It turns out that Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich had a deep connection with frontman James Hetfield from day dot.
Metallica have recorded ten studio albums since they formed in 1981, which was the year that Ulrich and Hetfield met for the first time.
Speaking in a 2019 interview with Kerrang! Magazine which has just been published online for the first time, the drummer was asked about his initial impressions of Hetfield.
Ulrich’s response was that he remembered a feeling of “connection” between the two from the first meeting. “I remember connecting with him. I could see that, even though he was painfully shy or whatever, that there were some distinctive similarities.
He said that Metallica’s singer seemed to have a real “connection to the music and the things I was throwing out there that seemed a little more authentic or trustworthy.
“I spent six months talking to people about heavy metal, and they’d mention Styx, Journey, KISS, or whatever. I’d talk about Angel Witch, Diamond Head or Tygers of Pan Tang.”
Later in the story, Ulrich recalls a short period of time when he and Hetfield were living together.
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“If James was sitting here, he’d tell you that the drum kit I showed up with was in such bad shape that every time I hit the cymbal, it kept falling over – which is accurate.
“Hetfield and I ended up staying in touch, and when I came back from travelling in Europe a few months later, I called him up and said, ‘Hey, do you want to play and see what happens?’. And he was up for it.”
Metallica are fast coming up on their 40 year anniversary, winning nine Grammys in that time. In a recent interview, Lars Ulrich said he believes that “all the best years are ahead of us”.
Check out ‘One’ by Metallica:
