Justin Hawkins Believes James Hetfield Has Changed His Vocal Style
Metallica firmly and surely signaled their intention to take on a new creative direction, so part-time Darkness frontman and part-time YouTuber Justin Hawkins had a few things to say about that. The rocker recently shared his thoughts about the band’s new single, ‘Screaming Suicide,’ and noted how James Hetfield’s vocals changed over time.
Well, we’re currently in Metallica’s mature era. Their new album, ‘72 Seasons,’ is about reconnecting with your roots, embracing your past, and facing the mental health issues considered ‘taboos.’ So, with ‘Screaming Suicide,’ this post-therapy Metallica breaks a taboo and discusses the concept of suicide. After listening to the song, Hawkins stated that the band’s rousing lyrics weren’t the only things that had changed in their music.
“He ramps up to them [imitates James Hetfield’s vocals moving from a growl to a note],” initially said the frontman as he paused the video to show what was different about Hetfield’s vocals. “So, it’s a little bit different to how you always imagine he’s right on the note at the beginning, and then he sort of tails off of a growl out at the end. He’s sort of tuning it on his head.”
Hawkins loved how Hetfield experimented with his vocals and still managed to keep the ever-edgy tone in his voice. The singer pointed, “I’ve said this before; I love the way James Hetfield is really approaching vocals in this period of his career. It’s really inspiring because it’s still edgy as anything, but it is [also] finding new ways to express stuff and, wow. I mean, how old is he, 60? It’s incredible.”
However, the only things that changed in Metallica’s new record were not the themes of the lyrics or James’ approach to vocals. Justin felt like Kirk Hammett also took on a new approach by sounding more and more like AC/DC’s Angus Young. So, upon hearing Kirk’s riffs, Hawkins said, “That sounds like a name; that sounds like Angus, doesn’t it?”
He continued by discussing what differenced Hammett’s solo from the previous Metallica sound, “There’s no wire on it [Kirk’s solo], which you’d normally associate with Metallica guitar solos. It’s just like really meaty, it sounds like it’s an ST through a Marshall, but I know it’s not that, but it just sounds really saturated, really powerful. It’s just this pub rock, and I say that with maximum affection because I love pub rock, and I think, let’s face it, guys. We all love pub rock, there I’ve said it. I’m only saying what we’re all thinking.”
So, Metallica’s on the edge of a new era, but this doesn’t mean they’ve lost their previous edginess. It’s just that the band has been through a lot, and it has never been easy to talk about. So, with this new era, Metallica’s embracing their roots, mental health issues, and experimenting with new sounds.