Ask any rising rock star which legendary band they’d love to have been a part of, and chances are that most of them will probably say Metallica.
However, Metallica only managed to rise to the top in the first place because they were looking at other bands in the exact same way. For instance, before Metallica’s reign – and during, for that matter – James Hetfield was enamoured with bands like Black Sabbath and the Ramones, many of which influenced his own style when it came to shaping the band’s sound.
Many of those he described as “gods”, including the likes of Tony Iommi, Rudolf Schenker, and Malcolm Young, became heroes of his because they gave just the right amount without trying too hard. Or, in his words, they were heroes who kept it “steady”; they just knew how to execute a good rhythm without any need for additional embellishments or unnecessary gimmicks.
For many, Metallica represent the exact same thing. Granted, there are many ups and downs in Metallica’s story, and many times that music lovers – loyal fans included – had concerns that they’d lost their way or worse, their sound. But tales of woe, mishaps, and Load and Reload aside, they remained at the top of their game because they always only did what felt right to them.
As both Hetfield and Lars Ulrich later said, certain sonic diversions only occurred because it was precisely the path they wanted to take at the time. And while nothing will likely ever match up to the obvious masterpieces in their discography, most people will always be along for the ride, knowing that not only are they rock legends themselves, but they are also dignified rock legends forever committed to their own art.
As such, it’s hard to imagine any musician ever turning down an opportunity to play in the band, especially when there seems to be an opportunity for taking them in a new direction. For instance, following Jason Newsted’s departure from the band in 2001, they started looking for someone who could fit the bill – and not just anybody, but someone great.
One of these conversations involved presenting the idea to Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity, but he shut down the idea on the principle that they should be looking for someone more suitable. “I didn’t want anybody to think I was trying to sponge by way in,” he joked, while discussing the idea directly with the band.
Adding, “If you want someone to just play the bass, that’s easy, but I know you don’t.”
He also praised their previous bassist, the late Cliff Burton, saying that musicians like that “don’t come around often”, while also explaining that he’d encountered many players in the underground who were good at playing the instrument but not strong enough to sing, or who could play but weren’t very good at songwriting. In his view, opting to have him fill those shoes didn’t fit, either.
Funnily enough, the player that ended up getting the gig, Robert Trujillo, was good enough and suitable enough to blow all of those expectations out of the water, perfecting the technical aspects of the band’s grooves and rhythms, and with a sole focus on his craft that made him an explosive, commanding presence among the others.
