AJFA is Metallica's best album...fight me

[Tone Monster]

I can see not having AJFA #1 but this is retarded.

Yep. Harvester is so great. Even better live.

 

[BABMusic]

I'll just add one more thing about Frayed -- that song has one of my favorite syncopated rhythms that Metallica ever played at 5:08. It's the same riff they use at the ending of the song. They could have written a whole new song just based on that one riff.

 

[Eazy-ESP]

My favourite. Haven’t listened to it in many years though. I actually always liked the production. Felt like I was really in some tonal world there. Kind of a fake sounding sci fi type world. Now I’m older and everyone has told me I’m wrong, so I guess I have to say Master of Puppets was their best to fit in.

 

[skoora]

I only grew to like AJFA because this thing had come out with a black sleeve and I was like “Maybe that weird sounding one with the kind of boring arrangements I skipped a couple of years ago is worth a listen now”
I only listen to one or two songs from it now but it gave me shelter, if just for a moment, from the drought known as Enter the Sandman through his Never.

 

[DanTravis62]

I only grew to like AJFA because this thing had come out with a black sleeve and I was like “Maybe that weird sounding one with the kind of boring arrangements I skipped a couple of years ago is worth a listen now”
I only listen to one or two songs from it now but it gave me shelter, if just for a moment, from the drought known as Enter the Sandman through his Never.

AJFA is the last album metallica ever made

*plugs ears* NYAH NYAH I CAN'T HEAR YOU LULU

 

[Shask]

AJFA is my favorite Metallica album, partly because of the more progressive nature of the songs, but mostly because of the guitar tone of all things (and it’s strange because their Mercyful Fate cover has my favorite single tone they’ve ever achieved, which is way different than AJFA tone). A lot of people don’t like AJFA and they especially don’t dig the overall mix, but as for the guitars, there was something about the directness, the nature of the crunch, the string slicking sounds as they moved around the fretboard, the ridiculous, exaggerated jugg-jugging nature of the palm mutes even relative to their other records, etc. I dunno I just love the guitar tone and the riffs that show it off on that album.

As for comparing albums, it’s tough because Metallica is weird, as all their records are so vastly different, more so than most other bands, right up until Garage Inc, after which they broke up and never put anything else out again and I won’t hear any different.

I have always loved AJFA including the guitar tone. The ultra chug and crunch still kinda guides me on a tone I like today.

 

[watson503]

I love this album for a variety of reasons (I love everything before it, too, the $5.98 EP included and that is an all-time favorite), probably due to the time it came out as I was in 10th grade and the album was the soundtrack for many of those. I remember the day it came out, listening to it in my friend Kyle's bedroom, taking bong hits and thinking to myself "where's the bass?"

Seeing them on that tour, though...fuck...that to this day is one of the best, most memorable concerts I've ever been to. I'd seen them at the Monsters Of Rock and that was awesome but when they rolled-through in February of 89 with Queensryche opening and literally destroyed the Sam Houston Coliseum...that shit blew my 16 year-old mind. During one of the encores the people on the floor began ripping the chairs out of the ground and several piles were made with one huge one in the center and people were attempting to mosh on these things while the band played on. Great fucking show. Now I couldn't be paid to see them live or listen to anything past ...And Justice.

 

[Exo-metal]

It's no secret that Cliff Burton was their heart and soul when it came to song writing and direction. AJFA was a noble effort coming out of his untimely death, but something was definitely missing. I still enjoy listening to AJFA but go back to the first three much more often.

Its no secret that mustaine was their heart and soul that started everything. Cliff was able to write harmonies and understood music theory that later proved ideal for their style but bf the first album was even out there was nothing like it and the shows were epic!!! The idea that ajfa being as tall a legend as it is in the mind of the op is only bc that was new to those at the time.

Many of us saw the inferno when it didn't even have a name yet. Thrash was perfected by Slayer, Metallica and Exodus. Many times over Exodus destroyed Metallica and it was openly admitted by James. These shows would leave people beaten from the violence that became the thrash scene. Go watch murder in the front row. The songs are a far cry from the Four Horseman and the rest.

I laugh when I hear how they will never forget the show as the best from the later years that pale compared to living through it in the bay area metal scene as it happened.

 

[Techdeth]

Justice
Load /Reload
Master of puppets
RTL
Black album
Death magnetic
Kill em all
Hardwired
St anger
72 seasons
All albums ranked by me
Metallicas biggest fan

 

[Holy-diver]

I can see not having AJFA #1 but this is retarded.

+1
I can see the argument for a higher rate of filler as well (Eye, Frayed) and some meandering but you’re not going to sit there with a straight face and tell me Harvester of Sorrow doesn’t bang

 

[DanTravis62]

+1
I can see the argument for a higher rate of filler as well (Eye, Frayed) and some meandering but you’re not going to sit there with a straight face and tell me Harvester of Sorrow doesn’t bang

Shortest Straw is a way better written track.

 

[Holy-diver]

Shortest Straw is a way better written track.

I love The Shortest Straw. I never knew that they didn’t use the IIc+ on that track (if that’s true) but I have always thought it had shittier tone

 

[DanTravis62]

I love The Shortest Straw. I never knew that they didn’t use the IIc+ on that track (if that’s true) but I have always thought it had shittier tone

It does have a shittier tone, unfortunately, but it also has a way better flowing riff structure and tempo changes.

Exactly like I said before, If you combined half of harvester of sorrow, half of the title track, a quarter of eye of the beholder, a quarter of frayed ends, and sprinkled in some of the half baked ideas from to live is to die into 2-3 actually well thought out and well written songs (like the other half of the album) AJFA would live up to MOP and RTL

But as it is, even though the highs (blackened, one) are really high, it is WILDLY inconsistent track to track compared to the two albums that preceded it.

I completely get having nostalgia for AJFA and even thinking it's a great (if flawed) album

But it is actual crack smoke to think it can compare and compete track to track with those two album

@Exo-metal is 10000% correct in that you guys are confusing your first time with the best time lol

This is like if someone said the first priest album they ever heard was Jugulator, so theyre trying to argue that it's better than Painkiller

Its no secret that mustaine was their heart and soul that started everything. Cliff was able to write harmonies and understood music theory that later proved ideal for their style but bf the first album was even out there was nothing like it and the shows were epic!!! The idea that ajfa being as tall a legend as it is in the mind of the op is only bc that was new to those at the time.

Many of us saw the inferno when it didn't even have a name yet. Thrash was perfected by Slayer, Metallica and Exodus. Many times over Exodus destroyed Metallica and it was openly admitted by James. These shows would leave people beaten from the violence that became the thrash scene. Go watch murder in the front row. The songs are a far cry from the Four Horseman and the rest.

I laugh when I hear how they will never forget the show as the best from the later years that pale compared to living through it in the bay area metal scene as it happened.

I think part of it is people are confusing nostalgia with quality

 

[Techdeth]

I'll just add one more thing about Frayed -- that song has one of my favorite syncopated rhythms that Metallica ever played at 5:08. It's the same riff they use at the ending of the song. They could have written a whole new song just based on that one riff.

I fucking love it ! This song straight until the end of the album is best 3 songs in a row they ever did . Just epic metal

 

[Techdeth]

It does have a shittier tone, unfortunately, but it also has a way better flowing riff structure and tempo changes.

Exactly like I said before, If you combined half of harvester of sorrow, half of the title track, a quarter of eye of the beholder, a quarter of frayed ends, and sprinkled in some of the half baked ideas from to live is to die into 2-3 actually well thought out and well written songs (like the other half of the album) AJFA would live up to MOP and RTL

But as it is, even though the highs (blackened, one) are really high, it is WILDLY inconsistent track to track compared to the two albums that preceded it.

I completely get having nostalgia for AJFA and even thinking it's a great (if flawed) album

But it is actual crack smoke to think it can compare and compete track to track with those two album

@Exo-metal is 10000% correct in that you guys are confusing your first time with the best time lol

This is like if someone said the first priest album they ever heard was Jugulator, so theyre trying to argue that it's better than Painkiller




I think part of it is people are confusing nostalgia with quality

Dude I love the tone on shortest straw . I don’t get the hate . Not just you . I love the tone but many don’t

 

[Techdeth]

I have always loved AJFA including the guitar tone. The ultra chug and crunch still kinda guides me on a tone I like today.

I love the production . It sounds perfect af . I wish more bands would experiment . Everyone always wants the same production . I do not want a remix ever . Remaster is cool . But im
Glad James said no to a remix

 

[DanTravis62]

Dude I love the tone on shortest straw . I don’t get the hate . Not just you . I love the tone but many don’t

I think the tone is fine, it's just a little bit worse than the rest of the album - which kind of sucks because it's one of the better written, fully realized compositions on the album. Has a lot less filler sections

 

[Techdeth]

I think the tone is fine, it's just a little bit worse than the rest of the album - which kind of sucks because it's one of the better written, fully realized compositions on the album. Has a lot less filler sections

I know you disagree but I love every note of it all . The sings are like little movies that go here and there and everywhere . The songwriting takes me places. I love all of it . And you would hate my rankings .

 

[Holy-diver]

I love the production . It sounds perfect af . I wish more bands would experiment . Everyone always wants the same production . I do not want a remix ever . Remaster is cool . But im
Glad James said no to a remix

I agree with this too, I always thought it sounded bad ass. I wouldn’t use it as a good example of good mixing in a class or anything but it’s raw and unique

 

[Holy-diver]

I’ll also add that I’m in my 30s so it’s not really pure nostalgia for me, my nostalgia stuff is late 90s/early 00s which everyone here basically hates