How Metallica Lost It
December 13, 2006 by Jo Minor
They were the meanest, toughest bad-asses of the land. They not only recovered from the death of their bass wizard Cliff Burton; but ruled the metal world with their virtually endless touring in the late 80s. The band’s limitless drinking abilities scared the daylights out of mortal men, and there was nothing in sight that could stop the rise of Metallica - the band many envisioned as America’s answer to the more-glorified European metal bands.
Now merely a shadow of their past, Metallica is making headlines for their infamous inner struggles, money-grab tactics and other meandering activities. Discarded some time ago by metal purists, they have been graciously accepted into the home abysmal music - MTV - and have joined their legion of manufactured rockers.
Just where the hell did they go wrong?
1. Jason Newsted
Metallica hired Jason Newsted to replace the deceased Cliff Burton; and although he was nowhere near the live wire that Burton was, Newsted was a hard-rocking bassist with a unique stage presence and often helped front man James Hetfield with his vocal duties. Newsted was quickly accepted by fans as a welcome addition to the band, but he never had his say in the band. Newsted should’ve known something was amiss when his bass tracks were set to the lowest possible volumes on the …And Justice For All album. He left the band to pursue his suppressed musical interests elsewhere.
Solution:
Metallica with Burton was incredible, and Metallica with Newsted was good. They should’ve given the man more credit for what he brought to the band. With Newsted on board, they still had a chance.
2. St. Anger
The band’s musical direction was already heading downhill in the mid 90s, but the release of the horrible St. Anger left a bitter taste in the mouth of their fans worldwide. The only people who “loved†the album were the pretentious and biased music journalists and radio stations, who hailed the album as Metallica’s return to form. All in all, St. Anger managed to disgust the true fans of the band who never expected such absurdity from the band.
Solution:
Metallica relied too much on producer Bob Rock to create a masterpiece - ironically the album became the most evident sign of their downfall.
3. Lars Ulrich
Metallica was asking for it when they allowed their despicable drummer Lars Ulrich to intimidate users of Napster. Ulrich printed out a list of hundreds, if not thousands, of users who downloaded the band’s songs, and threatened to take legal action on them. His stunt not only angered countless fans who boycotted the band, but contributed to them hating the loudmouthed Danish dwarf even more. Ulrich didn’t stop there; he went on to sue as many people as he possibly could, for the most ridiculous reasons - it became a full-time job for the little weasel. Well, at least now we know he has a talent for something other than drinking.
Solution:
Lars Ulrich should shut the fuck up at all times.
4. Dave Mustaine
Metallica is controlled entirely by the egomaniacal James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. No one else in the band is as important as them and their interests; it has been always been the case and this fueled the firing guitarist Dave Mustaine in their early years. Mustaine was an exceptional guitarist - he and bass monster Burton used to steal the limelight away from the jealous Hetfield and Ulrich. As if that wasn’t enough, Mustaine had his share of ego and pride as well. This wasn’t taken lightly by Hetfield and Ulrich, and the duo quickly started conspiring to get him kicked out of Metallica. They cite Mustaine’s drug use as the reason for his dismissal, but then again, they were addicted to alcohol too. Once Mustaine was out of their hair for good they took the credit for all of his songwriting, and prompted him to form rival band Megadeth.
Solution:
Mustaine would’ve left the band sooner or later, but he was their brightest guitarist and his departure was Metallica’s loss, not his.
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