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The Latest Breaking News from James Hetfield

“He took a bass to Jason Newsted. James kept flipping it back and forth, studying it… Then he asked if we could meet”: How Ken Lawrence came to build some of James Hetfield’s most iconic guitars – including one using wood from Metallica’s former home

The luthier specialized in bass guitars before he met Hetfield via Mesa/Boogie. It would land him his most challenging but rewarding collaboration

Guitar World

“We kind of dug it, but a lot of places didn’t like Metallica. They were like, ‘What the hell is this?’” When Metallica hit the road for their first national tour, crowds weren’t convinced by their music

James Hetfield and co went on tour with British heavy metal band Raven when they came over to the States in the early 1980s – but they didn’t always win over the audience

Guitar World

“I auditioned for a guitar commission with a carload of basses! I laid them all out on the floor, and he went, ‘OK, let's make a guitar’”: James Hetfield's luthier on how he went from crafting basses to becoming the Metallica guitarist's go-to axe maker

And why we have Doug West from Mesa/Boogie to thank for Ken Lawrence and Papa Het's now-iconic link-up

Guitar World

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“You couldn’t put a bigger band in a smaller room”: The story of the greatest Metallica live album you’ve (probably) never listened to

In 2008, eager to mend fences with fans after the Napster debacle, the biggest band in metal played one of the tiniest shows of their lives

Metal Hammer

“I don’t think Metallica wants to say I am an original member”: Why Metallica’s forgotten guitarist believes he isn’t considered the heavy metal legends’ OG guitar player

Lloyd Grant jammed with Lars Ulrich and helped record an early demo of Hit the Lights – but isn’t recognized as an original member of Metallica

Guitar World

Metallica released their first music video 35 years ago. This is how it ruined my life.

A Metal Hammer writer looks back on the scarring effects of the video for Metallica’s One, which debuted on January 22, 1989

Metal Hammer

“They were a gang!” The first band Metallica supported on tour didn’t think the thrashers had a chance in hell of making it big

“‘Do you see them in 10 years being the greatest thing since sliced bread?’ No, not a chance!”

Metal Hammer

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“Cliff always wanted to play more than he should have, but we didn’t try to control him – we couldn’t”: How Cliff Burton’s bass masterpiece earned its place in the pantheon of great rock solos

Recorded for Metallica’s genre-sparking Kill ’Em All, Burton’s complex snarl of notes has captivated bassists for years. Dial in your favorite fuzz-wah tone and let it rip

Guitar World

“I like to push some of those buttons. I like the fact that people have a problem with what we’re doing”: How Metallica kicked back against the 1990s haters with Reload

Haters gonna hate – but with 1997’s Reload album, Metallica just didn’t care

Metal Hammer

“Please tell the bass players of the world to go easy on me. I did my best to represent you well!” Bob Rock made bass history on Metallica’s St. Anger – quite a feat, since he “never really played bass” before

Producer Bob Rock on making St. Anger, the legacy of Cliff Burton and why he used Loverboy’s bass guitar on every track

Guitar World

Metallica’s James Hetfield names who he deems the “master craftsman at lyrics” – and it’s not a metal musician

The Metallica man discusses all things lyric-writing during the latest Metallica Report podcast

Metal Hammer

“Dave Mustaine can’t help but stick his foot in his mouth”: Slayer’s Kerry King explains his relationships with Metallica members old and new

The Slayer guitarist reveals he’ll spend 20 minutes with Dave Mustaine but then “bolt just before anything gets uncomfortable”

Metal Hammer

“I’ve jammed with him at Kirk’s place. I’ve spent a night at his house and we’ve ended up with guitars in the kitchen”: Jerry Cantrell and James Hetfield have talked about making an album together

The two guitar heroes have recorded together in the past, and collaborated at a number of benefit concerts. Could a fully fledged album be next?

Guitar World

"James and I have talked about it...kind of." Could James Hetfield and Jerry Cantrell make an album together one day?

Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell has discussed the possibility of collaborating with James Hetfield

Metal Hammer

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Metal Hammer

Why Robert Trujillo hasn’t written much Metallica music: “These guys write amazing songs, and I’m not going to suddenly insert myself”

The bassist has co-written only a handful of Metallica tracks since joining the metal titans in 2003

Guitar World

“Jason and I were always battling for the same space in the mix”: The controversial mixing of Metallica’s …And Justice for All wasn’t a hazing of Jason Newsted. This is James Hetfield’s explanation

The band's first album with Newsted, ...And Justice for All was marked by the band's increasingly progressive and technically intricate bent – and barely audible bass parts

Metal Hammer

Watch pro-shot footage of Metallica's full performance at 2024 Helping Hands concert in Los Angeles

Metallica release video of entire charity show – including acoustic and electric performance by thrash giants

MusicRadar

“On Load and ReLoad we tried to get a little looser, a little bluesier. Greasy is the word”: Watch James Hetfield lead Metallica in a swampy blues version of Fuel with a Danelectro 58 Longhorn Baritone

In 2009, Hetfield told us that the Fuel era was all about loosening up and on Friday night at the Helping Hands charity gig he made good on it as Metallica reimagined Fuel, slower and lower

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Guitar World

“I called looking for advice. He tells me, ‘Just wait, I’ve got a surprise for you’”: Gibson’s mystery Metallica-inspired Explorer hasn’t gone to James Hetfield – it’s been gifted to a Hollywood superstar

It was theorized that Gibson was crafting a Custom Shop Explorer inspired by Hetfield’s “So What” model ahead of some signature models, but that wasn't the case...

Guitar World

“I don’t think James would rip anything off from me, but the first time I heard that song, I was like, ‘That’s awfully close’”: Billy Corgan reckons this Metallica track sounds suspiciously similar to a Smashing Pumpkins deep cut

Corgan says Hetfield has “written some of the greatest, most amazing riffs” of all time, but one cut from 1997 sounds awfully familiar...

Metal Hammer

Watch Metallica perform rarities at 2024 Helping Hands event in Los Angeles

The 4th edition of Metallica's Helping Hands charity show featured guest appearance from Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament

Guitar World

“I went to Lars’ house, and he played me the tape of Hit the Lights. I said, ‘This song sucks. You need more guitar solos’”: They forged a new sound, and in 10 years, they were the biggest band in the world

The story of Metallica's meteoric rise – as told by the people who were there, including Dave Mustaine, Scott Ian, Kerry King, Gary Holt, and, of course, Metallica themselves

Guitar World

“Reveal coming soon”: At long lost, is Gibson finally working on James Hetfield signature guitars?

The Metallica frontman is poised to receive a Gibson Custom Shop creation that pays homage to his famed ‘So What’ 1984 Explorer. Could signature guitars be next?

Guitar World

“It was finally time to see if we could do a second build of this revered Boogie”: The iconic Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ is officially back – 40 years after the holy grail high-gain amp was last produced

Beloved by James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, John Petrucci, Steve Lukather and countless others, the original IIC+ is one of the most coveted amps ever created… and now it has finally been revived

Guitar World

“We never would have written guitar harmonies like that without Cliff Burton”: James Hetfield credits Metallica’s original bassist with expanding the band’s horizons

Cliff Burton’s breakneck metal riff laid down the gauntlet on thrash metal classic Battery

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