Metallica: 10 Best Lars Ulrich Drum Performances
2. Dyers Eve
Along with being the heaviest of the band's early work, And Justice For All also holds the distinction of being the closest thing to prog metal the band ever got. While not having crazy complex time signatures, the band's mentality was to not focus on the speed of the track but rather the scope, with tracks that nearly eclipsed 10 minutes. Their attention may not have been on speed, but "Dyer's Eve" is definitely the exception.
Standing at just 5 minutes, the band make every one of them count as they make their way through a metalhead's take on hardcore punk rock. Though the riffs and intense performance from James Hetfield provide the backbone of the track, the entire song is built on Ulrich's drumming, which is some of the most intense he had ever laid down.
Even when the verses give way to lush power chords, Ulrich is not letting up as his kick drums pound out a rhythm as tight as James Hetfield's right hand.
Given the longwinded tunes present on the rest of the record, And Justice For All saved all of that bottled-up energy for one final blast of aggression. Simpler territory was around the corner, but on this track Lars was a percussion locomotive aiming to crush anything in his path.