Iconic Shot: Still the Kings

Metallica recently observed their 30-year anniversary as one of the heaviest Rock/Metal groups ever to break into the mainstream. The picture below, shot in the Yucca Corridor of Los Angeles, was taken amid the earliest days of the “Black Album” era just as they hit a level of international success which, 20 years later, shows no sign of fading.

While the genre they epitomize presently lounges in a state of disarray, we can always expect Hetfield & Co. to set the standard by which all others will be judged.

© Metallica, via their “Through the Years” Facebook album

Did You Know (or Care): Trusting your gut

c/o Exclaim

Even those who have reached the pinnacle of success can make the most inexplicably wrongheaded decisions regardless of how evident the right choice might seem. Such is the case acknowledged recently by one of the foremost luminaries of the Rock/Metal genre.

As the story goes, über movie director Quentin Tarantino approached Metallica co-founder Lars Ulrich some 10 years ago with the intention of featuring a couple of songs from Metallica's eponymous fifth album for a movie he was writing called Kill Bill: Vol. 1.

According to Ulrich, the cinema maven ". . .had written and choreographed the two main fight scenes in the film to the Metallica songs 'Enter Sandman' and 'Sad but True'. Fists would impact faces on accents. Kicks would land on cymbal hits. Bodies would twirl along with the rhythm of the music. Tarantino's next-level movie magic married to Metallica music, all turned up to 11."

The mind of your average red-blooded American male immediately twists with the imagery of what could have been, as the mishmash of an extraordinarily violent movie set to the rhythm and melodies of perhaps the heaviest mainstream band of its era invokes the unavoidable contemplations of that which could have been even greater than it ultimately was.

Ulrich continued: "Page by page, I realized that most of this was written in a language that was outside of my realm of understanding. I had never encountered a narrative like this, set in, to me, a very foreign culture of martial arts and Asian myths. I just couldn’t wrap my thick Danish head around it. . . . Over the next few weeks the whole thing fizzled out as I continued not trusting my instincts. In the end, I never got back to him. Probably the single biggest mistake I've made in the creative department."

One might contend that Metallica's recent off-putting collaboration with former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed has proven an even greater artistic gaffe. But don't feel bad for Lars. His legendary band has done just fine. And so has Tarantino, whose two Kill Bill movies combined for an impressive $332 million domestic box office take.

Real Music: Power chords

Having caught some recent footage from Metallica's "World Magnetic Tour," it's clear that frontman James Hetfield isn't as big and mighty on vocals as he once was.  In his defense, and no matter your preference(s) of music, most can barely comprehend the grind of performing 1,700 shows covering six continents over the past 28 years.  Yet it's the inconsistent presence of Metallica's otherwise signature muscle on guitar that throws loyalists the most.

Thus I've included a shredders anthem from their "Damaged Justice" tour 21 years ago to remind those who may have forgotten what Hetfield & Co. are all about:

The Mighty Hetfield

I watched some old Metallica concert clips (Seattle '89, San Diego '92) on YouTube earlier today, along with a few new ones. I was once again struck by the force they bring to a live show, which is untouchable among the vast majority of other so-called bands of this era that shun power chords, favor "guy liner," and produce user-friendly songs that reach for mainstream success at the deliberate sacrifice of their musical art.

These bands simply lack balance, and in all fairness Metallica has taken their hardcore fans on a few valley experiences as well (St. Anger, for instance). But through it all James Hetfield has been the heart and soul of Metallica from the very beginning. He is the Warrior-Poet of the Hard Rock/Metal genre' and precious few are worthy to be mentioned in the same breath. None have ever surpassed him, and it's unlikely that anyone ever will.