The band that made Lars Ulrich want to be a musician: “Never forget those moments”
Lars Ulrich has influenced the metal world more than many people probably realise. While many drummers would have probably preferred if he had never picked up two sticks and James Hetfield went with anyone else behind the kit, Ulrich’s skills behind the scenes are more than half the reason why Metallica is still the cultural juggernaut they are today. If it weren’t for Motörhead setting his world on fire, though, there’s a good chance that Ulrich wouldn’t have tried to put his first songs together at all.
Even if he wasn’t a musician yet, Ulrich was still devouring everything that he heard from the metal world. As soon as he moved to California from Denmark, he was already sinking his teeth into the new wave of British heavy metal, buying everything from Diamond Head to Angel Witch to Mercufyl Fate. In that sea of acts, though, Motörhead was a bit different.
Because Lemmy never identified as a true heavy metal musician. He had all the attitude that comes with being a metal frontman, but up until his death, he always thought of himself as just another rock and roller who happened to play with a bit more attitude than the Chuck Berrys of the world.
If you look at it objectively, there’s probably a lot more in common between Lemmy’s songs and the early days of punk half the time. Never mind the fact that he actually performed with acts like The Damned, the raw energy behind ‘Ace of Spades’ is just the sound of a standard blues rock song hopped up on steroids.
Despite Motörhead never getting their time in the sun in the US, Ulrich stood by them with everything he had, telling Behind the Music, “I was flying the flag for Motörhead certainly louder than anybody else. They were one of the main reasons why I wanted to start a band and play music, and you should never forget those moments. Has there ever been anyone that has looked more badass than on the cover of Ace of Spades?”.
If Ulrich introduced his friends to the group, though, Hetfield bought into it hook, line and sinker. While his riffs were the spiritual descendants of guitarists like Tony Iommi, Hetfield’s voice in the early days seemed like a younger version of what Lemmy was trying to do, complete with the trademark muttonchops that he would grow out during the And Justice For All era.
Hell, given their genre of music, Metallica feels like a version of Motörhead that have a more distinct metal edge to them, even thinking enough of them to bring Lemmy out onstage with them to perform songs like ‘Damage Case’. That influence even shows up on their most recent material, with their single ‘Lux Aeterna’ having the same exact drum groove as ‘Overkill’.
Any band is usually a child of every one of their influences, but it’s hard to really listen to Metallica and not hear Lemmy’s DNA bleeding out of every riff they’ve ever made. If the early bands taught acts that it was okay to make something heavy, Lemmy taught everyone that it could also be turned into a lifestyle.
