Lars Ulrich discusses his favourite guitarist of all time
Even after immense success with heavy metal legends, Lars Ulrich has always maintained his passion for rock music. Despite Metallica’s skyrocketing fame, Ulrich remained the enthusiastic young fan thrilled to witness his beloved rock bands regularly. While he admires many metal acts, such as Black Sabbath, Ulrich’s personal favourites have always leaned slightly away from conventional hard rock.
Amid the extensive bootleg tapes he amassed, Ulrich has always profoundly admired Deep Purple. Despite performing for audiences similar to those of most late 1960s bands during the ‘Summer of Love’, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore harboured ambitions beyond classic rock and roll. With the inclusion of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, the band began reshaping the landscape of heavy rock.
Blackmore, in particular, emerged as a trailblazer in crafting guitar riffs alongside Jimmy Page. Despite the perceived simplicity of Blackmore’s contributions to specific albums, Ulrich regarded him as the epitome of guitar virtuosity. Speaking with Metal Mayham, Kirk Hammett once revealed one of his favourite guitarists, who also happens to be Ulrich’s favourite of all time.
“Lars and I love Deep Purple,” he said. “I’ve always loved it; Ritchie Blackmore is one of my favourite guitar players. Ritchie Blackmore is also Lars’ favourite guitar player of all time. When I was 15 years old, and I heard ‘Highway Star’, I thought (it was) mind-blowing. It spoke to me — obviously [laughs]. Between Lars and I, we know a lot of Purple material, and yes, we jam occasionally on that stuff.”
He continued: “Deep Purple is really hard to cover. It’s actually easier to cover Rainbow than it is to cover Deep Purple. The guitar parts are always kind of difficult, but Ian Paice’s drum parts? Crazy. And then you have the whole contents of John Lord’s keyboards… Keyboards were such a heavy part of Deep Purple; if you cover Purple, you’ve got to have the keys!”
Speaking to Louder, Ulrich also recalled seeing Deep Purple for the first time and being stunned by Blackmore’s playing. He said: “The first concert I ever went to was Deep Purple. I was nine years old, and I still can close my eyes and see him taking the black-and-white Stratocaster and playing it with his foot or grinding it against the PA speakers. That left an impression on me. I think he was the best guitar player of that generation and, for me, the epitome of the guitar hero.”
Renowned for his technical proficiency and inventive guitar solos, Blackmore’s playing style blended classical elements with hard rock, creating a distinctive sound that effectively defined the entire band’s sonic tapestry. His intricate melodies, fiery fretwork, and innovative approach made him the ultimate guitar maestro.
