Thompson was behind the desk at Bearsville Studios, New York overseeing the final stages of the album, which has often been criticized for its lack of audible bass.

And Thompson insists that while he was happy with the bass sound when mixing the record, it was Ulrich who wanted it reduced. He tells Ultimate Guitar: "What I wanted to do and what Lars wanted to do was totally different, which kind of upset me a little bit. I loved Metallica and was very familiar with them.

"I listened to the tracks and said to myself, 'These sound like ass.' I chased everybody out of the room and redesigned the drum sound and brought the guitars up. Jason Newsted killed it on bass. Perfect marriage with Hetfield's guitars.