James Hetfield Insists Metallica Won’t Ever Be a ‘Legacy Band’
· Ultimate Classic RockDespite an impressive back catalog and incredible rock history, James Hetfield insists Metallica will never become a “legacy band.”
During a recent appearance on the Metallica Report podcast, the frontman discussed what it’s been like adding songs from 2023’s 72 Seasons into their set lists – and why his band will always mix new material into their performances.
“The fact that the 72 Seasons album is well received and some of the songs that we’re playing live work and they kind of fit seamlessly in with all the catalog, all the albums we have. We’re not afraid of [playing new songs], but we’re not overindulging in it as well," he explained. "We know people want to hear the best of, and you’ve got to challenge them to listen to some of the new stuff as well.”
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Hetfield further noted that Metallica has no intention to ever rely entirely on their back catalog.
“We certainly don’t want to be a legacy band that just plays its greatest hits and then that’s it,” the singer declared. “[Playing new material is] all a part of it.”
‘All Mistakes Are Free’ at Metallica Shows
Reflecting on the M72 tour, while also looking ahead to the band’s 2025 shows, Hetfield noted that Metallica has been playing with very high confidence. The reason, he explained, comes from a comfort in making mistakes.
“All mistakes are a part of the show,” the singer explained. “That’s part of what we say before we go out. ‘Hey, all mistakes are free.’ And it’s not a mistake, really. That word is kinda ridiculous. It’s just a unique way of playing [a song] that night.”
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Hetfield went on to note that mistakes actually serve Metallica and their fans, ensuring that every concert is unique.
“Everyone gets to enjoy whatever happens right then,” the frontman remarked. “And frankly, I think it's a challenge, when a song falls apart and it could be devastating to other bands. For us, it's just, ‘OK, we fucked it up. Let's start it again.’ Or, ‘Hey, let's take it from here.’ Or, there's been times when I've edited out a whole middle section and then at the end of the song say, ‘Oh my God, I forgot to play that part. Here, let's just play it for you.’”
“There's a freedom up there that the fans allow,” Hetfield continued. “There's a grace that they allow us to be human. So there is a confidence that you can't go wrong. You just can't go wrong. You show up and you do your best and you know it's from the heart.”
12. 'Lulu' (2011)
We weren't sure whether or not to count Lulu, the band's collaboration with the legendary Lou Reed, as a proper Metallica studio album. But, once we decided to do so, there was no question where it would rank on this list. Both parties deserve a lot of respect for trying something so different. But the end result – this plodding spoken-word mess – is really hard to sit through.
11. 'St. Anger' (2003)
Metallica again bravely, but perhaps misguidedly, experimented here with the methods that made them the biggest metal band in the world. The high-tech production of Metallica's previous albums is replaced with something much more grainy and shrill. Oh, and Kirk Hammett wasn't allowed to play any guitar solos. But the biggest problem? The disjointed and bloated songwriting, which ultimately wasted a big bundle of tantalizing riffs.
10. 'Reload' (1997)
This is the follow up / companion to 1996's Load, which was originally planned to be a double album. Everything from here on out is unquestionably worth your money – in this case, thanks to songs like "Fuel," "Devil's Dance" and the manic "Prince Charming." But as Reload stretches past the 75-minute mark, it's hard not to hear some of the songs as leftovers.
9. 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Metallica makes a long-awaited return to their thrash roots, with epic, immaculately crafted compositions reminescent of their earlier masterpieces. Make no mistake, it's a blast to listen to. Still, Death Magnetic just doesn't stick as strongly in your head as the landmark records we'll discuss later in this gallery.
8. '72 Seasons' (2023)
Like 2016's Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct, 72 Seasons finds Metallica straddling the line between their early thrash days and their commercial '90s period. There's no backing into the occasionally fatiguing LP; the title song starts with windstorm guitars and doesn't let up for another seven and a half minutes. The intensity rarely wavers on "Shadows Follow," "Sleepwalk My Life Away," "Chasing Light" or the surprisingly compact "Lux Æterna" either. It's archetypal Metallica, but the soul cleansing of 72 Seasons feels genuine, a lifetime of burdens lifted, at least partially, for now.
7. 'Hardwired... to Self-Destruct' (2016)
Eight years after 'Death Magnetic,' Metallica returned with a looser, fuller sound on 'Hardwired... to Self-Destruct.' It features their best collection of riffs in decades, and several songs that should earn a spot on the band's "all-time" playlist. However, after a very strong start the second half gets a bit bogged down with plodding, repetitive tempos and over-baked ideas.
6. 'Load' (1996)
After stripping the Metallica sound down to a bare minimum with their world-conquering Black Album, the band loosened things up just a bit – adding a dose of Southern boogie to songs like "Ain't My Bitch" and "2 X 4." Mix two-thirds of this one with about one-third of Reload, and you've got an undeniable classic.
5. 'And Justice For All' (1988)
Just about any other metal band would be proud to call this album their signature work. But the thin production remains a big sticking point, and the somewhat repetitive songwriting betrays the fact that this is the third time Metallica followed roughly the same formula in crafting an album.
4. 'Metallica' (1991)
Metallica perhaps understandably shifted their songwriting style drastically on the follow up to 1988's And Justice For All. Some fans missed the thrash riffs and complex song structures that made them metal pioneers. But Metallica made 80-bajillion or so new fans who followed them into this more straight-ahead hard-rock territory, and they're unquestionably right about songs like "Enter Sandman" and "Sad But True."
3. 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
We're now left with a tight, three-album horse race between undisputed masterpieces. In fact, Ride the Lightning could easily top this list. Metallica confidently and dramatically expanded the sound of their debut album, which was barely a year old at the time. Highlights include the pummeling "Creeping Death," the dramatic "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and their terrifically warped version of a power ballad, "Fade to Black."
2. 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
By comparison, Kill 'Em All seems a bit raw and unhinged – but, in this case, that's not a bad thing at all. Unlike St. Anger, this time around the dazzling combination of speed and precision on songs like "Hit the Lights" and "Jump in the Fire" hits even harder, thanks to the lack of production.
1. 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
It may not have matched the huge steps forward made by their last two albums, but this time out Metallica refined what they already had proved they could do in the sharpest and most powerful ways imaginable. There's not a wasted second on any of this album's eight songs. It would take another half decade for the world to realize it, but in reality Master of Puppets – and not the Black Album – is the album that made Metallica the still-reigning kings of heavy metal.