The band whose 1988 album “...And Justice for All” features a blindfolded statue is Metallica. It is the band’s fourth studio album and was released by Elektra Records on September 7, 1988.
The cover shows a cracked statue of Lady Justice bound with ropes, her scales overflowing with dollar bills and the album title written in a graffiti-like style. The artwork was created by Stephen Gorman from a concept developed by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. A statue known as the Fountain of Justice in Frankfurt, Germany, served as a visual model.
The image reflects the album’s concern with corruption, money and the apparent failure of legal institutions to deliver impartial justice. The blindfold itself is traditionally associated with justice’s neutrality, but Metallica’s damaged, tied-up figure suggests that neutrality has been compromised. A common mistake is to identify the cover as a Slayer or Megadeth release because those bands were also prominent in late-1980s thrash metal. Metallica’s album is also notable as its first full-length studio record featuring bassist Jason Newsted, following Cliff Burton’s death.