Metallica – ...And Justice For All

I refuse to accept the fact a Columbia pressing of any album is superior. I learned my lesson and avoid club pressings like Columbia and RCA like the plague. Y’all can have em.

If anyone have a copy (used good condition) for sale, please write me.
Many thank s for help.

Somehow missed out on this pressing before prices really blew up. I have 2 US originals, a 2001 Vertigo reissue, the recent box set, and the 45 RPM reissue. I have previously thought the 45 RPM reissue overall sounded the best. I'll have to keep an eye out for this.....

The hype is real. Ive heard the drums be great on a few pressings. This one just has much more depth to james voice especially and the guitar sound is to detailed its insane. The sweep before the heavy break in blackened really stood out but on one its very apparent. Is this worth 10x the green pressings? Definitely not for most people. But its the best pressing ive heard so it stands out. Also played next to the 88 specialty which is now my number 2

I've been listening to this album on vinyl since the original US pressing. I've always enjoyed the album, but this pressing is on another level. This is a very expensive record to come by these days, but it's so good I'm tempted to throw down for the MOP club pressing as well; my Blackened Recordings MOP reissue is very fatiguing at Metallica-appropriate volume. Fingers crossed I don't manage to scratch or drop this one!

I will also have to agree that this is the best AJFA press. I just did a direct comparison to both Promo releases (Specialty and Allied) and this takes it. The Promo presses both have good clarity and separation but this just comes through clearer and just sonically better. The only thing that the Promos have on this is that they're louder and heavier. This Columbia House press has to be turned up a bit to reach their level but doesn't come through as heavy. It sacrifices heaviness for better sound quality. I don't mention the regular Specialty and Allied presses because they don't hold a candle to these three. I know I am repeating what many have said but I wanted to add my two cents so people can know which of the three very expensive and rare copies of AJFA they'd like to seek out.

I have owned 3 pressings of AJFA (It is my favorite Metallica album). I currently own this Columbia House pressing (Not DMM) and the club edition DMM pressing. I used to have a 2018 Blackened Remastered pressing before I learned better and resold it on Discogs.

Let me start with the Columbia House pressing. I don't consider myself the most experienced audiophile by any means, but holy crap, this is the best I have ever heard my favorite album. The bass drum punches you in the face, and the drums in general are HUGE. The separation is also amazing. I can't think of a record in my entire collection that I cherish more than this one sound-wise.

Now for the DMM pressing. It is a great pressing too. It doesn't sound nearly as good as the Columbia House pressing. From what I have heard from various sources online, Direct Metal Mastering is great for certain albums but not others. From what I can tell, AJFA is one of the albums where DMM is not necessarily favorable in the mastering process. This is evident when comparing the DMM and non-DMM (Columbia House) versions of the album.

If you want the best version of the album, spend the extra $$$ and get this Columbia House pressing. As I am writing this review, I have the machine gun part of "One" playing in the background and I just got chills.

(My setup is a Technics SL 1800 Mk2 Turntable with a Audio-Technica shibata cartridge)

Well how about that… there is bass on this album. The instrument separation on this pressing is insane. With the proper VTA setup you can pick out every instrument. The bass sits low and in the center of the sound stage. The guitars envelope around the center and fill up the majority of the stage both left and right. You can definitely hear the bass though. It’s not lost to heavy compression of guitars and bass drums. The vocal layering in certain parts was brand new to my ears with this pressing too. Like in the terror, tension part of Frayed Ends you can hear a lower backup that adds so much depth to that part. The hype is real. This pressing is phenomenal. I’ve got the original US press and the recent boxset. Those were each great in their own right. This one is in an entire other league. And for a Columbia House press that probably sold more copies for a penny than any other pressing. Who would have ever thought.

Does anyone's copy have a mastering error during "Harvester of Sorrow"? There's a bit missing in the instrumental age after the guitar solo. It hops forward but definitely not a skip.

As a reminder, Direct Metal Mastering doesn’t use the same equalization curves that the RIAA ones.
That means if your phono stage is not dedicated to DMM or having DMM curves included (check the AMR PH77 unit if you are curious), you will NEVER be able to hear correctly, not listen, hear, that’s before listening, to the record that’s turning on the plate.