Любой желающий может перевести новость и стать ньюсмейкером на этом сайте.

Главные особенности:

1. В этой теме будут публиковаться англоязычные новости и статьи. Сделать это может кто угодно, главное требование - материал должен быть свежим.
2. Тот человек, кто хочет сделать перевод, нажимает в сообщении с выбранным материалом кнопку "Я перевожу!". Тем самым он подтверждает своё желание работать. После операции в выбранном сообщении появится строка с именем переводчика.
3. После перевода необходимо создать новую тему, заголовком которой должно быть название новости, а его содержимым - переведённый материал. Если у Вас есть статус "ньюсмейкер" или выше, следует сразу указать категорию "Новости Metallica". Если таких полномочий у Вас нет, то следует выбрать категорию "Всё о Metallica". В дальнейшем модераторы перенесут новую тему в соответствующую категорию.

1. Новость не обязательно переводить слово-в-слово. Достаточно сделать общий перевод, содержащий смысл новости. Главное - чтобы текст был понятен и не содержал простейших ошибок.
2. Форумчане, которые хотят самостоятельно публиковать новости в разделе "Новости Metallica", могут запросить статус ньюсмейкера в соответствующей теме.
3. После нажатия кнопки "Я перевожу!" в Вашем профиле сразу же появится запись о том, что Вы "перевели" новость. Таким образом, система работает "авансом".

1. Новости и отчёты о концертах логически разделены между собой в меню основного сайта. Если вы размещаете отчёт, название темы должно начинаться со слова "Отчёт" (О - прописная, е/ё - значения не имеет). Если же новая тема - новость, тогда слова "Отчёт" в начале названия быть не должно.
2. Инструкция по добавлению видео с нового сайта Metallica.com.

METALLICA's LARS ULRICH Honors 'Rock The Vote' - Jan. 22, 2009

According to RollingStone.com, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich attended "Rolling Stone & Rock the Vote Reception", an invitation-only VIP reception at Gibson Guitars' downtown Washington, D.C. showroom Monday afternoon (January 19) celebrating the Obama inauguration and the historic voter-registration drive that helped make it happen.

"It's unbelievable," Ulrich said of the electricity coursing through Washington. "It's amazing to be a part of the energy and goodwill. Everyone is so positive. It's all about the possibilities."

As previously reported, METALLICA played a rare pyrotechnics-free concert on January 15 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. According to a posting on the MetOnTour.com web site, which is described as "your FREE virtual backstage pass to every METALLICA show," the reason for the lack of pyro was that "something is happening [this] week [at the same venue] and they didn't want anything to go wrong."

METALLICA's Longtime Soundman BIG MICK Relying On AUDIO-TECHNICA Microphones - Jan. 12, 2009

Longtime METALLICA front-of-house (FOH) engineer and loyal Audio-Technica user "Big Mick" Hughes continues to select a variety of A-T microphones for their sound quality and reliability.

"Big Mick" Hughes' tenure as front-of-house engineer for legendary heavy metal phenomenon METALLICA is almost as long as the band's existence. "This is my 25th year. I was 25 or 26 when I started with the guys, and I'm going on 51 in a minute," recalls Hughes. Although the band has evolved and grown, a key to its longevity is unarguably its constant dedication to hard-rocking heavy metal, showcased brilliantly on the 2008 smash album "Death Magnetic" (Warner Bros.). Another constant for the band has been Hughes' selection of Audio-Technica as the microphones of choice for METALLICA's live stage setup, the most recent incarnation of which is crisscrossing the United States, soon to be followed by Europe, as the "Death Magnetic World Tour".

"I've been using Audio-Technica for years, because of the way A-T mics sound. I can't really imagine using anything else," Hughes commented. "They sound great and have tremendous reliability. I can't remember the last time we actually changed a microphone because it was bad. That just doesn't happen, which is really pretty remarkable."

Sneak Peek At 'Guitar Hero: Metallica' - Jan. 22, 2009

Chris Steffen of RollingStone.com had an opportunity to demo the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica game and has filed an in-depth report which includes a lot of new details about the game. An excerpt from the article follows below.

"Everything about the game, from the menu animations based on art by Pushead, METALLICA's long-running collaborating artist, to venues and stage sets from all phases of the band's career to signature lighting effects and crowd chants will be familiar to fans. The motion-capture used to animate the band is strikingly lifelike, as all of the signature moves are there: the contemplative [James] Hetfield during the opening of 'The Unforgiven', the preening [Lars] Ulrich hopping up from behind his kit to be seen after every song, and bassist Rob Trujillo's crabwalk and spins.

"The members all initially appear as their modern-day selves, but there will be unlockable character skins that hearken back to earlier eras. Although no past members are in the game (there go fantasies for a Cliff Burton cameo — the band feared his inclusion may have felt like a slight to Trujillo), a few of METALLICA's heroes make appearances."

METALLICA Are Not Sell-Outs - Jan. 23, 2009

According to Billboard Boxscore, which provides updated concert ticket sales information, neither of METALLICA's two Los Angeles shows in December was a sell-out despite the fact that the band is in the middle of its first American arena tour in four years.

The ticket sales information, according to Billboard Boxscore:

Artist/Event: METALLICA, THE SWORD, MACHINE HEAD
Date: Dec. 17-18, 2008
Venue: The Forum
City/State: Inglewood, California
Gross sales: $2,234,771
Ticket Prices: $82.50, $62.50
Attendance: 34,427
Capacity: 35,067
Number Of Shows: 2
Number Of Sell-Out Shows: 0
Promoter: Live Nation

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently told RollingStone.com that the band's massive world tour behind "Death Magnetic" could very well last beyond this year. "We're booked up through August of [2009], and right now we're sort of laying out fall of '09 and the spring of '10," he said. "We're waiting for a few other countries to be actually formalized as nations so we can be the first band in. We're also waiting for the polar caps to stabilize so we can go play there. There's talk about some other planets too."

Regarding the band's first American arena tour in four years, Lars said, "It's great to be back indoors. We're right in the thick of it in the middle of the arena. It completely exposes every nuance and that adds a real tone of vitality and excitement."

Official Metallica.com footage from METALLICA's December 18, 2008 concert in Los Angeles can be viewed below. The clip includes footage from the pre-show meet-and-greet session, backstage jam and the actual performance.

METALLICA, IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED, EVERGREY Honored At SWEDISH METAL AWARDS - Jan. 24, 2009

METALLICA, IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED and EVERGREY are among the artists who were honored at the second annual Swedish Metal Awards, which were held last night (Friday, January 23) in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The complete list of winners is as follows:

Best Hard Rock: BULLET - "Bite The Bullet"
Best Death Metal: IN FLAMES - "A Sense Of Purpose"
Best Glam/Sleaze: GEMINI FIVE - "Sex Drugs Anarchy"
Best Heavy/Power Metal: SABATON - "The Art Of War"
Best Punk/Hardcore: KID DOWN - "I Want My Girlfriend Rich"
Best Metal: THE HAUNTED - "Versus"
Best Alternative Metal: EVERGREY - "Torn"
Best Newcomer: DEAD BY APRIL
Best Video/Director: IN FLAMES - "Alias" / Patric Ullaeus
Best Live Act: SONIC SYNDICATE
Best International Album: METALLICA - "Death Magnetic"

METALLICA To Appear In KATIE COURIC's 'All Access Grammy Special' - Jan. 27, 2009

METALLICA is among the artists who will appear during Katie Couric's one-hour "All Access Grammy Special" on CBS, airing February 4, four days before the 51st annual Grammy Awards are handed out. Couric gets personal with some of music's leading artists as she interviews past and present Grammy nominees, including Justin Timberlake, Lil' Wayne, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.

METALLICA is up for several Grammy awards this year, including "Best Metal Performance" ("My Apocalypse"), "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" ("Suicide & Redemption") and "Best Rock Album" ("Death Magnetic").

Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 8 (8:00-11:30 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS television network. Lil' Wayne, Katy Perry and Carrie Underwood are among the artists performing at the music industry's premiere event. Other performers include Jennifer Hudson, COLDPLAY, JONAS BROTHERS and Kenny Chesney.

METALLICA's TRUJILLO: 'We're Already Jamming On New Ideas And New Riffs' - Jan. 29, 2009

After five years, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo still sounds in awe of being asked to join one of rock's most legendary thrash-metal acts. His voice escalates at the mere mention of Metallica's past, and he loves the opportunity to dissect late bassist Cliff Burton's parts, a job that wasn't so easy five years ago when he came into the fold.

"It was very difficult," Trujillo said during an interview with LiveDaily from a tour stop in Ontario, CA. "There were times where they'd want to do a song 45 minutes before the show and I'd say, 'Oh my God.' I'd have my Discman on. I'm taking notes. Just barely getting by. It's one of those things where we were in this headspace where we wanted to really test ourselves. At times, we'd nail the songs. Other times, it'd be near train wrecks. That was the theme of what we were doing. The good thing about that is it opened the doors to the old stuff.
"For me, I love trying to play Cliff Burton's parts and getting into the 'Ride the Lightning' stuff and obviously 'Master of Puppets.' It was a great honor to play on the reunion tour for that in Europe, the 20-year reunion, and dissect all the bass parts and the guitar parts. Kirk [Hammett, guitarist] and James [Hetfield, singer/guitarist] were relearning their parts. They had forgotten how the stuff went. That was cool. That was around the time we were preparing the music for 'Death Magnetic.' It was kind of an interesting relation there in terms of the headspace that it put us in, James and Lars [Ulrich, drummer] specifically."

Metallica is winding down its US tour in support of "Death Magnetic," its first album of new material in more than six years.

Trujillo spoke to LiveDaily about Metallica's four Grammy nominations for "Death Magnetic," his learning experiences with Hammett, Hetfield and Ulrich, and traveling with his and his bandmates' children.

LiveDaily: Congratulations on your Grammy nominations. At this point in your career, what do those Grammy nominations mean to you?

Robert Trujillo: It depends on the situation. Obviously, if you're Milli Vanilli and you get nominated for seven Grammys and then you have them taken away from you, it's not the greatest thing in the world. [For us,] it's an honor. We worked very hard on this record. Metallica, one thing I can say is definitely the work ethic is next level. It's been a great learning experience. I've been in a lot of situations, as you know. It's been a seriously great learning experience to sit alongside Hetfield and Lars and help them compose a song and watch the arranging process. It's like going to the best school of songwriting you could ever imagine. To be recognized for our efforts is wonderful and we're happy about that.

What is the most important thing you learned so far from them?

Definitely in the world of Metallica there's a lot of detail that comes into the picture Someone like James, like in his lyrics, for each word he'll have three words. He's very organized. Each song has a special font--the way it's written and everything about it. And that kind of detail goes into learning guitar parts or developing his vocal harmonies. It's really impressive to see that in them. Arranging songs, right down to the small details in the rhythms and the transitions and stuff. One of the coolest things about this body of music, to me, is [producer] Rick Rubin wanted us to write a batch of music that we could perform live. And we did that--right down to recording it. [Rubin said], "Everybody stand up and play like you're performing these songs." The whole theme was [to] kind of like try and imagine ourselves trying to impress an audience who doesn't know who we are at a small bar or a backyard party. We kind of went into that zone. He had Lars and James really reunite with the past and the thrashy years. That's why there's definitely moments of the old school on there, too.

I think that's one thing that's really pleased fans is that Metallica has gone back to those years.

Yeah. For me, too, as a bass player it's a lot of fun. It's a challenging body of music, but it's a lot of fun. Again, just an idea that I'm a part of these songs, I know them. There's times when they're asking me how a part goes. That feels good, when they go "What's that note?" "How do we do this?" It feels good to have them ask me and not me having to ask them for information regarding specific songs.

How have you seen the band grow since you joined Metallica almost six years ago?

In a lot of ways: For starters, me, personally and Kirk, we've now got children. When I first joined Metallica back in 2003, I wasn't married, I didn't have kids. Now I’m sitting here with a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, happily married. That's a major transition in one's life. When I first joined the band, I was kind of like the boy in the bubble. I really had to focus on being a part of this band and learning over 23 years of catalog at the time, then learning all the "St. Anger" material, which was really crazy. So I had to create this bubble environment, so I could only focus on that. That would have been difficult with the full-on family back then. And then also Kirk, as I mentioned, has a couple kids as well. Lars had a child just over a year ago. There's a lot of new magic in the band, somewhere we can all connect, where we share the same interests. Outside of a lot of things like family, we don't have a lot of the same interests. We're all different. Our families sort of bring us together. The music brings us together, definitely. It's nice to have the family aspect in there too, something we obviously love and cherish. We can all share that.

Does your family travel with you?

Sometimes. It depends. In the summertime, we'll hub out of certain locations. My wife's from France. We'll kind of hub out of France, and Kirk will as well. Then we'll, say, we fly to Italy or wherever, and we'll come back to the homestead which is in Paris or something. Oftentimes, we'll do that together. We'll set up shop in London or whatever. We spent a lot of time in Europe this past summer. We were there from May all the way up until the end of summer, 'til September. But it's good to be back in the States and have this new record to get out there and perform for our peeps.

What do you see for the future of Metallica? You have one more album left on your deal with Warner Bros., correct?

Basically, I don't know the technical details. I can only tell you this: outside of the business side of things--which is probably what you're asking me--on a creative level, the sky's the limit. To me, "Death Magnetic" is only a launch pad. We're already jamming on new ideas and new riffs. There's a rhythm-section thing that I'm feeling with Lars that I'd like to dive into even more so with the future. It's great to be playing thrashy, heavy riffs again, too. That's one of the things with this band--there's no shortage of musical ideas. When you check out some of the other bands that have been around for so many years, sometimes the hardest thing is to stay motivated. Sometimes bands will end up playing almost like-- how do you say it?--a tribute scenario where they're playing all the hits all the time. That's cool. But the future of [that type of] band doesn't seem as interesting. I think we still got it in us to create interesting music and to get even better with it. That's kind of fun.

I understand you change the set list every night. That must keep it fresh as well.

It's a lot of fun right now. There's such an extensive catalog and now, with the new songs, it's really fun. We enjoy playing them. That's the key thing. We actually like playing these songs and we're challenged by them. They're not easy songs to play. But we're excited to attack them. Right now, we're playing six of the new songs and they seem to be going over really well live, which is very cool. On the last album ["St. Anger"], I think we only worked up three songs and at the end of the day, we were only doing one or two. Pretty much one song. Then we weren't playing any of them. We do change the set up, but the good thing is we got new stuff in there too. We have a lot of the old stuff. It's a very well-balanced set. As far as them pulling up some songs that I may not know, we've been doing this for so long now, as far as shows and touring and going in and out of Europe, that it's become a little bit easier for me. It wasn't so easy five years ago.

**ILYUXA$**, вообще, странно. Почему они выкладывают их так... Ведь дата - разная!

fiery guitar, вот ещё одна для вас персонально:

METALLICA In Talks To Play New Festival In Finland - Jan. 30, 2009

According to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, METALLICA is in talks to play a brand new metal festival with LINKIN PARK (and 11 other bands) at the end of July in the city of Pori (the site of the annual international jazz festival Pori Jazz). The 80,000-capacity event will reportedly take place on either July 25 or July 31 and will apparently be named after METALLICA, who will headline the festival. An official confirmation is expected sometime in early February.

All 26,000 tickets for METALLICA's two concerts at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland in June 2009 were sold within 40 minutes after they went on sale last October.

METALLICA's last show at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland — on July 15, 2007 — was attended by 44,000 people, which is nearly 1 percent of the country's 5.5-million population. Tickets to that concert were snapped up within about 45 minutes after they went on sale on February 28, 2007.

METALLICA's TRUJILLO On 'Death Magnetic', Fatherhood, Band's Longevity - Jan. 30, 2009

Interview: Metallica
If Metallica's Death Magnetic were a movie, what would it be?

Bassist Robert Trujillo has a very appropriate answer to that question. "Apocalypse Now," he laughs with a smile. "That could be it. Death Magnetic tackles everything from fallen rock stars to people living on the edge. Demons—like addiction—are chasing these characters. Some of the lyrics remind me of what's happening in athletics today with guys like Michael Vick. Certain people gain a ton of power through their popularity. Then all of a sudden, they abuse that power. However, as we see in the end, nobody is indestructible."

Except for Metallica, that is. It's been nearly 26 years since they dropped Kill 'Em All, and the multi-platinum metallic monolith still remains rock n' roll's most fierce and fiery foursome. Death Magnetic, their Grammy nominated ninth studio album, only reasserts that with its unbridled sonic exorcism. In fact, it may very well be Metallica's most dangerous offering to date. In this exclusive interview for our Grammy mini-site, ARTISTdirect.com spoke to bassist Robert Trujillo about Death, addiction, parenting and why Metallica will never die.

Coming from an old school thrash background, do you feel like you brought a raw edge to Death Magnetic?

I think it was a combination of things. If you want to call it a new beginning, you can. It felt natural, with the new team and the new attitude. Rick Rubin was really instrumental in getting Lars [Ulrich, Drums] and James [Hetfield, Vocals/Rhythm Guitar] to reunite with that old school thrash vibe. For so many years, it seemed like they were trying to get away from it in a sense. They were doing other things, of course, and being creative, but they weren't really dwelling in the thrash zone. For me, as a bass player, it's really good to be creatively a part of this. To play thrash on my first official record release with Metallica is more exciting for me. I really love Metallica's old school years with Cliff Burton, and it's just a lot of fun.

There's also a modern vibe to the songs as well. A lot of that has to do with the new unity and your bass playing. These songs don't have a dated feel. Death Magnetic is probably the freshest thrash record to come out in the 21st century.

Yeah, I agree. There's definitely a combination of vibes on this. It doesn't sound like any specific Metallica record. It has its own identity, as any Metallica record does. The key thing about this is it's an album that we wanted to be able to perform live. That's one of the things that Rick conveyed. He was like, "Create a body of music that you can challenge your audience with. Let's take it back to the old days where you were trying to get a deal and you were putting music together for your demo tape." Getting into that mindset was crucial. There are arrangements that, at times, seem technical and a bit abstract, but they still groove. To really pull this music off, it has to groove. In that sense, Death Magnetic has a really nice live performance persona to it.

Is that what makes the album so powerful?

The dynamics of that performance persona do for sure. I think it's pretty cool that Lars and I are connecting more than maybe had happened in the past. Hopefully, we can develop that even more for the future. Certain songs, like "All Nightmare Long," "Cyanide" and "The Day that Never Comes," have a nice balance between Lars and I as a rhythm section. It's a great thing for us to be hooking up on that level. For Lars and me gaining that trust is big. It seems like he's always had the trust with James for so many years. As a bass player coming into a new situation, I think it's really important for me and for Lars.

Would you say that you and Lars anchor the symphonic orchestrations in songs like "All Nightmare Long?"

That's true. If you even go back to Master of Puppets and …And Justice for All, those arrangements were pretty involved and dynamic. I think Death Magnetic is an extension of all the earlier stuff. Some people say that Death Magnetic is maybe the album that sits between Master of Puppets and Justice. There you go. At the same time, this is the launch pad for the future. That's what excites me. Creatively, it feels like this is something that's just kicking off.

It feels like there's a real vibrant energy coming from the band, and it's easy to feel that while listening to the record.

Thank you! That's actually a compliment [Laughs].

Thematically, what do you feel like the common thread is between these songs?

I would have to say the common thread, be it negative or positive, is actually death. It depends on who you talk to. Of course everyone's got his own opinion, and it's always open to interpretation, as Metallica lyrics always are. This is an album that's dangerous. It's riding on the edge. I would give the metaphor of riding a 100-foot wave. Death Magnetic is about riding the fine line between glory and destruction. The music and the message are exactly that. It explores a lot of people who are fallen heroes—whether they're from rock n' roll or other things. Layne Staley, for instance, was on that ride that is rock n' roll. He fell off to the other side with his addictions and everything. There are certain aspects of that in what we said lyrically. James points that out in a lot of things. There are different themes to the whole spectrum of music. It's all encompassing. It's not about one song and the message of one song. It's about all of the songs.

In that aspect, it plays out more like a movie.

Exactly, it's like looking at a painting. In it, there's a lot of detail, and there are a lot of dynamics to the painting. Again, it's not about one song. You find that in a lot of classic records like Dark Side of the Moon. There's a gazillion of them. That, to me, is more or less what Death Magnetic is about—the whole body of music, not just one song. It's like an adventure or a rollercoaster ride, in a way [Laughs].

It seems like death is always chasing us, and we're always running away from it. However, it's still pulling us. That's what "All Nightmare Long" really says.

That's true. There are different phases of it. As far as "All Nightmare Long," that's definitely true. It's a constant chase. We've all had dreams where something is chasing us. Whatever monster that is... it could be someone's addictions, or it could literally be that chase sequence in your dream where you're on the tour bus and you're floating over the edge. You look down and you see nothing but rocks and water, which is a dream that I've had plenty of times. It's very interesting. The music has a lot of imagery to it. You can close your eyes, put on your headphones and see things. It's pretty cool. That, to me, is a sign of something special. This album took time, and there's a lot of detail. Metallica's a band of detail. Everybody knows that. Things take time because people like James are very thorough. He explores a lot of possibilities with the lyrics, the lyrical format and the arrangements. There is tons of detail to it.

Is it Metallica's darkest record?

It's one of them, yeah. I try to find the positive light in only that in this record. It's too deep. There are too many angles. You can pull positives from it, very much so. Each song has a meaning that you can take positively. There's a lot of negative to get to the positive though. If you break it down like that, it's pretty dark.

Your exploration of it is positive though, because at least you get that darkness out.

That is true. Again, I think that, coming out of the St. Anger period, it was very important for us to make this record. It's very interesting for this band. I would call that St. Anger period the "Dark Ages," in a way. It was definitely a time of transition. I think getting into the Death Magnetic stage changed things. It was a stage where James was really blossoming again. He was getting his juju back. He took a lot of pride in this record, and he put a lot of effort into everything about it. In a way, it's like James is back. Even in terms of personality, he has that wild and crazy side. Even though he's sober, he's got that attitude back. It's not like we're walking on eggshells around him anymore. There's no more tightrope or thin ice. Sometimes, you felt that way back in the St. Anger period. To me, it feels like we have him again, and we're going to get great music from him and obviously us as a team. He's there. It's not like, "Okay, it's eleven o'clock, I can't play guitar anymore. I've got to go." It's like, "Screw it, man. Let's keep going."

Is the fact that you're a father always on your mind now?

Yeah, this is an interesting point—now that each one of us has multiple kids. Kirk has two children as well. For me, it was like, join Metallica and six years later I'm married and I've got two kids [Laughs]. Life changes in this band. That's one of the main things we have in common. We're all very different people—extremely different. Lars and James are completely different. They probably wouldn't have anything to do with each other if they didn't have music. We all connect through music. That's what makes us brothers. When we're on stage, and when we're writing, we have a mutual respect for each other. Outside of music, we're very different. Our families bring us together. It's something that we share and we have in common. If I've got questions about potty training my four-year-old son or two-year-old daughter, I can go to the other guys in the band because they've all been through it. That's cool, and that's special. It also makes things easy when we're planning our tours and trying to schedule things a year or two in advance with the school schedules and recording schedules. That is something that we all share. You always think about your kids on tour or on stage. The other night was James' daughter's birthday. He brought her up on stage and sang happy birthday to her in front of 20,000 people. I felt like crying [Laughs]. I thought, "Boy, this is heavy!" I also thought, "Someday, maybe that'll happen for me." It's something that the kids love to experience and be a part of as well. It's a lot of fun.

It probably makes being in Metallica even more special.

Absolutely, we feel very lucky and fortunate to be able to be in a band that we have fun being a part of and creating our music but also going to all these special places and bringing our families, sometimes, to be a part of that experience with us. That's one of the other great things about being in Metallica.

What is it about Metallica that will never die?

There are a few things that I've noticed. The fans, obviously, are amazing. We take a lot of pride in trying to connect with our fans. Every night we have a meet-and-greet. You can only meet so many of your fans, but we try to do the best we can. We meet between 15 and 20 fans. We do that. We always try to stay in touch through the fan site and our fan club. The other side to that is Metallica—with the detail to the music and the love for the music—one of the things I notice is when we put on our instruments, it's like being a kid in the garage again, going back to the early days. People start jamming Def Leppard riffs, AC/DC or Iron Maiden. Jokes are flying around. It's a really fun time. The band loves to make music and has fun doing it. That's what makes Metallica relevant still.

LAMB OF GOD Guitarist Talks About Touring With METALLICA - Feb. 1, 2009

Peter Atkinson of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with guitarist Mark Morton of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

KNAC.COM: How was the METALLICA tour?

Morton: Very, very cool. It was good opportunity for us, of course, opening for one of the biggest bands in the world. We were really flattered for them to have asked us to come out with them. We had some great shows. When we go out with like a SLAYER or a MEGADETH or a band like that, chances are most of those people are at least aware of what we do. It's safe to say that a good portion of the METALLICA crowd had not yet been exposed to us. So for us, at that this stage of the game, it was a golden opportunity. In addition to that, it was a lot of fun to go on tour with people who were our heroes when we were coming up as musicians and to learn first hand that they really are a great bunch of guys, really down-to-earth people, surprisingly, so given their celebrity and their status in the industry and some of the ways they've been portrayed. They made us feel at home and made us feel welcome, and for that I'm grateful. We've got about 20 more shows with them next summer in Europe, so we're very excited about that. So, all in all, it was a great experience.

KNAC.COM: Playing in front of a crowd that was, like you said, not really familiar with you, how did you go over?

Morton: We went over really well. We were, not concerned, we were curious how we would go over with an unfamiliar audience. To be fair, we certainly had our share of fans there every night, the LAMB OF GOD fans were showing up and they were very vocal and very visible and we love them to death for it, but I could definitely feel the momentum of the shows. When we would start playing, people would still be taking their seats, and by the end of our set the faces changed from deer in the headlights to fists in the air. There were no train wrecks, no boos, no catastrophes, at least that I was aware of, and I think we won some people over. The thing about, say, SLAYER is, they are a very, very heavy band, very dark, very aggressive, and the music, at least to my ears, is a little bit similar to what LAMB OF GOD is doing, so it's not such a stretch for the audience. METALLICA has gone through different phases at different eras, until very recently most of their modern stuff is pretty commercial, so their fans are there to hear that. But, like I said, they seemed to like us and I know we made some new fans.

KNAC.COM: Since everyone else has chimed in on it, what is your opinion of METALLICA's new album?

Morton: It's great, it's their best record in a lot of years. They had moved away from where my interest was in them, but good for them, they've redefined themselves over and over again, reinvented themselves. And they are a great band and nice guys.

KNAC.COM: LAMB OF GOD is certainly a veteran band, but METALLICA's been around for a lot longer and at a much higher level, no disrespect. Is there anything you guys can take away from someone like that?

Morton: The answer to your question is yes and no. I don't think there's things, or lessons, that we picked up directly from them as a band because we're two very different situations and two very different types of bands in very different levels of our careers, as you mentioned. But working with them has taught us some things. It's one of the few times where, like I said, we've been in front of an audience that we felt we had to win over. Early on in our career, when no one knew who we were on our first couple national tours, it was like that, and maybe the main stage at Ozzfest that we played a couple years ago. But even then we felt like we were on our home turf. We learned how to work in an environment that wasn't necessarily hostile, but it wasn't necessarily friendly either. And METALLICA plays in the round, which is like being in a boxing ring in the middle of the arena, so we really had to work a four-sided stage instead of a one-side stage. And 14-15 years into our career, that's the first time we've had to do that. We picked up really quick, and I'm really proud of our band and especially our crew for adapting, because those guys really bear the brunt of that. If things don't get set up just so, it can make things a lot more difficult and really limit your mobility, which you really need in a situation like that.

METALLICA's HAMMETT And TOOL's JONES On Surfing In Hawaii, Obsessive Fans And Occult Symbols - Feb. 3, 2009

The cover story in Guitar World's April 2009 issue features two hard rock guitar gods — METALLICA's Kirk Hammett and TOOL's Adam Jones — reminiscing about surfing together in Hawaii, obsessive fans, and occult symbols. A couple of excerpts from the article, which doesn't go on sale until next Tuesday, February 10, follow below.

Jones: "We opened for METALLICA in Korea and decided to hit Hawaii on our way back to do a couple shows. Kirk was heading to Hawaii, too, but I didn't see him on our plane. After we landed, I was getting my luggage and I felt this tap on my shoulder. It was Kirk, and he said, 'Are you the guitarist in TOOL? I love your band. Would you like to come to dinner?' And I was like, 'Yeah!'"

"He lent me a long board and took me out to this spot where all the old-timers surf. I'm from California, so I've never had to paddle 30 minutes anywhere. [laughs] And you have to go out real far in Waikiki to catch the good waves. My arms were getting so tired, and I was so worried I was gonna look like a pussy!"

Guitar World: I'm wondering what, in your opinions, are the upsides and downsides to becoming a cult phenomenon?

Jones: "[laughs] I know, sorry. I think the downside is that there's a real potential to forget your roots and why you started playing in the first place. It's important to remember where your head was when you first started, because when you get successful and spoiled it's easy to forget the excitement of when you were first writing songs. And that's why his band and my band go into hiding­to write songs and try to find that spot again. We do this so we don't just keep writing what we wrote last time that was successful and start sounding like a cover band of ourselves. We have to constantly go back and find ourselves."

Hammett: "I guess you can say 'Death Magnetic' is METALLICA reaching back to our cultish days, as well. I don't know if you can even call us a 'cult band' now, because we're a very popular band. Can you be a cult band and still be popular? I don't know."

Jones: "It probably depends on who you ask. I think the word 'cult' comes from an outsider's perspective. When someone on the outside looks at METALLICA, they would say they have a cult following. Because METALLICA have had years of success and have a dedicated fan base, it could almost seem like people are following them out of blind faith, but I don't think this is exactly correct. TOOL has had that too. I've heard stuff like, 'How can a band that a lot of people never heard of have gold and platinum records?' That's when they'll say, 'It's because TOOL has a weird cult following.' To me it's just a term people use to describe something they don't quite know how to explain…which is not necessarily a bad thing."

Guitar World: It also seems a cult band can become an easy target for disgruntled fans when it grows beyond being their "pet band."

Hammett: "I know that a lot of people who are cultish types are really obsessive. They really want a certain thing, or feeling, and they find this thing in a band. When the band grows bigger­and maybe more personally inaccessible as a result­these cultish people try even harder to get this thing or feeling from the band. There's a certain type of person who is obsessed with METALLICA who spends all of their time trying to get this one thing outta our music, and when they don't get it they become passionately pissed off. [laughs]"

Jones: "For me, there's nothing wrong with obsession as long as you're getting something out of it that's positive. And when your expectations are let down because you didn't like this record as much as the last record…well, you just have to be a little more forgiving, or move on."

Hammett: "'Forgiving' is totally the right word, because after all it is just music. You can live through it."

Guitar World: Speaking of mysterious subject matter, Kirk, you brought a pretty tripped-out ESP guitar with you today, which goes well with this issue's cult heroes theme.

Hammett: "More like occult heroes. [laughs] Basically, for this guitar, I gave the artist [American painter] Mark Ryden a list of topics, and I said, 'Translate these ideas into your vision and paint it onto the guitar.' There's a bee, which is symbolic of knowledge; the raven, symbolizing secret knowledge; and then the all-seeing eye, symbolic of universal knowledge. Caduceus [a symbol formed by a short staff entwined by two serpents] symbolizes the tree of life, but if you notice it also resembles a DNA strand [a double helix]. Then there's the hand from heaven, the Rosicrucian rose and my astrological sign, Scorpio, as well as assorted skulls and a yin-yang. It's full of numerology, astrology, occult and religious symbolism."

Jones: "It's an amazing-looking guitar. I love all the light sources beaming off of the female shape, and the design at the center, over the pickups, which I see as a life-and-death thing. Mark Ryden is really the icon of this current underground, up-and-coming art movement, and he's paved the way for a lot of people who have similar approaches. I've seen his paintings in person in Seattle, and he is a master at what he does. I'm glad he's now getting the recognition. And Kirk's going to play it and scratch it all up? He should just put it under glass and hang it on his wall. Or better yet, give it to me. [laughs]"

Hammett: "It's gonna see some wear and tear, but that's its purpose. Plus, Mark said he'd do touch-ups when they're needed."

Guitar World: It seems you're both very thoughtful when it comes to studying hermetic philosophies. Do you find them useful in adding order to your lives outside of the musical realm, too?

Jones: "The order is already there. It's just that we're making ourselves aware of it. Sacred geometry is basically studying anything and breaking it down to its purist form, be it a symbol, shape, color, vibration or sound. That's what our life is. It goes outside who we are as people, the earth or the universe, into the spiritual realm or even an unconscious collective realm."

Guitar World: Going back to your guitar, Kirk, what specifically fascinates you about symbolism?

Hammett: "Well, as far as symbolism goes, there are different schools of thought, like how colors can influence your mood or perspective. Different symbols, like the all-seeing eye or the rose, will trigger different things in your psyche or unconscious. All this stuff is influential on some level and has an impact on the person surveying it, whether on a quantum level or a more overt level. I'm really interested in that sort of thing. Another good example of this is Jimmy Page's use of the ZoSo sigil, which he had written on his outfit. [A sigil is a word or symbol of supposed occult power. Page's ZoSo symbol first appeared on the packaging of 'Led Zeppelin IV' and later on his stage outfits.] He thought that it helped his music and artistic direction. I'm totally into how certain images can influence the subconscious mind. On a very basic level, if this guitar was stark white I would feel completely different about it. The fact that it has this amazing graphic on it inspires me and moves me."

AC/DC, GUNS N' ROSES, METALLICA Among JUNO AWARDS Nominees - Feb. 3, 2009

AC/DC's "Black Ice", GUNS N' ROSES' "Chinese Democracy" and METALLICA's "Death Magnetic" have been nominated in the "International Album Of The Year" category at this year's Juno Awards, it was announced today (February 3) at a media conference at Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Also nominated in the "Recording Engineer Of The Year" category was Mike Fraser for his work on AC/DC's "Rock N' Roll Train" single. The awards show, hosted by comedian Russell Peters, will air on Sunday, March 29 on CTV from General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame are also inducted as part of the awards ceremonies.

METALLICA Bassist's Playlist Revealed - Feb. 5, 2009

ARTISTdirect.com editor Rick Florino recently spoke to METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and constructed a playlist of what Robert's spinning.

"My four-year-old boy loves TOOL!" Trujillo told ARTISTdirect.com. "When I take him to school, we're playing TOOL all the time, so I definitely connect with them. There's a lot of bass in that group which is nice. They're a great band for a bass player to listen to. So believe it or not, my son and I are going through a big TOOL phase!"

He added, "I go through these real technical phases, and I listen to bands like MESHUGGAH and MNEMIC. It's stuff that's a little bit complex and takes a lot of patience. Lately, I've been jamming a lot to our music. I play through the new songs so I can keep fresh and keep them in my head. I can act crazier on stage if I can play them with proficiency."

Robert Trujillo's playlist

01. TOOL
02. JIMI HENDRIX
03. BLACK SABBATH
04. MNEMIC
05. MESHUGGAH

SLAYER's ARAYA Says 'Death Magnetic' Was METALLICA's 'Attempt At Rediscovering Themselves' - Feb. 7, 2009

MTV's HeadbangersBlog.com recently talked to SLAYER bassist and vocalist Tom Araya.

On the subject of METALLICA's "Death Magneitc" album, Araya said, "I think this was [METALLICA's] attempt at rediscovering themselves, but they did it in pieces, just like 'St. Anger' [2003] was in pieces. They had really cool riffs, but they put the wrong riffs together. [Laughs] The songs, they start and… They're long songs. They're all like seven or eight minutes long. To me, eight minutes of riffness — it's just a lot to take in, you know what I mean?! . . . There's some really good riffs in all those songs on the new album. That one song that I had to force myself to listen to completely had some really good riffs in it. And I thought, 'If you get rid of all the other ones that suck and put together the good riffs, you might have a really cool song.' And that's what I hear when I hear eight minutes of music. I hear… It was just too much."