All the hard-core, heavy metal of their first 4 mainstream albums (Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, Garage Days re-Revisited), but with far deeper melodic and harmonic qualities. Made very good use of slow-and-heavy guitar riffs, punching drum double-bass, and meaningful lyrics. It's also the album where I feel that Het first fully embraced his voice and style.
As for the song list
- ...And Justice for All (the song) - An epic (9:45!) that has the perfect blend of repetition with newness. You will be singing along with the chorus or humming the guitar section, because you've heard it before. But, before you get tired of it, the song heads in a new direction. Then, just as you figure out where they're going, they get back to something you know.
- One - As a song in-and-of-itself, it has everything that a great heavy-metal song should have. Killer guitar solos, heavy drums, headbanging riffs, etc. As an iconic piece of music, it delivered heavy metal to the masses, being the first heavy metal song (actually, first song!) to ever place in the top 10 of Billboard charts, while having virtually zero radio play.
- To Live Is to Die - Possibly the best instrumental heavy metal song of all time.