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By Melissa Bobbitt Fatal Attraction Metal’s most enduring legends are still riding the lightning LARS ULRICH IS NOT THE MAN YOU THINK HE IS. THE ALLEGED VILLAIN BEHIND NAPSTER’S INITIAL DEMISE IS FICTION. THE COMBATANT HELL RAISER REVEALED IN THE SEARING DOCUMENTARY SOME KIND OF MONSTER HAS SINCE BEEN EXORCISED. SOME KIND OF ANOMALY IS MORE LIKE IT. THOUGH HIS PRIMARY OUTLET FOR CREATIVITY, THE LEGENDARY BAND METALLICA, SPRUNG FORTH FROM DEVIL HORNS AND DIABOLICAL RIFFS, THESE DAYS ULRICH IS THINKING IN A MUCH MORE DOMESTICATED MANNER... “My oldest son is 10 and down at his middle school I’ve just been this scruffy dad for the last three or four years that doesn’t look like he washes a lot,” says the Denmark-born drummer, emitting the first of many chuckles during the course of speaking with Mean Street. “Now, I go down there and all of a sudden all these sixth- and seventh-graders are like, ‘Dude, it’s the guy from Metallica’ — all of a sudden, post-Death Magnetic.” Ironic that an album so rife with imagery of the dead served as a resurrection for the Bay Area foursome. Dragged through hell It was 2005. Save for a few opening stints for the Rolling Stones, it was a quiet year for one of rock’s loudest bands. For Ulrich and his compatriots, singer/guitarist/mad dog James Hetfield and virtuoso ax slinger Kirk Hammett, it was a much needed respite. As painstakingly portrayed in Some Kind of Monster, they had been dragged through more hell in three years than most groups of their stature endure over three decades. Longtime bassist Jason Newsted had parted ways with the band (reportedly due to his focusing on side projects). The timeless camaraderie between chums Ulrich and Hetfield was deteriorating. Hetfield was fighting a losing battle against the bottle, which eventually landed him in rehab. The dynamic drummer’s marriage to Skylar Satenstein ended. And new bassist Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne) was swept up in the midst of it all, an unprecedented trial by fire. Anger management And lest we forget what was debatably Metallica’s most divisive album, 2003’s St. Anger. With their steadfast producer, Bob Rock, manning the bass on the recordings, this leaner version of the band tuned down to Drop C, bared the brittle bones of their musicianship…and confused a lot of fans. Some heralded it as a brazen return to their ’80s style; others derided the seemingly deadened sound of Ulrich’s drums. Whatever opinion one held, St. Anger was a big f-you to the pomp of their more polished, mainstream albums Load and ReLoad. “(T)he records we made in the ’90s (were) a lot about size and a lot about making things feel really big and scooped. We wanted to get away from that a little bit,” Ulrich explains. But St. Anger was only a precursor to ‘tallica’s total 360 that brought them back to the true grit of thrash classics like Master of Puppets. Death Magnetic completes the transformation. Party of five A deceivingly mellow guitar strain lures listeners to opening track “That Was Just Your Life.” The lull morphs into a swelling force, suddenly crashing under the brute strength of Ulrich’s double bass thundering. Whereas most bands flounder and shirk ferocity into their third decade, these metal gods sound angrier and more potent than ever. Hammett’s dexterous solos still set headphones afire (see the blistering “The End of the Line” for a hair-raising experience). Hetfield’s hulking growl hasn’t gone soft; if anything, age has weathered him into a wizened rocker who’s seen it all and isn’t content with younger bucks trying to show him how to do his job. (A prime example of his prowess is the album’s final song, “My Apocalypse.” Fie, critical bludgeoning and middle age! This guttural performance would give anyone the willies.) Metallica, the masters of the genre, reign triumphant once more. This triumph has also translated into commercial and chart-busting success as Death Magnetic sold nearly 490,000 copies during the first three days of its availability and was certified platinum six weeks after its Sept. 12 release. The album also debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the only band in chart history to have five consecutive albums debut at No. 1. The Beatles, U2 and Dave Matthews Band all had only four No. album debuts. “Pummel you in the face” So what sets Death Magnetic apart from St. Anger? One big catalyst came in the form of a new producer. Lars, James and Kirk bade goodbye to Bob Rock for the first time in 17 years and instead enlisted studio czar Rick Rubin in early 2006. “He loves to use the word ‘organic.’ With him, there’s no samples, there’s no dressing, echoes, reverbs or all kinds of after-stuff. He really likes to record things pretty much like the way they sound, which is totally cool,” Ulrich says reverently. “So he always goes for stuff that’s less artificial, and that’s not a dis on Bob. Rick just likes things to be very real, and he likes the instruments to be really loud and really upfront, and have the whole thing just jump and pummel you in the face.” Another solidifying element of today’s Metallica is Trujillo, according to Ulrich. Understandably, you play such riotous music, you’re wont to be a little tempestuous. But the drummer says the new addition altered the atmosphere for the better. “His effortlessness and easygoing approach to everything — music and everything Metallica — has definitely left a stamp on me and James. Between Rick Rubin and Robert Trujillo, you’re not going to get people more chilled out than that, so it’s been a pretty easygoing songwriting process. There wasn’t a lot of stuff being thrown around.” Justice for all One thing that has remained constant since the band’s birth in 1981 is their close relationship with fans. They’ve had an open bootlegging policy since 1991, and have made available on their website soundboard recordings from their classic concerts. On this tour, the guys are attending meet-and-greets for their club members, a daily occurrence so satisfying that Ulrich says is rivaled only by hitting the stage. They also encourage people to post YouTube videos of their covers of Metallica songs or commentary on Death Magnetic. The scope of responses is amazing: Kids as young as 5 comprise the band’s faithful minions. In the audiences, Ulrich sees followers in their 40s, loyal since ’83’s Kill ‘Em All, accompanying their children, likely introduced through video games such as Rock Band. As he puts it, without a hint of irony, “Everybody’s in a good mood. Fans are very receptive to the new songs. It’s just one giant love fest.” A Metallica concert a love fest? Have we stepped into The Twilight Zone? But that’s the magic behind Metallica’s longevity — you never know what to expect from them. Their unpredictability keeps them vital. For example, few would have painted Ulrich to be an aficionado of modern art. But as he preps for a performance in Portland, Ore., he raves about his soon-to-be-sold Basquiat original. And he says something befitting of not only his decision to part from the painting, but also of his band. “To me, art is something that is a continuously evolving process.” The men of Metallica certainly have evolved. All are fathers. All are esteemed lords of metal, and are now potential entrants into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And Death is not the end of this evolution. ON THE STAGE: Dec. 12— Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario), Dec. 17-18— Forum (Inglewood) On the web: metallica.com |
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Copyright © 2002 Mean Street Magazine, LLC |
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