During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's 'Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk', ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted addressed the ongoing debate surrounding the sound of METALLICA's album "...And Justice For All".

The 1988 album has been criticized for its lack of bass guitar, with many fans feeling that drummer Lars Ulrich was to blame.

In a candid discussion, Newsted shared his thoughts on the matter.

Newsted acknowledged that he is aware of any plans for METALLICA to remix the album for a possible expanded reissue in 2028.

However, he expressed skepticism about the idea, stating, "Nah, man.

No.

It's what it is.

I don't think that you should go back and mess with things like that." He added, "I know other fans and stuff have done approaches or examples of what it would be if there was bass louder on the record, but I just don't spend time like that…" Newsted also pointed out that the lack of bass is not solely Lars's fault, citing a handwritten note from Ulrich himself to turn down the bass during the recording process.

In his interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Jason stated, "What I've come to with all this, 'cause people still like to bring it up, and I'm pretty happy that they do, because if it hadn't been so fucking bizarre, then we probably wouldn't be talking about it 35 years later with any kind of interest." He continued, "If it was just the record, there was a record and there's an album and it goes like this, then we probably wouldn't be saying anything else about it until the unboxing came.

But since people still bring it up…" Newsted also clarified his past membership in FLOTSAM AND JETSAM by stating that their music style aligned more closely with METALLICA's "...And Justice For All" than their own.

METALLICA guitarist James Hetfield addressed some of the criticism leveled at METALLICA and Lars Ulrich for the lack of bass on "...And Justice For All", stating, "We wanted it tight.

We wanted it fucking tight." He explained that the band was burnt from touring and recording, and their ears were shot due to not wearing earplugs during shows.

In a 2008 interview with Decibel magazine, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett attempted to explain the lack of bass on "...And Justice For All" stating, "the reason you can't hear the bass so well is because the bass frequencies in Jason's tone kinda interfered with the tone that James was trying to shoot for with his rhythm guitar sound..." He also emphasized that METALLICA was trying to achieve a unique sound and it was an experiment that may not have been fully successful.

In conclusion, Newsted reiterates his stance on the matter stating, "All this is after the fact, and it's like who gives a shit, man really?".

He emphasized that changing history by remixing "...And Justice For All" or adding bass to it would be unnecessary."