i think they were metal up untill and justice for all, then they started to definetly tone down, possibly due to lack of boozing it up like they did in the old days. Kill em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets are i think some of the best metal back then. Not the hardest, and not even the tightest (the back and forth solos were pretty choppy back then, they tried to keep up with bands like Slayer, and even if they were equally as talented which i dont think they were, they werent as tight as slayer was). I still think that metallica now days are overrated because people still think of them as the music they started out making which is nothing like the garbage they put out now.
__________________
|