LINE-UPS
James Hetfield
(vocals/guitar)
Kirk Hammett (guitar)
Jason Newsted (bass)
Lars Ulrich (drums) |
James Hetfield
(vocals/guitar)
Kirk Hammett (guitar)
Bob Rock (bass)
Lars Ulrich (drums) |
James Hetfield
(vocals/guitar)
Kirk Hammett (guitar)
Robert Trujillo (bass)
Lars Ulrich (drums) |
1999
found METALLICA winning a prestigious Grammy award for
'Better Than You' in the 'Best Metal Performance' category.
In April the band undertook an ambitious venture by performing
two concerts with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
These shows would be collated for a double album release
'S&M' later in the year. In the meantime the band set
out on tour once more to promote 'Garage Inc.'
2000 was spent in production for 'S&M' and the album released
in November. Opinion was sharply divided as to the merits
of the album but needless to say world-wide sales were
high. The band rounded off the year by performing 'Until
It Sleeps' with full orchestra at the Billboard awards
in December. METALLICA had also beaten another major act
at their own game. German veterans the SCORPIONS had been
planning a similar venture for some while.
Besides 'S&M' a rather special album also emerged in 2000.
The limited edition 'The Garage Remains The Same', with
both title and artwork punning LED ZEPPELIN, was released
to platinum card carrying members of the METALLICA fan
club. The album comprised of six live tracks recorded
in Santiago, Chile during 1999.
Needless to say METALLICA had something special planned
for the turn of the century headlining New York's Madison
Square Gardens with support acts TED NUGENT and KID ROCK.
The new millennium started off well for METALLICA as they
won another Grammy award for 'Best Metal Performance'
for their rendition of 'Whiskey In The Jar'.
Hetfield appeared alongside Jim Martin on the track 'Eclectic
Electric' on PRIMUS' 2000 album 'Antipop'. Newsted meantime
busied himself with side project ECHOBRAIN, a power trio
featuring guitarist Dylan Dokin and drummer Brian Sagrafena.
Also contributing was the aforementioned Jim Martin and
Hammet.
METALLICA contributed the new composition 'I Disappear',
also released as a single, to the movie soundtrack for
'Mission Impossible 2'.
The band were also kept in the press the same year with
a legal action brought by the band against internet company
Napster. METALLICA accused Napster of depriving them of
royalties by their download access of METALLICA tracks.
Napster replied by posting an animated cartoon on their
site featuring a Neanderthal Hetfield who could only mouth
'Money good!, Napster bad! Beer good!'.
A more complimentary tribute was made when GREGORIAN,
a collection of Gregorian chanters, covered 'Nothing Else
Matters' on their 'Masters Of Chant' album.
METALLICA spent mid 2000 on the road in America with their
'Summer Sanatorium' arena tour. Along for the ride were
KID ROCK, KORN and POWERMAN 5000. By the end of the year
it was announced that METALLICA had grossed over $40 million
in tour receipts.
The band's stability was rocked in February of 2001 when
Newsted announced his departure. The bassist's frustrated
attempts to instigate musical projects outside of the
confines of METALLICA had been well documented.
Hetfield, Hammet and Ulrich resolved to record the band's
next album as a trio although increased speculation put
the spotlight firmly onto ex OZZY OSBOURNE and ALICE IN
CHAINS man Mike Inez as the potential new recruit. Another
name dropped into the hat would be that of the original
bass wildman Pete Way of UFO. (Inez though would join
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and Way resumed UFO activity).
The band, in typically unorthodox fashion, would also
employ a novel method of auditioning bassists. Playing
a website re-launch party in San Francisco on July 29th
METALLICA would draw upon members of their official fan
club to perform onstage with the band. The reaction of
the audience would determine if the candidates got beyond
the first song! The victor would be treated to a day out
with the band and dinner. METALLICA got to grips with
more personal internal affairs during the lay off upfront
of a new album as their fan club announced that Hetfield
was undergoing treatment for "alcoholism and other addictions."
Newsted, after a one off live gig with THE MOSS BROTHERS
in San Francisco supporting SPINAL TAP, re-emerged with
school friends vocalist / guitarist Dylan Donkin and drummer
Brian Sagrafena as ECHOBRAIN, a band which had actually
been a going concern for many years behind the scenes
of METALLICA's unstoppable progress. Newsted also revealed
plans to release material he had assembled over the years
in alliance with such artists as Andreas Kisser of SEPULTURA,
drummer Tom Hunting of EXODUS, DEVIN TOWNSEND and MACHINE
HEAD's Robert Flynn.
ECHOBRAIN put in their debut live showing on August 19th
2001 as part of the 'Nadine's Wild Weekend' events in
San Francisco. By September it had emerged that the ex
bassist was working in the studio with a re-united VOIVOD
acting as producer and bassist. Meanwhile, with METALLICA
on hold minus a bass player the band received an offer
from MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine and bassist Dave Ellefson
to found an interim live act to be dubbed META-MEGA!
For the fourth year running METALLICA fan club members
would be rewarded with another 'Fan Can' release. '…And
All This For You' included a live CD culled from a Dallas,
Texas gig in 1989, a live video originally broadcast on
German TV and various other goodies locked away in the
by now obligatory tin can.
During January of 2002, As rumours spread of involvement
between Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammet with former VAN HALEN
star DAVID LEE ROTH, it was also learned that the METALLICA
pair had collaborated with Rapper JA RULE for a track
'We Did It Again', included as part of a compilation album
'Ghetto Stories'. James Hetfield would get in on the action
outside of METALLICA too, adding guest vocals on GOVT.
MULE's 'Drivin' Rain' contribution to the all star NASCAR
compilation album 'Crank It Up'.
The high profile Progressive Rock act DREAM THEATER added
a rather novel twist to their touring activities in 2002.
When booked for a two night consecutive venue run the
band would perform the entirety of METALLICA's 'Masters
Of Puppets' album live. Needless to say, fans who had
not been made aware of DREAM THEATER's intentions, would
be somewhat mystified.
When, in April Dave Mustaine made his announcement that
MEGADETH was to fold due to a severe nerve injury the
ex-METALLICA man had suffered to his left arm, the media
rumour mill sprang into action, placing Mustaine's long
serving bassist Dave Ellefson as a prospect for the still
vacant position in METALLICA. Whilst the Rock media concentrated
on these developments other parties would be keeping an
eye on Lars Ulrich's domestic position, the drummer putting
his San Francisco abode on the market for $11 million
and offloading some paintings, including much sought after
Basquiat paintings auctioned off at Sotheby's in London
for a record $5.5 million. Both Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammet
would unexpectedly take to the stage for famed 'Red Rocker'
SAMMY HAGAR's last night of three gigs at the famous Bay
Area Fillmore venue. The choice of material was a surprise
too as Hagar and the METALLICA duo, alongside a guesting
VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, ripped through a set
of MONTROSE songs.
Welcome studio activity found the band appearing amongst
a genuine all star cast, according to initial reports
donating their take of 'We're A Happy Family' to the 2002
Joey Ramone and ROB ZOMBIE assembled RAMONES tribute album
of the same name. It would later be learned that these
press leaks were premature and METALLICA had in fact recorded
different RAMONES tracks. The band, appearing surreptitiously
as SPUN, played a surprise set at Club Kimo's in San Francisco
in early June. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammet
were joined by their producer Bob Rock, who played bass
for the show which included no less than four RAMONES
covers 'Commando', 'Today Your Love Tomorrow The World',
'53rd And 3rd' (Confirmed as their contribution to the
'We're A Happy Family' tribute) and 'Now I Wanna Sniff
Some Glue'. Also on hand was standard METALLICA fare,
the rarely performed 'Hit The Lights' as well as a workout
of a brand new song. Hetfield remained seated throughout
the show, in recuperation for surgery on his nneck.
James Hetfield's passion for Country & Western reared
itself again when it was revealed the METALLICA frontman
had laid down guitar tracks on a remix of Country singer
CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON's single 'So Complicated'. It blater
emerged that Hetfield had also completed an entirely solo
rendition of WAYLON JENNINGS 'Don't You Think This Outlaw
Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand' for a 2003 tribute album.
The METALLICA frontman not only sang on this track but
also performed guitar, bass and drums.
Still minus a permanent bassist METALLICA nonetheless
threw a live party gig in San Francisco to celebrate the
launch of their new look official website. Two contest
winners would be given the opportunity of a lifetime as
the band performed 'Creeping Death' with fan Andrew and
'Seek & Destroy' with another competion entrant Elena
Repetto of the Thrash act IMAGIKA. METALLICA would then
resume with Bob Rock taking over four string duties for
the RAMONES 'Commando' and the remainder of the set. Work
would still continue apace on the album, evidenced by
one one lucky fan who was prepared to pay a whopping £23'000
over to the TJ Martell Foundation charity for the privilege
of a day in the studio with the band, winning an E Bay
auction for the prize.
The release of a mammoth Metal Blade Records 20th anniversary
box set brought good news for METALLICA fans. Included
would be a rare version of 'Hit The Lights' featuring
Lloyd Grant. Initially this track only appeared on the
first vinyl pressings of the famed 'Metal Massacre' compilation,
later CD re-issues supplanting it with a later take recorded
with Dave Mustaine.
METALLICA, with seven tracks of their new album already
fully recorded, would start auditioning bassists, by invitation
only, during December. METALLICA revealed plans to perform
on the summer 2003 European festival circuit by announcing
appearances at Denmark's 'Roskilde' festival and the German
events 'Rock Am Ring' in Nürburgring and 'Rock Im Park'
in Nürnberg.
The former KYUSS and current UNIDA bassist Scott Reeder
would be revealed as having partaken in auditions for
the bass vacancy during early January. Other candidates
put their their paces would be former SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
and current OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Robert Trujillo, Danny
Lohner of NINE INCH NAILS, Eric Avery of JANE'S ADDICTION
and erstwhile MARILYN MANSON man Twiggy Ramirez.
Outside of internal activities METALLICA would be riding
a wave of unwelcome albeit forced press coverage when
a cheeky Punk band from Edmonton brazenly entitled their
band…METALLICA! Needless to say the Californian giants
lawyers soon swung into action delighting the publicity
seeking Canucks. The real METALLICA, including Bob Rock
on bass, grabbed the headlines back by performing an impromptu
set on a flatbed truck in the car park of the Network
Coliseum in Oakland, California, the venue for a Raiders/Titans
game. METALLICA, revealing their highly anticipated studio
album title as 'St. Anger', announced a summer stadium
tour of the US allied with LINKIN PARK and LIMP BIZKIT
with support from DEFTONES and MUDVAYNE.
In late February METALLICA revealed that Robert Trujillo,
previously a member of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and the OZZY
OSBOURNE band was to be their new bass player. In a curious
turn of events erstwhile band member Jason Newsted then
promptly joined the OZZY OSBOURNE band.
METALLICA's first showing with Trujillo would be as part
of an MTV special on the band. This lavish spectable,
dubbed the 'MTVicon', included bands such as SUM 41 performing
'For Whom the Bell Tolls' and 'Enter Sandman', STAIND
with a rendition of 'Nothing Else Matters',
Pop teen-diva AVRIL LAVIGNE covered 'Fuel', Rapper SNOOP
DOGG took on 'Sad But True', KORN covered 'One' and LIMP
BIZKIT ''Sanitarium'. The evening closed, following an
introduction by actor Sean Penn, with a set by METALLICA
themselves.
As part of the promotion for 'St. Anger' METALLICA announced
a run of four back to back gigs for fan club members at
the Fillmore Theater in San Francisco on May 18th, 19th,
21st, and 22nd. The group also revealed three consecutive
shows in Paris on June 11th, performing at the 350 capacity
La Boule Noire club, the 550 capacity Le Trabendo and
finally the 1500 capacity Le Bataclan hall. Despite official
denials that the band were to perform at the IRON MAIDEN
headlined Download festival in Britain the band, after
shooting a 'Top Of The Pops' TV appearance, did in fact
put in an impromptu ten song set to unsuspecting fans.
Such was demand for 'St. Anger' that the official release
date was pulled forward in an effort to stifle bootlegging
attempts. Initial copies of the record came not only with
a DVD documenting the making of the album but a free 14
track compilation of archive tracks. Fulfilling predictions,
'St. Anger' bowed in on the Billboard charts at no. 1
having shifted over 416'000 albums in the process. Initial
European showings would not be so grand, the record debuting
at no. 3 in the UK, although 'St. Anger' took a clean
sweep of no.1's in Scandinavia. Unfortunately for METALLICA
the initial burst of expectation would be tempered by
an almost universal swathe of bad reviews, the band's
experimental stripped down approach coming in for harsh
criticism. Nevertheless, in just five weeks 'St. Anger'
clocked up over one million sales in the US.
So high would feelings be running over the musical merits
of 'St. Anger' that one band, SCUMGRIEF, even organised
an 'Anti-Metallica' live event! Festival attendees could
trade in copies of 'St. Anger' in exchange for a CD featuring
unreleased and demo material from each of the bands on
the bill. The collected copies of the METALLICA release
were then to be publicly destroyed prior to SCUMGRIEF's
set. An un-phased METALLICA got to grips with the their
'Summer Sanitarium' arena dates, pulling in many capacity
audiences. South American shows in Brazil and Chile would
be pegged for September.
The second single lifted from 'St. Anger' came in September.
Quite uniquelly 'Frantic' came backed with a variety of
differing coloured single covers and track selections
for various territories guaranteeing collectability and
chart placings. METALLICA would schedule the South American
territories of Brazil, Argentina and Chile in October,
following up with shows in Japan, Australia and Europe.
However, dates in Japan and South America would be pulled
as METALLICA's record label cited "bandmembers' exhaustion"
as a cause.
