As the co-founder and drummer of the legendary heavy metal band Metallica, Lars Ulrich has been widely renowned for his impact on the metal scene with his fast, thrash drum beats. Besides ensuring the band’s success with his leadership skills, the drummer has also created impactful songs with his distinctive techniques and sounds alongside vocalist James Hetfield.
Since he is the co-founder and member of one of the most influential bands in the music industry, it takes one to know one. When Lars Ulrich coincidently heard Guns N’ Roses’ ‘It’s So Easy’ on an airplane, he was blown away by the attitude and grit of the track. Ulrich had an inkling that Guns N’ Roses were there for the long haul.
Lars Ulrich Was Blown Away By A Guns N’ Roses Song
Guns N’ Roses and Metallica were America’s two hottest rock bands in the ’90s. Metallica’s ‘Black Album‘ and Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Use Your Illusion‘ records achieved great success in 1991. These albums placed them on a pedestal that was hard to climb by others who wanted to achieve the same level of stardom.
The two bands went on a co-headlining tour named ‘Guns N’ Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour’ in 1992. This tour became infamous due to a series of events. James Hetfield suffered second and third-degree burns due to a pyrotechnic accident in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Axl Rose was dissatisfied with the monitors during one of his performances and left the stage. Many instances like these made both sides vow not to tour together ever again.
Despite hardships, the tour was an overall financial success for Metallica, and both bands had received the exposure they wanted, even if it wasn’t always well received. Although the tour drove the two bands apart, Lars Ulrich’s discovery of Guns N’ Roses dates back to the release of the band’s debut album, and it has remained a fond memory.
During an interview with Spin in 1999, Lars Ulrich recalled the time he was on the plane going through some cassettes he had taken from their record company. At some point, he came across GN’R’s ‘Appetite’ and was intrigued to hear a new band’s album. Ulrich said that when the second song of the album ‘It’s So Easy‘ started playing, it blew his head off. The drummer noted that what he liked the most about the album was its powerful energy.
The Metallica icon said that he had never heard anything ‘with that kind of attitude,’ which was reflected both through the lyrics and Axl’s singing style. Ulrich finished his answer by stressing that he had never felt that kind of anger embodied in a song and described Axl Roses’ singing as venomous.
Lars Ulrich shared the first time he heard ‘It’s So Easy’:
“I was sitting on the airplane going through a bunch of cassettes that I finagled over at our record company, and one of them was ‘Appetite.’ When ‘It’s So Easy,’ the second song, came on, it blew my f*ckin’ head off. I had never heard anything with that kind of attitude. It wasn’t just what was said–it was how Axl said it. It was so venomous. It was so f*cking real and so f*cking angry.”
You can listen to ‘It’s So Easy’ below.
