<![CDATA[ Latest from MusicRadar in James-hetfield ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/tag/james-hetfield Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:04:46 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “I remember Lars was unwrapping all these Styx and REO Speedwagon records and I’m going, ‘What are you buying this crap for?’”: Why James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich didn’t always see eye to eye in Metallica’s early days ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-remember-lars-was-unwrapping-all-these-styx-and-reo-speedwagon-records-and-im-going-what-are-you-buying-this-crap-for-why-james-hetfield-and-lars-ulrich-didnt-always-see-eye-to-eye-in-metallicas-early-days FWC5MVJdpkpW8Aj2EZWneC Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:04:46 +0000 <![CDATA[ “And so the first thing I do is put it in the middle position and play Oh Well”: Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on that time he brought Duane Allman’s 1957 Les Paul to a Metallica show and ended up playing Kirk Hammett's Greeny ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/artists/blackberry-smoke-charlie-starr-took-daune-allman-goldtop-les-paul-to-a-metallica-show-and-ended-up-playing-greeny J4DuNS9YqFv6ApfkePobte Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:10:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I remember showing up at 10 or 11 in the morning and working on solos and that leading to two or three o’clock in the morning the next day”: How Metallica beat the clock and battled fatigue to create a poignant and pulverising anti-war epic ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-remember-showing-up-at-10-or-11-in-the-morning-and-working-on-solos-and-that-leading-to-two-or-three-oclock-in-the-morning-the-next-day-how-metallica-beat-the-clock-and-battled-fatigue-to-create-a-poignant-and-pulverising-anti-war-epic 9p4MuLhTvcbVjcjTfAPJdJ Fri, 04 Apr 2025 16:05:53 +0000 Fri, 22 Aug 2025 06:49:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I went for a guitar commission with a carload of basses! I laid them all out on the floor, and he went, ‘Okay, let’s make a guitar’”: Ken Lawrence reveals how he became luthier to James Hetfield and made some of his coolest Metallica guitars ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/artists/ken-lawrence-reveals-how-he-ended-up-making-guitars-for-metallica-james-hetfield cBst6svfnAnHH9XMwsESFh Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:05:39 +0000 <![CDATA[ “On Load and ReLoad we tried to get a little looser, a little bluesier. Greasy is the word”: Watch James Hetfield lead Metallica in a swampy blues version of Fuel with a Danelectro 58 Longhorn Baritone ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/artists/metallica-james-hetfield-danelectro-baritone-fuel-all-helping-hands VoB3Wx7nbQejngBWmEKqmX Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:32:33 +0000 Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:33:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We know people want to hear the best-of... we don’t want to be a legacy band that just plays its greatest hits and then that’s it”: James Hetfield on why Metallica will always play new songs ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/artists/bands/we-know-people-want-to-hear-the-best-of-we-dont-want-to-be-a-legacy-band-that-just-plays-its-greatest-hits-and-then-thats-it-james-hetfield-on-why-metallica-will-always-play-new-songs Lr2WHsMWB9wB4cP2UuNvWj Sat, 12 Oct 2024 10:46:25 +0000 Sat, 12 Oct 2024 10:46:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ "The mind is the enemy most of the time": James Hetfield talks about overcoming anxiety and finding faith in his creativity ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-mind-is-the-enemy-most-of-the-time-james-hetfield-talks-about-overcoming-anxiety-and-having-faith-in-his-creativity QYG7TWN5iacknGER6MqxDA Mon, 03 Jun 2024 16:13:24 +0000 Mon, 03 Jun 2024 16:16:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ "At first, based on the music and the riff, the band and their management thought it could be the first single… then they heard James’ lyrics": When Metallica and Bob Rock changed tack and gambled with Enter Sandman ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/metallica-enter-sandman-james-hetfield-bob-rock nk4h8HokY6prcGLi7iFwge Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:41:37 +0000 Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:28:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ "If you’re hoping to dial in the same kind of tones as the world’s biggest metal band and wield a guitar that will turn heads wherever you may roam, look no further": ESP LTD Vulture James Hetfield Signature review ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/if-youre-hoping-to-dial-in-the-same-kind-of-tones-as-the-worlds-biggest-metal-band-and-wield-a-guitar-that-will-turn-heads-wherever-you-may-roam-look-no-further-esp-ltd-vulture-james-hetfield-signature-review nKb3y9MqgGR7uWJF3oftVM Mon, 04 Mar 2024 13:11:35 +0000 Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:49:29 +0000 <![CDATA[ James Hetfield on Metallica's new creative era: "I don't want to sit there and create the songs with Lars anymore – I want everyone to be a part of it and be in it" ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/james-hetfield-on-metallica-s-new-creative-era-i-don-t-want-to-sit-there-and-create-the-songs-with-lars-anymore-i-want-everyone-to-be-a-part-of-it-and-be-in-it bbBSJxULb7y5cXkDqUJrta Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:26:54 +0000 Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:21:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ "If it gets mushy at all, he's out" – Metallica producer Greg Fidelman confirms James Hetfield used a very specific blend of four amps together in the studio for the 72 Seasons album ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/if-it-gets-mushy-at-all-hes-out-metallica-producer-greg-fidelman-confirms-james-hetfield-used-a-very-specific-blend-of-four-amps-together-in-the-studio-for-the-72-seasons-album bhCbSmc759MdDNjyRdEKvg Mon, 25 Dec 2023 07:08:12 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If you have too much distortion it feels like a sponge”: Kirk Hammett reveals the secret behind his Metallica rhythm tone and advises against high-gain overkill ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/kirk-hammett-rhythm-guitar-tone 3FnXwkfwBhpDHgLS8ZZiNA Fri, 18 Aug 2023 11:38:51 +0000 Mon, 16 Oct 2023 14:14:11 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We’re bored, let’s do some stuff” – How James Hetfield wrote Metallica’s longest-ever song in a Zoom call with Lars ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/metallica-james-hetfield-lars-ulrich-zoom-inamorata U3xPKavvjRWEJVpgveuJG8 Fri, 12 May 2023 13:34:32 +0000 <![CDATA[ What is the heaviest guitar riff of all time? Metal musicians have their say ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/metal-musicians-name-heaviest-riff-of-all-time pHh7q5VdYQSKuZ9BfbiBPU Tue, 28 Mar 2023 12:35:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ Metallica unleash new single Screaming Suicide, a 5:39 min Hetfield masterclass in downpicking ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/metallica-screaming-suicide VeiF2HZQvX95iBepgixYSg Fri, 20 Jan 2023 11:41:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ernie Ball and Metallica’s James Hetfield launch Papa Het’s Hardwired Master Core signature electric guitar strings ]]> https://www.musicradar.com/news/ernie-ball-papa-het-hardwired-master-core-electric-guitar-strings hYAANNLWZcf2HGAnXZJLai Tue, 26 Apr 2022 14:23:00 +0000