Metallica’s James Hetfield says he’s written “tons of material” in lockdown
Metallica’s James Hetfield has shared details of what he’s been up to during lockdown, revealing that he’s used the time to write “tons of [new] material”.
The metal band’s frontman has been at home in Colorado since the coronavirus pandemic hit the States in March and has used the unexpected time to stay creative.
“For me – and I don’t wanna sound ungrateful because I know there’s a lot of people out there that are struggling because of this Covid,” he said during a SiriusXM Town Hall last week (August 27). “Where I live, it’s all service industry. And, obviously, the music industry is tough – it’s taken a big hit.”
He went on to explain that Metallica are “road dogs” who are either “on the road or you’re writing”. “So the obvious thing is, ‘Well, we’re not on the road. Start writing,’” Hetfield said.
“So [I’ve written] tons of material. And I’m sure there’s lots of musicians out there that are just like, ‘OK what can I do? I’m gonna write and just get into that’, which I love doing.”
Metallica last released a studio album in 2016 with ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’. Yesterday (August 28), they shared the CD/DVD ’S&M2’, which saw them team up with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra 20 years after their first collaboration.
Meanwhile, drummer Lars Ulrich has reflected on covering Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ in tribute to the victims of the 2017 Manchester bombing. “It was quite a moment, obviously, getting all the fans singing along,” he told NME. “It was emotional and felt like the right thing to do for Manchester.”
