Burton. He may have had new ideas for how the music should sound, but on his first outing, his bandmates didn't seem quite ready to accept him.

Though And Justice for All holds up as a nice final stamp on the band's '80s material, the actual songs feel lackluster when you listen back to them. For all of the great riffs that are being played, there is little to no low end in the mix, with Newsted barely able to show his skills behind the four-string. It could just be a production error, but over time it's become pretty clear why the bass was buried.

Still grieving over the loss of their friend, the rest of Metallica mixed the record as a way of hazing Newsted, almost as if he wasn't worthy to join the ranks of the greatest thrash band of all time just yet. Newsted would eventually be able to flesh out his chops once he hit the road to tour, but as far as the album goes, the bass is practically invisible to the ear.