# In 1988, Metallica released an album James Hetfield has lived to regret. It went on to sell over 20,000,000 copies

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1988-metallica-released-an-album-james-hetfield-has-lived-to-regret-it-went-on-to-sell-over-20000000-copies/
- Published: 2026-11-12T20:17:48+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T20:38:40+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1988-metallica-released-an-album-james-hetfield-has-lived-to-regret/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Newsted’s bass is nearly inaudible on the 1988 album.
- Hetfield later acknowledged its mix and production problems.
- Its complex sound preceded Metallica’s shift on the Black Album.

## Summary

Metallica’s 1988 album …And Justice for All is presented as both an ambitious high point in the band’s thrash metal years and a record James Hetfield later viewed with reservations. The article focuses on its famously unbalanced mix, in which Jason Newsted’s bass was turned down so far that it is barely audible, reflecting the band’s difficult transition after Cliff Burton’s death.

Newsted said the album did not feel good to him because his bass could not be heard, while Hetfield recalled that the drums and guitars were too prominent and that the band needed guidance. Despite the production, the album’s complex arrangements and political lyrics made it unusually adventurous; it also marked a turning point before Metallica adopted a more straightforward sound on the commercially successful Black Album, which brought in producer Bob Rock.

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