{"id":1011242,"date":"2026-06-07T13:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T13:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1011242\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T13:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T13:08:18","slug":"the-metallica-side-project-that-james-hetfield-stopped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1011242\/","title":{"rendered":"The Metallica side project that James Hetfield stopped"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"James<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ Carlos Rodr\u00edguez \/ Andes<\/p>\n

Sun 7 June 2026 10:00, UK <\/p>\n

Metallica<\/a> have always been a band completely committed to the music they make. <\/p>\n

When Slash went on tour with the band, he was shocked by how much work they put into their live shows. This didn\u2019t just apply to their sound, stage presence and use of pyro, but their commitment to logistics as well. They were always on time and always played their allocated set, so much so that Slash became somewhat embarrassed by his own band, Guns N\u2019 Roses. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very tense time, a major straw on the camel\u2019s back for me and for everybody in our camp,\u201d he said, \u201cIt was actually a huge issue for me because I\u2019d lost face with everyone in Metallica<\/a>. We didn\u2019t keep our promise to them, the fans, or to ourselves to put on the best show possible. I felt like an ass and I couldn\u2019t look James [Hetfield], Lars [Ulrich], or anyone from their band in eye for the rest of the tour\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hetfield always made it pretty clear to the band that their main priority should always be Metallica. That meant that he was never keen on people taking on side projects, because that told him that Metallica wasn\u2019t what they were focusing on the most. This is a mindset which hasn\u2019t changed over time, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s always been if anyone does something else, it waters down the potency of Metallica. That\u2019s always been the thought around it,\u201d he said, \u201cBut I guess if they do it, it\u2019s OK, but if I do it, it\u2019s not, because I\u2019m the frontman, or Lars is the drummer. We\u2019re the founders. We can\u2019t do that kind of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people might consider this mindset fairly toxic. There are plenty of bands whose members have embarked on side projects<\/a> and who have still managed to thrive within the band at the same time. The truth is, sometimes band members have creative differences, but just because one band member\u2019s idea isn\u2019t right for the actual band they\u2019re in, it doesn\u2019t mean that that piece of music can\u2019t still be made elsewhere. In fact, it\u2019s probably the healthiest way to deal with creative differences, though not for Hetfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s always been like that, and I still feel that a little bit,\u201d he said, \u201cAnd I think Metallica, for Lars and myself, I\u2019ll speak mainly for me, but I know he feels the same way, Metallica is our side project too. It\u2019s our main project, it\u2019s our side project, it\u2019s our 24-7 project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further reading: From The Vault<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was this ideology that drove a wedge between the band and their bassist, Jason Newsted<\/a>. He started working on a side project called Echobrain, which gained a lot of traction, so much so that Metallica\u2019s record label was interested in giving them a deal. Newsted didn\u2019t think that the side project would get in the way of his mainstay, but Hetfield disagreed and, as such, decided to put a stop to the creation of the album.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had told me, pretty convincingly, \u2018This is a great record, we\u2019ve been playing it around the office, that\u2019s all I\u2019ve been hearing, it\u2019s fantastic, this kid has a great voice. Let\u2019s do something with this\u2019. That\u2019s what they told me,\u201d recalled Newsted, but Hetfield was not having it, deeming it a threat to his band. The bassist added, \u201cHe was, I think, pretty much out to put the kibosh on the whole thing because it would somehow affect Metallica in his eyes, because now the managers were interested in something I was doing that had nothing to do with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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