Jason,
How could you blaspheme?
...And Justice For All was their defining moment, in my opinion. I can listen to that album over, and over, and over again. And, indeed, in my youth, I did just that. How could you possibly beat Blackened as an album opener? I would say that they went down the toilet with the next release. RIP Metallica, 1987.
Tony, your poll is like comparing apples and oranges. Judas Priest were around a decade prior to Metallica. A fairer comparison would be Judas Priest and Black Sabbath.
Halford's singing in Diamonds and Rust, the live version does it for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4rNgXS850o
H