“Always interested in the riff”: The two guitarists who influenced James Hetfield the most
When Metallica formed in the early 1980s, they were youngsters ready to embrace all the drama of life as a West Coast rock band. Besides all the camaraderie and excess, the group was serious about its craft and set its sights on bringing a nuanced sound to heavy metal. By 1980, bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Deep Purple had laid the foundations for metal, but James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett brought a new approach into play that proved rather influential.
Much of Metallica’s success as pioneers stems from their impressive guitar ability, especially Kirk Hammett’s tendency to shred out fast-paced yet creative and accurate lead solos and hooks. Like most metal music, his technique relies on heavy distortion, plenty of decibels and a good old waggle on the wah pedal from time to time. His work on Metallica’s breakthrough album Master of Puppets popularised the thrash metal genre and inspired the evolution of nu-metal in the 1990s.
The original thrash metal sound wouldn’t be complete without the emotive and unsettling yell of frontman James Hetfield. His songwriting contributions over the decades have always perfectly matched the dark intensity of the songs, whether it’s the aggressive ‘Enter Sandman’ or the slow, brooding ‘Nothing Else Matters’. However, the frontman’s ability as a rhythm guitarist mustn’t be overlooked, either.
Metallica’s talent as individuals is immediately apparent upon hearing them perform, especially in the live setting. As a close-knit collective, they are even stronger as a group. The chemistry between Hetfield and Hammett is expressed in interwoven lead and rhythm sections. As keen disciples of Led Zeppelin, the apical luminaries of heavy rock music, Metallica have never shied away from declaring their love for their forebears.
It comes as no surprise that metal pioneers Black Sabbath are among Hetfield’s favourite bands in the business. As a young teenager, the punchy guitar work of Tony Iommi and the manic wailing of Ozzy Osbourne inspired him to pick up the guitar and join the circus. “I’m kind of a little bit of a barbarian when I play … always interested in the riff. It was the foundation of the song. Tony Iommi, he’s ruling the song with his riff, and everything else joins him,” Hetfield said, picking out one of his all-time favourite guitarists in an interview with Ernie Ball Inc.
Although Metallica’s sound is firmly associated with metal, the genre stemmed from the same distorted roots as punk. Taking plenty of cues from pacey hybrid acts like Motörhead and Black Flag, Metallica has a fond appreciation of classic punk. Among Hetfield’s favourite bands growing up was Ramones.
“You know, Johnny Ramone, lots of down picking, lots of, you know, just fast down picking. That helped develop my style,” he said, picking out another of his favourite guitarists. “So kind of a combination of punk rock and heavy rock at the time, you know, turned into just the down-picking style and with melody along with it.”
Since Ramones mostly prospered on the simple accessibility of chugging three-chord songs like ‘Judy Is A Punk’ and ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’, few would regard Johnny Ramone as a virtuoso on Jimi Hendrix’s level. Still, Hetfield discerned an immediately accessible and innovative style when he first laid ears on Ramones’ music in the 1970s. To be influential, one only has to do something differently; complexity and instrumental virtuosity is secondary.
After using his early guitar influences to establish the thrash metal subgenre, Hetfield continued to develop his instrumental approach, even taking leaves from the books of those his band inspired. During an interview with Little Punk People, Hetfield hailed the ongoing influence of Exodus, Hammett’s first band.
“We grew up with those guys in the Bay Area. Oh, and we stole their guitar player. I think they’re great,” he said, picking the band out as one of his favourite thrash metal bands. Adding, “Testament, a lot of bands in the Bay Area, a lot of thrash stuff. I just think even before that, punk rock was kind of the beginning of it for me.”
