Metallica's peak

With "One", Metallica reached the pinnacle of their metal style. The entire album "...And Justice for All" is a self-indulgent collection of progressive songs written for epic length and exploration, with unusual meter and rhythm changes. Lars Ulrich showed his greatest drumming with crazed beats including excellent use of triplets. Still the entire album was unfit for radio play because of the format that in the pre-Nirvana judged their vocals to be harsh and unlistenable.

Having crafted everything remaining they needed to say in this album, the band no longer had direction. Hard rock? Country? Maybe a little of whatever simple junk everyone else is putting out?

Rehab, adult life, easy paychecks, and a loss of vigor all contributed to their decline, but their greatest work shown in their first four albums remains captured to inspire anyone who is ready for a wild ride.