Jimmy Page Was A Fan Of ‘St. Anger’ Album Of Metallica

Most of the metal community agrees that Metallica’s St. Anger is a controversial record, proven by the fact that the album ranked No.43 on Rolling Stone’s list of 50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Brilliant Artists. Despite the album’s general unpopularity within the community, Jimmy Page appears to be a fan of St. Anger, at least according to producer Bob Rock.

The producer denied the fact that St. Anger didn’t get much love from fans, but Rock continued to defend himself and the band on Talk To Jericho podcast:

“Two guys in the whole world [told me they liked that record], Jack White, when It Might Get Loud [came out], at the premiere – I happened to be in Toronto when it happened – came up to me from across the room and he says, ‘By the way, I love St. Anger. It’s an amazing album.’ Then he left.“

Even though this story looks more natural, Page’s praise seems like it’s out of a daydreaming session:

“Jimmy Page – not to drop names but he’s kind of a friend – was at the Sunset Marquis, eating breakfast on the other side of the pool. Someone walked by and said, ‘I’m here to see Bob Rock.’ He said, ‘Oh, Bob’s here?’ And he came over and talked to me, which blew my mind, coming from Winnipeg! That Jimmy Page even knows my name, you know? He said, ‘By the way, I loved St. Anger. It’s a great album.’”

“Rock suggests that such compliments from esteemed figures like Page and White balance out the criticism and even hostility towards the album from the community. He explained:

“I’m okay. Those two guys bought the album. With those two [liking it] I’m fine, right?”

Back in 2011, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich stood by his work, speaking to Classic Rock:

“That was on purpose. It wasn’t like we put it out and somebody went, ‘Whoa! Whoops!’ I view ‘St. Anger’as an isolated experiment. I’m the biggest Metallica fan, you’ve got to remember that. Once again, as we’ve been known to do, once in a while these boundaries have to be fucked with. We’d already done ‘Ride The Lightning’, which I believe is a fine record. It didn’t need to be re-done.”

The band appears to have been surprised by their fans’ reaction, considering Ulrich’s highly defensive attitude and his claim that he is the biggest Metallica fan. The drummer continued:

“When we heard the record from beginning to end, I felt — and it was mostly me — that the experience was so pummeling, it became almost about hurting the listener, about challenging the listener, so we left the songs unedited. I can understand that people felt it was too long.”

Lars Ulrich’s defensive stance does not appear to be aggressive. Explaining that they made experimental decisions and did everything consciously, the drummer also stated that he understood the fans.

You can reach Talk Is Jericho podcast by clicking here.