METALLICA's JAMES HETFIELD Makes His ROCK HALL Wish List - Mar. 21, 2009

METALLICA's James Hetfield has told MTV.com that he's got an entire list of hard-rock acts that he believes should be joining his band in the Rock and Hall of Fame — and he's not afraid to ruffle a few feathers to help their cause.

"MOTÖRHEAD, for sure, DEEP PURPLE, RUSH, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and even stuff before that ... STEPPENWOLF. It's crazy that TED NUGENT is not there; that dude is about as rock and roll as it gets. ALICE COOPER, KISS ... that's a pretty good list," he said. "These are bands that represent history and mean a lot to so many people. I think that alone means they should be in there too."

Video footage of Hetfield talking about which bands should be inducted: http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/356819/metallicas-james-hetfield-names-names-for-the-hall.jhtml

Regarding METALLICA's upcoming induction, Hetfield said, "It's very cool. I think we've paid our dues, and we've got a few fans who probably think the same thing. There's a lot of gratitude around it, the fact that we were acknowledged, and that, hopefully, we can help get some heavy music in. [Ideally] we'd kick the door open even further for some friends of ours — we've got a lot of friends that want to come in and be noted and represent a big part of rock and roll history."

METALLICA's LARS ULRICH Talks 'Guitar Hero' - Mar. 21, 2009

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently spoke to Blender.com about "Guitar Hero: Metallica" (out March 29), which features 28 songs spanning the hard rockers' entire career, plus 21 tracks by the likes of MOTÖRHEAD, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and MASTODON. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Blender.com: How did you decide the list of songs? Were there any fights between the four of you?

Lars Ulrich: No fights. It really wasn't that difficult to put together. Since we're pretty much equally proud of the whole journey — there's not a particular era that's extra-nauseating to think back on — we tried to pretty evenly represent all the different phases of METALLICA, from "Kill 'Em All" all the way through "Death Magnetic". There are some hits — it's difficult for me to say that word with a straight face; putting the word hit and METALLICA together is always awkward. So there are a few of the well-known toe-tappers, plus a few shredder songs, a few deeper album cuts and some cover stuff. The only thing that got a little hairy toward the end was the master tapes for "Kill 'Em All" were nowhere to be found. So we looked at a couple of options. Number one: Do we rerecord the songs? I believe that's what AEROSMITH did for some of their stuff that was missing. Or you can use live versions. But lo and behold, the master tapes for "Kill 'Em All" were located in a basement in New Jersey — sort of a ninth-inning type of thing — and three tracks from "Kill 'Em All" were included. Turns out the masters were in the basement of our first manager, Johny Zazula.

Blender.com: Which of the game's songs do you consider a sentimental favorite?

Lars Ulrich: "Hit the Lights", because it was the first song that me and James sort of did together — it appeared on the "Metal Massacre" compilation album back in the day. "Hit the Lights" reminds me of the garage in Norwalk, California, at 13004 Curtis & King Rd. That was where James Hetfield and [original bassist] Ron McGovney shared a house together and METALLICA came to life in 1982. We spent our time drinking Schnapps and Goldschläger and cheap beer, eating crappy food and putting all these early songs together. The house was unceremoniously demolished 10 to 15 years ago to make way for the fuckin' 110 freeway.

Read more from Blender.com.

METALLICA's LARS ULRICH On Major Labels, LIVE NATION And 'Guitar Hero'; Video Available - Mar. 24, 2009

METALLICA was in Austin last week for a not-so-secret show at the South by Southwest music festival designed to promote the Guitar Hero: Metallica, due out this month. The band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, spoke to Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times and set the record straight on key issues facing the group, including its relationship with its longtime label Warner Music Group and the proposed Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger.

On whether METALLICA needs a major label:

"Without offending any of the good people from the record company in the room, no. Let's cut to the chase. . . . The primary — not the only, but the primary — function of a record label is to act as a bank. When you're fortunate enough to be successful and so on, you don't need to rely on record companies as the banks. . . .

"We're doing a bunch of shows with Trent [Reznor, NINE INCH NAILS] this summer in Europe. I look forward to sitting down and talking to him about what's on his radar."

On the proposed merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster:

"We haven't sold out to Live Nation, and we are certainly not planning on it. And we are very, very fortunate that we do not need what they offer to continue to be who we are.

"Certainly, some of the practices that come in the wake of this — like direct reselling and all the stuff that Bruce [Springsteen] was up against in January and some of these other things — obviously are very distasteful, and downright . . . it's just ripping people off. It's impure. So obviously I'd stand up and scream from every rooftop that I think that's . . . impure."

On being affiliated with the Guitar Hero machine:

"When we got a chance to do this — and hopefully score another couple years of being semi-cool in our kid's eyes by having our own video game — this is something we jumped at pretty quickly. The bigger questions about brandings and perceptions? I really believe that if we sit here five years from now or 10 years . . . it'll be a fairly standard way of releasing music."

METALLICA: 'The Club Dayz' Photo Book Coming Next Week - Mar. 27, 2009

ECW Press has set an April 1 release date for "Metallica: The Club Dayz", a collection of photographs of the legendary rock band METALLICA that were shot by renowned metal photographer Bill Hale during the band's formative years in the San Francisco Bay Area club circuit between 1982 and 1984.

This book contains rare and exclusive photographs from six of the band's earliest performances including their first shows in San Francisco at The Stone and The Old Waldorf, which featured the original lineup with Dave Mustaine (guitar) and Ron McGovney (bass), Cliff Burton's introductory gig with the band at The Stone, the last METALLICA show with Dave Mustaine in San Francisco, and Kirk Hammett's METALLICA debut in the Bay area.

As chief photographer of Metal Rendezvous, a groundbreaking heavy rock magazine that was published throughout the '80s, Bill Hale was given unlimited access to hang out with and photograph this then-fledgling metal band. His job at the time was to capture the band onstage and offstage and provide the magazine with unique photographs of the band showcasing their brazen live energy in concert to unveiling some of their crazy and unpredictable backstage antics.

Bill Hale was right there from the very beginning, capturing the band before, during and after their performances. He was at every one of their early Bay Area shows, without the safety of a photo pit, crushed among the savage crowd as they head-banged fearlessly to the music of their local heroes. Here, for the first time, Bill Hale opens up his photo vault. Witness one of the greatest rock bands of all time during their embryonic stage.

Influenced musically by the new breed of British metal yet epitomizing the punk rock attitude, METALLICA's loud, snotty and don't-five-a-fuck attitude is very evident in these photographs. Most of the photos in this book have never been published and many of the images have never before been revealed to the public. "Metallica: The Club Dayz" is a long lost chapter of this band's visual history.

For more infromation, visit Amazon.com.

METALLICA's HAMMETT: 'We Don't Hold Sweden Responsible' For CLIFF BURTON's Death - Mar. 27, 2009

An audio interview with METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett conducted by the Stockholm radio station Bandit Rock 106-3 when the band was in Sweden earlier this month is available for streaming at this location: http://www.bandit.se/webbradio/frameset.php?type=audio&id=3463 .

"It's always good to be in Sweden," Kirk says in the interview. "I know you guys think that we're traumatized by the whole Cliff Burton thing [on September 27, 1986, METALLICA's bassist Cliff Burton died in a tragic bus acccident in Sweden — Ed.], but that's really not the case. We don't hold Sweden responsible or any of that. But I feel that every time people say, 'Welcome to Sweden,' and I say, 'It's good to be back in Sweden,' and people are like, 'Wait a second. Didn't you have a tragic event happen here?' But, like I said, that could have happened anywhere, and we don't really blame Sweden as a whole for that — it's ridiculous to. . . We do talk about it on occasion. We were talking about Cliff Burton just a couple of days ago. We got on to the subject of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we just started talking about how cool it would have been if Cliff was there to experience it."

'Guitar Hero: Metallica' Gets NASCAR Treatment - Mar. 27, 2009

Activision Publishing Inc.'s "Guitar Hero Metallica" will be the primary sponsor on the No. 8 Chevrolet driven by Aric Almirola for this weekend’s Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

METALLICA Breaks O2 Attendance Record… Again! - Apr. 1, 2009

Not content with attracting the largest audience ever at the O2 arena back in September last year, the mighty METALLICA smashed their own record on Saturday night (March 28).

19,017 fans helped the band set a new high at the world's most popular venue. The feat was made all the more extraordinary by being the third METALLICA date at the arena in six months.

The fan-club-only show in September 2008 set a benchmark of 18,000, which stood until Saturday night. It celebrated the release of latest album "Death Magnetic".

MEGAFORCE RECORDS, ANTHRAX Drummer Comment On METALLICA's ROCK HALL Induction - Apr. 2, 2009

Megaforce Records has released the following statement:

"Megaforce Records congratulates METALLICA on their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. It's astoundingly poignant that this band that crossed our path in 1983, and in many ways was the impetus for Megaforce even starting as a label, would reach such importance. It's probably safe to say METALLICA are the most important American rock band in the history of music.

"The genesis of METALLICA's growth and independence is important in these tempestuous days in the music industry. When pretty much nobody would sign METALLICA, we kicked and scratched to raise money. We had no idea what we were doing and we had little funds, but it was something we believed in. Megaforce had the wherewithal of releasing both 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Ride The Lightning'. Looking back, METALLICA gave us more than the leverage and stature to release more artists — they raised the bar for everyone."

Jonny and Marsha Zazula, Megaforce Records co-founders, stated: "We always believed in METALLICA from their very first krunch. It's no surprise to us that we are all gathered in Cleveland for this well-deserved amazing Metallibash! Keep bangin' that head."

Alan Becker, SVP of RED Distribution (formerly Important Distribution): "Jonny Z would come to our warehouse looking for import vinyl. One day he walked into our office and said he wanted to start a rock label and release this band METALLICA. From that day, METALLICA and Megaforce Records forever changed our lives, the music community, and set the stage for other underground artists and labels.

"We shipped a few thousand units of 'Kill Em All'. I still remember the catalog number Megaforce MRI 069. I had never seen anything like it. METALLICA's fans had amazing ears and word of mouth was crazy. Stores we never knew existed were calling us out of nowhere.

"Because of 'Kill 'Em All', we went from local to national distributor. Everyone who worked on behalf of METALLICA and Megaforce, both then and now, owe them and Jonny and Marsha Zazula and later on, Missi Callazzo, a debt of gratitude; and if not for them, this would be a very different company and music world today."

Charlie Benante, ANTHRAX drummer, on METALLICA: "I've been around since the beginning of the METALLICA/Megaforce days. I saw Kirk's first show, bottles of booze being emptied, food fights, and much more. The one thing that was always evident was the music, it made you want to get out of your seat and act out. Who would've thought that all of these years later it would come to this? The Hall Of Fame! Congrats to the boys! Let's empty some bottles in Cleveland! Whooo hooo!"

Missi Callazzo, Megaforce co-President: "METALLICA's ethos of doing it themselves became Megaforce's ethos as well. "Still today, most everything we do comes from those beginning days and the attitude that we can do anything, with or without money — it's a great lesson for any new artist just beginning. On behalf of Megaforce, may METALLICA celebrate this tremendous honor of being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame."

History of Megaforce: Started in 1982 as the home of METALLICA, this little label in New Jersey named Megaforce started for the right reason — to release great music, period. Megaforce has gone on to sell over 25 million albums and continues its search for unique artists.

Originally issued on July 25, 1983 through Megaforce Records, "Kill 'Em All" was recorded in two weeks on a miniscule budget in upstate New York. Although only 1,500 copies were initially pressed, the album was reissued by Elektra Records after the band signed to that label in 1984 and has since been certified triple platinum for sales of more than three million copies.

The original title of "Kill 'Em All" was "Metal Up Your Ass".

The album's opening cut, "Hit the Lights", was the first song that frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich wrote together after forming METALLICA. An early version of the track appeared on the 1982 compilation "Metal Massacre".

Lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was replaced by Kirk Hammett shortly before recording commenced, although Mustaine still has several writing credits on the disc and went on to form MEGADETH.

A number of songs from the album are still part of METALLICA's set list to this day, including "The Four Horsemen", "Seek and Destroy" and "No Remorse".

METALLICA has since gone on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world, selling tens of millions of copies of its eight studio albums, including 15 million alone of 1991's self-titled "black album." The band's ninth effort, "Death Magnetic", was released in September 2008.

Metal Blade Records owner and CEO Brian Slagel conducted interviews with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of METALLICA to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the band's debut album, "Kill 'Em All". Watch the interview in two parts: part 1, part 2.

METALLICA Performs With Two Bassists At ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME - Apr. 4, 2009

METALLICA played "Master Of Puppets" and "Enter Sandman" at tonight's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with the band's former bassist Jason Newsted and his replacement, Robert Trujillo, both taking part in the performance (the group played as a five-piece). They also led a "surprise jam" at the end of the night consisting of "Train Kept A Rollin'", with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Flea, LED ZEPPELIN's Jimmy Page, AEROSMITH's Joe Perry and Jeff Beck.

METALLICA was inducted by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea. With his hair dyed blue and wearing a vintage METALLICA T-shirt under a green blazer, Flea recalled the first time he heard METALLICA, in 1984 while on tour with the PEPPERS. It was 3 in the morning, they were tired, crammed into a van and sick of being on the road, and "this music comes on the radio, and I couldn't believe that it fucking existed," Flea said, according to MTV.com, as guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield jokingly covered his daughter's ears. "It was like I had been living in this normal world, where I knew what everything was that came on the radio, and all of a sudden my mind was being blown by this beautiful, violent thing that was unlike anything I had ever heard before in my life."

Flea profanely described staring at the radio in awe at this music that was explosive, precise, aggressive and intense, with wild and bizarre rhythm changes that he couldn't describe. "I didn't know what it was; the only thing I knew for sure was that it was a mighty thing," he said of "Fight Fire with Fire", likening METALLICA's unique sound to a rarified "cosmic chemistry" and paying moving homage to the special gift of late bassist Cliff Burton, who died in 1986 in a bus accident while on tour with the group.

"When a person gets rocking to their music, everything else disappears, and that person is just one with the rock," Flea said. "It is an inexplicable, awesome thing, and I bow down to it."

Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich hugged onstage after giving speeches, and both thanked fans who have followed the band through its ups-and-downs that included the death of Cliff Burton.

"I think rock and roll is about possibilities and about dreams," Ulrich said. "The fact that the six of us can be up on the stage tonight, snot-nosed kids, outcasts, loners who grew up in very different parts of the world, in very different situations and make it here tonight, to this wonderful night in front of all these people down here ... Rock and roll truly is about possibilities. Look at us. METALLICA's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Can you fucking believe that?"

Hetfield started his thanks with a list of bands he'd like to see enter next, which included KISS, RUSH, THIN LIZZY, TED NUGENT, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD. He also dedicated the award to the young musicians trying to make it. "Dream big and dare to fail," he said. "I dare you to do that. Because this is living proof that it is possible to make a dream come true."

METALLICA flew in from Paris, where the group played Wednesday and Thursday nights. The band planned to rehearse with Newsted at soundcheck on Friday but the equipment and the crew apparently arrived later than expected, forcing the soundcheck to be rescheduled for this morning (Saturday).

METALLICA's ULRICH: Fans Used To Ask Us To F**k Their Girlfriends - Apr. 21, 2009

According to NME.com, drummer Lars Ulrich revealed in a new interview that METALLICA fans used to ask the band to sleep with their girlfriends.

Speaking in the new issue of our sister title Uncut, out this week, the drummer explained that early in the band's career they often received the strange request.

"In the early days in America back in the mid-'80s, people would often ask us to fuck their girlfriend," Ulrich recalled. "The first time it happened to me, we were opening for Ozzy [Osbourne] in 1986 and I was slightly taken aback. But you realize people were serious and you say to yourself, 'So now I'm fucking your girlfriend, are you round the corner, whacking off? Are You taking pictures? Where do you fit into all this?'

"It's pretty depraved shit, and it's hard to wrap your head around that when you're fucking someone else's girl. It's not a good thing to ask a band to do, right?"

QUEENSRŸCHE Singer Says METALLICA's ULRICH Was A 'Serial Urinator' - Apr. 22, 2009

On a recent episode of VH1 Classic's hit weekly series "That Metal Show", QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate spoke about sharing the same management as METALLICA back in the late '80s and opening for the San Francisco heavy metal giants on a U.S. arena tour.

Tate said, "We toured with METALLICA during the '...Justice For All' tour when we were releasing 'Operation: Mindcrime', and that band, hats off to them — thank you, guys — they shared their stage with us every night, shared their audience with us, gave us a leg up, and I've got nothing bad to say about METALLICA; they've always handled themselves very well, I think."

When pressed for a funny Lars Ulrich story, Tate said, "Back in that day, we all partied pretty heavy, so after the show, you unwind a little bit, have a few drinks, and sometimes you'd have a few too many. But he'd always come on the bus — 'Hey, how are you, guys? How're you doing?' — he was usually dressed in tennis shoes and a robe. And he would urinate on our bus. And then the next day, the tour manager would hand him a bill and he'd pay it, and the next time he showed up, he'd do the same thing. He was like a serial urinator. We used to tease him about it — 'God, we come on the METALLICA tour and you piss on us.'"

Watch Tate talking about touring with METALLICA on "That Metal Show" at this location.

METALLICA's HETFIELD On His Past With The Piano - May 8, 2009

METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield recently spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about his earliest musical experience. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Metal Hammer: You first studied piano at the age of nine, then later got interested in your brother’s drums. Were the piano lessons in classical music?

James Hetfield: "Yeah. My mom had seen me over at a friend's house just kind of start bashing on the piano, and she thought, 'Oh, he's gonna be a musician, OK, we'll sign him up for piano.' I did that for a couple of years and it was really a bit of a turn-off because it was learning classical pieces, stuff that I wasn't listening to on the radio, you know?

"I remember it was an older woman's house and the cookies at the end was the big deal. But I am so glad it was somewhat forced upon me, because the act of left and right hand doing different things, and also singing at the same time, it gave me some inkling of what I do now. Singing and playing are somewhat easier than it probably could have been if I hadn't have had piano."

ESP Gets in the Game with Guitar Hero: Metallica
See your favorite James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett ESP signature models in the
newest and coolest Guitar Hero game ever!

As a real guitar manufacturer, a lot of people ask how we feel about the Guitar Hero video game series. Answer: we love it! Not only does it turn people on to all kinds of killer guitar-based songs that they might not have otherwise heard, but weʼve found that a lot of people move on to playing real guitars after getting into playing with Guitar Hero. Itʼs all good.

So, as you can imagine, we pretty much lost our minds when Activision, the maker of Guitar Hero, called us up to let us know that they were going to create an entire version of the game dedicated to Metallica. As you all know, both guitarists of Metallica (Kirk and James) have been using ESP guitars for over 20 years now. So, when you play GH:Metallica, guess what youʼll be seeing? Thatʼs right... the authentic ESP models used by Metallica!

The developers at Activision (and their subsidiaries RedOctane and Neversoft) didnʼt just create guitars that kinda, sorta look like Jamesʼ and Kirkʼs models. They actually used computer modeling techniques to get every single nuance of the guitars down to every scratch, every screw on the pickup covers, and so on.These ESP guitars you see in the game are detailed to perfection. From Kirkʼs KH-2 Vintage through Jamesʼ ESP Iron Cross, you get exactly what the Metallica dudes are playing in their real lives.

Of course, looks arenʼt everything. If youʼre a true fan of Metallica, youʼll love the fact that in addition to 28 of the bandʼs songs (placed in the game from the original master recordings), thereʼs a slew of music by other bands that Metallica themselves handpicked for inclusion in the game as well. But donʼt take our word for it; head over to guitarherometallica.com and get all the details on the most metal-oriented video game thatʼs ever been made! Or, better yet, head to your favorite video game retailer after March 29, 2009, and get your own copy.

Metallica: Sessions M4 Jacket

Sessions, a leading snowboard and action sports company that designs, merchandises, sources, and distributes high-performance snowboard apparel and accessories for the core, youth-driven sports segment, has produced a special Metallica M4 jacket.

Sessions' affiliation with Metallica stems from company owner Joel Gomez's relationship with Marc Reiter from the band's management company, Q Prime Management, and Metallica frontman James Hetfield, whose similar interests in skateboarding and snowboarding led them on a snowboard trip to Squaw Valley USA in Lake Tahoe, California in 1997.

This jacket shows Sessions' true dedication to its roots, while still looking towards the future. This special jacket comes equipped with a two speakers found in the hood, an amp, and a custom control panel on the sleeve.

Experience what the slopes can bring, with a jacket made for the elements and equipped with a speaker/amp system from Skullcandy, which includes musically inspired designs from the most popular heavy metal band of all time.

To see Sessions M4 Metallica Jacket video, go to this location.

METALLICA: Mexican Shows To Be Filmed For Forthcoming DVD - May 26, 2009

According to a post on legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin's official web site, METALLICA's three headlining concerts in Mexico City, Mexico — which are scheduled for June 4, June 6 and June 7 at Foro Sol — will be filmed for a forthcoming DVD. Halfin will attend the shows in order to shoot the DVD cover. Support at the gigs will come from AVENGED SEVENFOLD and the Mexican band RESORTE.