Watch Metallica's James Hetfield playfully do his best Rob Halford impression with the help of a helium balloon during the making of St. Anger
· louderBy Liz Scarlett
( Metal Hammer )
published 25 November 2024
Papa Het can't quite reach the Judas Priest frontman's high notes without a little assistance, but nevertheless he gives it his best shot in this behind the scenes clip from Metallica's 2003 St. Anger sessions
Metallica and Judas Priest have been buds for quite sometime. Over the years, the San Fransisco metal heavyweights have admitted to being greatly influenced by the leather-clad troupe, and have also collaborated with them for a number of live performances. This July, James Hetfield and Rob Halford were even spotted rocking out together at Norway's Tons Of Rock Festival, which made for a totally wholesome moment.
Their well-documented bond is one of the reasons why we know that this video of Hetfield supposedly "mocking" Priest is all just playful banter. Filmed during the recording sessions for Metallica's eighth studio album, St. Anger, the behind the scenes Jump In The Studio footage shows Papa Het doing his best attempt at an impression of Priest's powerhouse frontman Rob Halford.
As guitarist Kirk Hammett jams out the riff to Priest's 1978 version of Fleetwood Mac's Green Manalishi, Hetfield tries to sing along, but humorously finds he can't quite reach Halford's loftily high-pitched vocal tone - so uses the help of a helium balloon to push his voice just that little bit further, as he belts out notes in between sucks of air.
The results are quite amusing, with the band giggling mischievously, before Hetfield declares, "thank you, goodnight! We are Judas Priest!".
Thankfully, most viewers in the comments have seen the funny side, with one writing: "Even with the helium James couldn't hit the note. Sorry James but you're no Green Manilishi!", as another says: "This is more like a compliment to Rob's powerful vocals". And we have to agree. Check out the video below:
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Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.
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