One of the big questions that has loomed over the storied career of legendary metal band Metallica was, “Why does …And Justice For All have no bass to it?” It’s a question that has been brought up many times over the years and has puzzled countless fans, especially after the fantastic Master Of Puppets.
But that question can now be laid to rest as Steve Thompson, who mixed the album, has opened up and explained everything that happened to lead to the absence of bass on that album.
In an interview with Ultimate-Guitar, Thompson explains exactly what happened:
We had to get the drum sound up the way he had it. I wasn’t a fan of it. So now [Lars Ulrich] goes, “See the bass guitar?” and I said, “Yeah, great part, man. He killed it.” He said, “I want you to bring down the bass where you can barely, audibly hear it in the mix.” I said, “You’re kidding. Right?”
He said, “No. Bring it down.” I bring it down to that level and he says, “Now drop it down another 5 db.” I turned around and looked at [James] Hetfield and said, “He’s serious?” It just blew me away.
I wanted to take “Master of Puppets” and blow that away. That was my sonic direction for “… And Justice For All.” It was all there but I think they were looking for more garagey-type sound without bass. And the bass was great; it was perfect.
It was a shame because I’m the one getting the sh-t for the lack of bass.
But do you want to know the kicker? You want to hear the real zinger in all of this? Check out the chutzpah of Ulrich several years later at the Hall Of Fame:
I remember when Metallica got elected to the Hall of Fame, they flew us out and I’m sitting with Lars. He goes, “Hey, what happened to the bass in “… Justice?” He actually asked me that. I wanted to cold cock him right there.
Well, there you have it. The most vocal and noticeable member, Mr. Lars Ulrich, is again the reason behind yet another issue in the band’s career. Good job, sir.