According to a poll on the Music Radar website, Slipknot’s Jim Root and Mick Thomson have been named “Best Metal Guitarists In The World.” The pair received over 17,000 votes, beating out such names as James Hetfield (Metallica); James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch (Korn); Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg (Amon Amarth); Richard Z.Kruspe and Paul Landers (Rammstein); Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, Sean Long and Mat Welsh (While She Sleeps); Kerry King and Gary Holt (Slayer); Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage); and Alexi Laiho and Daniel Freyberg (Children Of Bodom) in a vote by fans of the site. Slipknot’s new album We Are Not Your Kind released on August 9th via Roadrunner Records/Elecktra. Continue reading
Tag Archives: James Hetfield
Lars Ulrich Shares Update on James Hetfield’s Rehab
Lars Ulrich of Metallica has shared an update with USA Today regarding James Hetfield’s condition in a new interview with USA Today. Hetfield is currently in rehab and while he is careful to protect James’s privacy, he gave us some encouraging hope for James’ recovery. Metallica canceled the band’s planned tour of Australia and New Zealand with Slipknot so he could get the help he needes. himself. The band has remained mum on James’s condition since the initial announcement despite revealing they’ll be headlining five major American festivals next year.Continue reading
James Hetfield of Metallica Re-Enters Rehab for Addiction, Australia and New Zealand Tour Postponed
In sad news to report, Metallica’s legendary frontman James Hetfield has had to re-enter rehab for addiction. The band has immediately postponed their planned tour of Australia and New Zealand with Slipknot that was to begin next month. The Australian leg of the “WorldWired” tour was announced in March, with the first show of the trek scheduled for October 17 at Perth’s Optus stadium. It was to be the first of eight stadium dates across Australia and New Zealand, including a night at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium and two dates at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium. The tour would have been Metallica’s first to Australia since 2013 and first visit to New Zealand since 2010. Hetfield’s issues with addiction and alcoholism were detailed in the 2004 documentary Some Kind Of Monster. We wish James the best in this trying time for himself, his family, and friends. The band posted this message to their social media pages: Continue reading
James Hetfield Donated Part of his Personal Custom Car Commercial to the Petersen Automotive Museum
According to Hagerty, Metallica frontman James Hetfield has donated his collection of ten of his highly regarded custom cars to the Petersen Automotive Museum. The announcement was made at the museum’s annual press conference at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, along with news on the Petersen’s upcoming “Hypercars” exhibit, and the institution’s acquisition of 30 vehicles new to the facility’s collection. Additionally, Hetfield was named a Founding Member of the museum, an honor reserved for its most generous donors.Continue reading
Metallica’s Thrash Classic “Ride The Lightning” Was Released 35 Years Ago
The history of thrash metal got another ring on the world-tree in 1984 with the release of Ride the Lightning (Megaforce/Elektra Records), the second album by Metallica. With better songwriting, tight production, and more originality than their debut Kill Em All (Megaforce), Ride moved the needle forward for the entire genre and cemented Metallica as the premiere band in the genre. Continue reading
Metallica Classic Song Heard In Ted Bundy Film with James Hetfield
If you are a fan of Metallica or serial killers, you have likely already seen the new Ted Bundy biopic on Netflix, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile, which has James Hetfield in a small dramatic role or the first time in his career. Directed by Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost), he cast Metallica legend James Hetfield in the role of Officer Bob Hayward, a no-nonsense Utah highway patrol veteran who was the first law enforcement officer to arrest Bundy in 1975 after pulling the killer over and discovering burglary tools in his car but wisely suspecting much worse. The film has a pivotal scene in which you can hear Metallica classic ‘The Four Horsemen’. This is not the first time the Kill Em All song has been in a movie, it also featured in 2016’s X-Men Apocalypse. The rest of the film features a 70s soundtrack such as Tommy James ‘Crimson And Clover’ (covered later by Joan Jett) and ‘Lucky Man’ by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s and also a Beethoven reference that might be a nod to Hannibal Lecter in Silence of The Lambs. Berlinger has been familiar with Hetfield and Metallica since he directed the Paradise Lost documentary series, co-directed the Metallica documentary film Some Kind of Monster, and co-wrote the book about the doc, Metallica: This Monster Lives. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil stars Zac Efron as Bundy and tells the story of Bundy and his longtime girlfriend, played by Lily Collins, who at the time had no knowledge of the crimes.Continue reading
Metallica Books Show With The San Francisco Symphony In September
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony have been booked to open the brand new Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors on September 6th, in Mission Bay, CA. They will perform together at the show, reprising Metallica and a symphony for “one night only”. Warriors officials announced Monday, March 18 at a sweltering press conference attended by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, Warriors Owner, and CEO Joe Lacob, Warriors President, and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. Metallica is no stranger to symphony collaborations, as they did an entire concert album with 1999’s S & M (Elektra Records), with 2019 marking the 20th anniversary of the album. Watch the press conference video below. Continue reading
Metallica’s Death Magnetic Was Released Ten Years Ago
Being the biggest band the world has ever seen, both in the mind of fans and in terms of success is not all wine and roses. Metallica has taken their fair share of hits in the career from the fans and press at times, casting a fair but unflattering light. One such case is Death Magnetic (Warner/Vertigo), released ten years ago today, on September 12th, 2008. Although the album was considered a return to form musically after St. Anger, production issues sent diehards and haters alike into fits over the sound quality. Continue reading
Metallica’s “And Justice For All” Turns 30!
Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of Metallica’s And Justice For All (August 25th for some lucky folks in Europe). It was technically amazing, featured great songwriting, and immediately divided the fans. Sure every Metallica album has been an intentional departure from the last (see also David Bowie, Madonna, Deftones), but this album definitely jarred the fanbase when it first dropped. Sure we’ve heard over and over about the lack of bass or the inaudible bass, the “let’s see you play this!” long songs of over the top technicality, and the rushed solos Kirk Hammett recorded. Still, it’s an incredible, mostly heavy document of the band in one sense at a peak they have yet to return to creatively. Let’s take a quick look back at And Justice For All…Continue reading
Metallica’s James Hetfield To Play A Police Officer In The New Ted Bundy Film
How cool is this?! Metallica‘s James Hetfield has been cast in the upcoming thriller “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile.” Continue reading