The mixing engineer who worked on Metallica’s ‘…And Justice For All’ has spoken about Lars Ulrich’s drum tracks on the record, saying they sounded “like ass”.

Steve Thompson was co-mixer on the 1988 album, which was the metal icons’ fourth LP and first since the death of their bassist Cliff Burton.

While the record is acclaimed, it has long been criticised for its dry, tinny production and Jason Newsted’s hard to hear bass guitar lines. In a new interview on A Discussion With Dean Cramer, Thompson spoke about working on the Metallica album.

“Lars originally came in with a whole EQ setup chart of how he wanted his drums to sound,” he said. “So Michael Barbiero, my partner, says, ‘Why don’t you work with Lars and get the drums [sounding the way he wants them to sound], and then once you do that, I’ll take care of the rest’. So he does that. And I listened to the sounds, and I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I think this sounds like ass’.