After Cliff Burton , Metallica brought in Jason Newsted as their new bassist, but the musician's experience with the album …And Justice for All left him "livid" with rage.
The band's fourth studio album earned Metallica their first Grammy Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance - Vocal or Instrumental category , but it was also the subject of controversy and discussion due to a mix that rendered the bass sound virtually silent.
During an appearance on The Metal Hammer Podcast , Jason Newsted recalled his reaction to hearing the album for the first time. “I was livid! Is this for real? I was ready to grab them by the neck,” he said. “I was beside myself because I really thought I had done well and played the way I should have.”
Newsted blamed the duo Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield for the inconvenience, saying that both preferred the sound of the guitar and drums and that the original copy of the No Life 'Til Leather had a handwritten note by Hetfield asking to "turn down the bass volume".
“The album was mixed as it should have been,” said Jason Newsted. “The bass and guitar have been there from the beginning, but Lars didn’t want that because somehow the sound interfered with his drumming, so he sent the demo to Combat Records and [asked] ‘Turn down the bass before even listening to this.’ Before even starting. That’s what he’s done his whole life, so why would it be different? They did it with Kill 'Em All , with Ride the Lightning , Master of Puppets , all of them. When those two get together, that’s always how things happen. It’s the most successful metal band of all time. Is there any arguing with that? I’m not sure.”
In 2017, Steve Thompson , who mixed …And Justice For All , admitted to Loudwire that he wasn't exactly happy with his work on the album and confirmed that the instructions regarding the bass volume came directly from Lars Ulrich.
“Jason’s parts were in perfect rhythm with James’ guitars. It was a great marriage that worked very well,” said Thompson. “But Lars wanted his drums to sound a very specific way. He even sent me pictures of the exact settings on an equalizer. He said, ‘Stop the tape, I have a problem. What happened to my drum sound?’, and I basically said, ‘Were you serious?’. After a discussion, the mix was adjusted the way Ulrich wanted, with Newsted’s bass being reduced to almost inaudible.”
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