Epic thrash legends Metallica have spoken about their controversial image change in the mid 90s, and their subsequent return to their roots.
Metallica formed in California in the early 80s, back when the metal scene was dominated by bands in leather spandex and bouffant hairstyles. Injecting some punk honesty the band revved up the tempo to create a brutal and unrelenting assault.
Quickly gaining a rabid cult following Metallica have grown to become one of the biggest band’s on the planet, spearheading the thrash movement. However the group had a dip in popularity in the mid 90s, when Metallica retreated from their brutal guitar crash and began to experiment with new sounds and, controversially, a new image.
Well known for dressing down, Metallica’s stage costume for over a decade has been jeans and a black t-shirt. However suddenly the band were experimenting with their look and, according to some, softening their sound.
In a new interview with Classic Rock singer James Hetfield claims that “the whole ‘We need to reinvent ourselves’ topic was up. Image isn’t an evil thing to me, but if the image isn’t you, it doesn’t make much sense.”
The vocalist blamed Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett for the move, claiming they were “after a U2 kind of vibe, Bono doing his alter-ego. I couldn’t get into it. I would say at least half the pictures that were to be in the booklet, I yanked out. The cover went against what I was feeling. Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett were very into abstract art, pretending they were gay. I think they knew it bugged me.”
The band’s career dipped with the disastrous ‘St Anger’ album, with Metallica returning to their thrash roots on last year’s ‘Death Magnetic’ album. However as troubled as the group may have been, Hetfield denies that a split was ever on the cards.
“You know, St. Anger, the Monster movie, all the stuff that we went through – once we got back together and started playing again, we knew that we were given some sort of gift to continue and not fall like many other bands have. So we’ve got to take care of this, and we’re doing our extra best to do that.”
Metallica’s new album ‘Death Magnetic’ was a global success, spawning an enormous world tour. The band set the audience record for the O2 Arena, then broke it again just a few months later.
The band’s world tour is ongoing.
