The excitement of being a part of a massively successful band probably can’t be compared to anything else. However, behind the scenes, there is often a myriad of internal problems that can threaten to derail even the most outstanding bands. Some common issues could be creative differences, communication breakdowns, financial problems, or difficulty in handling the complex dynamics of interpersonal relationships.
Like many other bands in the music scene, Metallica has also not been free from these internal problems. One of the most notorious of these conflicts was their beef with Jason Newsted. The bassist’s decision to quit the band at the time exacerbated the problems between him and the rest of the Metallica members. Lars Ulrich was so angry at Newsted’s decision that he slammed the musician with some pretty harsh words.
While Ulrich and James Hetfield are the most prominent members of Metallica, there have been times when tension rose between the two, too. Back in the day, while they were working on their eighth studio album, ‘St. Anger,’ the band had been going through a tumultuous period, as they had to postpone the recordings because Hetfield entered rehabilitation for alcoholism.
Although the singer rejoined Metallica after this recovery process, Ulrich was angry at Hetfield since he told him he couldn’t work between certain hours. So, the drummer felt like Hetfield had been trying to control them. Yet, this was not the only time the two Metallica members got in trouble with each other. While recording their tenth studio record, ‘Hardwired… to Self-Destruct,’ the relationship between the pair strained again.
In a 2016 interview with Metal Hammer, when asked about the last time he had a clash with Ulrich, Hetfield revealed that it was about eight months ago while they were in the studio for ‘Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.’ When the singer insisted on playing a specific guitar part, Ulrich suggested he do another one, which really pissed Hetfield off. He got so angry at the drummer that he abandoned the studio.
Here is how Hetfield revealed their disagreement:
“About eight months ago. We were in the studio, and it was like, ‘Hey, I’m the guitar player, I like this guitar part, I wanna play it.’ He’d be like, ‘This part is better,’ and I was like, ‘Since when are you the Riff Police?‘ So at that point, it was, ‘Okay, I’m done for now; I have to leave.’ But a week later, we were talking again.”
So, seeing Ulrich interfere with his guitar parts bothered Hetfield so much that he had to leave the studio to calm down. Yet, the vocalist also revealed that they quickly made up after this incident. Despite their conflicts, the two have maintained a long-term friendship for all these years.
