In 1991

Interview BY JEFF GILBERT

In 1991, Metallica polished their sound and made their ultimate metallic statement, the black album. James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett shed light on this masterpiece in this classic interview.
This article adapted from the current issue of Guitar Legends, The Ultimate Metallica, available through April `97. The interview originally ran in the October 1991 GW.
"We've been in the studio so long, a war has come and gone, and we're still stuck in here!" A heavy weariness, quite evident behind James Hetfield's steely gaze, underscores the intense pressure that has been Metallica's constant as they've labored over the past few months to record Metallica, their first album in more than three years, and fifth overall.
Here in the comfortable confines of One on One Studios in North Hollywood, it's down to the eleventh hour for the world's greatest metal band. Working exhaustively around the clock with producer Bob Rock, Hetfield and Kirk Hammett take turns spit-polishing a guitar solo here, roughing out a vocal there. While this modern recording facility is outfitted with pool tables, weights, a well-stocked kitchen, dart boards, big screen TVs, exercise machines and just about any creature-comfort a healthy (or otherwise) rock group could ever want, it has been a veritable Devil's Island for the group. "We've seen four other bands come through and do their albums," growls Hetfield. "And some of those guys have already gone on tour!"
Outside, a small group of roving Metallica fans, hoping to catch a glimpse of James or Kirk entering (but never, seemingly, leaving) the white, windowless stucco building, maintains a tireless vigil, shuffling up and down the 5200 block of Lankershim Boulevard. Their nervous, darting eyes and untucked Metallica shirts have some local business proprietors double-checking their wares and wallets.
"This has been going on since last October, once them kids found out this heavy metal band was next door," says a leathery-looking taco vendor a block away. As if on cue, a few fans wander in and order some burritos, heavy on the grease.
Inside the studio, Bob Rock is screaming, practically pulling out his hair, after spending the past five-and-a-half hours trying to correct a single, renegade guitar note that, to his million-dollar ears, is a microscopic tone out of whack. Hammett is repeatedly called in to try to punch in a note that will allow the visibly stressed Canadian producer to finally wrap up the tedious session. Kirk excuses himself, runs into the studio's main room, shoulders a black ESP and effortlessly runs through the solo for the twentieth time.
It's no small wonder that Bob Rock-the career-rescuing hit-maker for the likes of Mötley Crüe, Aerosmith, the Cult and Bon Jovi-is concerned with a single guitar note. Taking on the Metallica project was a critical step in his otherwise Top 40-oriented career. "People will say Bob made Metallica sound like Bon Jovi," remarks James. "They don't realize that no one screws with us, except us. Bob fit right into the program and the direction we were going."
That direction led to guitars that ring more sharply than ever, leaving a clean trail of resonating destruction. Where ...And Justice For All was weak and flat-sounding in the bass and drum mix, the new album bursts with a deep snare crack and a bass thick and heavy enough to set cement with. The band's whiplash tempo changes and complicated arrangements have been revamped into a lethal and immensely heavy, groove-laden sound and album that should give thrash a sharp kick in its sluggish ass.
GUITAR WORLD: Did Bob Rock understand the Metallica guitar sound?
JAMES HETFIELD: Oh yeah, and he actually added to it. After we recorded some of the new album, we pulled out the actual master tapes from Justice and singled out the guitar sound. I discovered something that I already knew-that my Justice sound lacked body. Mid-range has always been a no-no for me, but Bob showed me that having a touch of it in there really adds to your tone.
I think he was a little intimidated at the start, because he wasn't sure how far he could push us. Bob was trying to be real professional, so we had to loosen him up. He was really polite at first, and would say things like, "It's your album, do whatever you want," and, "it's only my opinion, but how about if we try this?" [laughs] However, seven months in the studio with Metallica tends to change a man. And Bob's been changed. [laughs] He's got a few more gray hairs, a few more wrinkles, he grew a tumor and has some sore knuckles from hitting the studio walls.
HAMMETT: Yeah, he really loosened up! In no time he was screaming and yelling and saying stuff like, "You have to get angry for this part-play it really mean and dirty!" Then we'd record another part and he'd say, "Be bluesy and bendy." He encouraged me to think conceptually, and not with my fingers. I thought a lot about what I felt would be the best way to approach the solo from a mental standpoint. As a result, my solos turned out smoother, and more confidently executed.
GW: Were you ever afraid that Bob was going to turn you into a pop band?
HETFIELD: Some people thought Bob would make us sound too commercial. You know, "Oh, Bob works with Bon Jovi, Bob works with Mötley Crüe." But if [former Metallica producer] Flemming Rasmussen worked on a Bon Jovi record, would Bon Jovi all of a sudden sound like Metallica? We chose Bob because we were really impressed with his crisp, full-sounding production on Cult's Electric album and on Motley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood.
HAMMETT: We wanted to create a different record and offer something new to our audience. I hate it when bands stop taking chances. A lot of bands put out the same record three or four times, and we didn't want to fall into that rut.
The truth is, in the past, we may have been guilty of putting out the same running order-you know, start out with a fast song, then the title track, then a ballad. Other than that, though, we've really tried to create something different every time we went into the studio. And on Metallica, we made a conscious effort to alter and expand the band's basic elements.
GW: The songs on the new album are shorter than usual.
HETFIELD: Metallica shorter-six minutes instead of ten.
GW: It should be easier to get some radio airplay.
HETFIELD: That was always a problem. We'd record a song that people liked and wanted to hear on the radio, and the radio bastards wouldn't play it because it was too long. Or they would want to edit it, which we wouldn't allow.
But radio airplay wasn't the whole idea behind our writing shorter songs. It just seemed to us that we had pretty much done the longer song format to death.
GW: Also, the new album is less complex harmonically.
HAMMETT: That's true. There are fewer key changes. There aren't many flatted fourth progressions, or anything like that-just straight-ahead major and minor keys. The most complex song is probably "Anywhere I Roam," which suggests a Phrygian dominant scale.
GW: Metallica has acquired a reputation for being meticulous in the studio. How often do you return to and repair something you think could be improved?
HAMMETT: I fix things all the time. Every time I do a solo, I re-check it and correct things that don't hit the mark.
GW: In doing so, do you ever get the feeling that your behavior is less musical than it is…anal retentive?
HAMMETT: [laughs] It's like this-you have to live with it. When you know you're going to be listening to a performance over 500 times, it's important to be happy with it. Believe me, there are mistakes on our other albums and I can't bring myself to listen to them. It's torture.
GW: What really stands out about Metallica is its feel.
HETFIELD: That's what we wanted-a live feel. In the past, Lars and I constructed the rhythm parts without Kirk and Jason, or Lars played to a click by himself. This time I wanted to try playing as a band unit in the studio. It lightens things up and you get more of a vibe. Everyone was in the same room and we were able to watch each other. That helped a lot, especially with some of the bass and lead stuff. It also helped that we'd played most of the songs for two months before we entered the studio.
Unfortunately, Lars kind of pussied out at the end-he didn't want everyone there. I guess it's kind of difficult to work in the studio when you're not used to a new song, and there are all these people around.
GW: While the songs on Metallica are less complex, the orchestration on this album is more sophisticated than your previous efforts.
HETFIELD: That's right. I think the degree of subtlety may shock people. Bob's really good with sound, and we took advantage of it by using different guitars and more vocal harmonies.
There are fewer guitar overdubs on this record, though. I used to layer 80 guitars in my attempt to create a heavy sound. While making this album, I discovered that sheer quantity doesn't necessarily make for a heavier sound; if anything, overdubs make guitars sound mushier. As far as rhythms go, there are either two or three tracks, and they're split pretty evenly. There is a lot more separation on this album, which also makes it sound punchier.
GW: Kirk, "The Unforgiven" features an unusual solo. How did it evolve?
HAMMETT: That was probably the most challenging solo on the album. I had something worked out before I got into the studio, but Bob felt it wasn't quite appropriate. He asked if I could try something dirtier and more sustaining-something more in the vein of Jeff Beck. At first I was kind of hurt, but then I realized he was right. I started fingerpicking a chordal thing, and Bob liked the way it sounded. He said, "Why don't you play that entire guitar solo with your fingers, and really pull on the strings and slap them against the frets?" I did it and it sounded really percussive. That was the first time I fingerpicked a guitar solo on an album.
GW: That's a great example of a song that was a challenge, feel-wise. Did any challenge your harmonic capabilities?
HAMMETT: "Of Wolf and Man" reminded me of some of the more progressive music on Justice. The rhythm parts jumped from a I chord to a bV chord, from E to Bb, which always presents a problem. I was stumped at first, but after a while I just started singing various lines and adapting my vocal melodies for the guitar. I discovered that singing breaks down a lot of imaginary boundaries, and disrupts that tendency to gravitate towards familiar scales and finger patterns on the guitar.
GW: Does the band offer much input regarding your guitar solos?
HAMMETT: Sometimes I need an objective opinion, and it's good to ask the guys. But I'll only change so much [laughs]. They'll make suggestions, but they never tell me what to play. It's more like, "I'm going to play what I think feels good, and if you don't like it, you tell me, and maybe I'll change it." We had a really big argument about a certain guitar solo. I said, "No, this is the way I want it to turn out." And that's the way we kept it. But it's good to have an objective opinion around, because it can lead to other areas and directions you didn't consider in the first place.
GW: James, why don't you play any solos?
HETFIELD: I can't play leads. I can do really cool harmony shit, and on slow songs I can do bendy, feely-type shit, but my strength is in writing riffs. I'll never be able to play fast like Kirk. I don't even try, `cause he's the man.
GW: Kirk, your solos on this album seem much more fluid than those of the past.
HAMMETT: We toured for a year and a half before we recorded this album, and that really helped my playing a lot. I also started listening to different kinds of music, which helped broaden my perspective. For example, I've been experimenting with slide guitar. I also discovered a new recording process that really works for me. On Metallica, I recorded six of seven different guitar solos for almost every song, took the best aspects of each solo, mapped out a master solo and made a composite. Then I learned how to play the composite solo, tightened it up and replayed it for the final version. The only bad thing about that process is that it led to a lot of arguments.
GW: Didn't being in the studio for so long drive you crazy?
HETFIELD: Yes, it did! [laughs] Very much so. I don't remember doing anything else; I don't remember not living in the studio. I'm itching for people to hear this album because I'm sick of hearing it myself. That's the ultimate feeling-when someone hears your shit and says, "That's good!"

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