James Hetfield Discusses the Future of Metallica

2020-02-17

Metallica – Story by Charles Ken, photo by Herring Herrin

James Hetfield of Metallica gave his first interview last week and opened up about Metallica’s next record

Metallica frontman James Hetfield has been in rehab since September 2019, but he recently gave his first interview with Petersen Automotive Museum executive director Terry L. Karges. Hetfield was at the event to help unleash his “Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfield Collection” at the museum, which is located in Los Angeles, California.

When asked about the upcoming Metallica album, Hetfield said, “That’s a great question. We don’t know. Right now, I’m sitting in Petersen Museum, and I don’t know what’s gonna happen next. That’s the beauty of this. We’ll sit down and figure out what works best for us. Whatever is coming up, we don’t know. And we kind of thrive off of the fear of the unknown — a bit — and being scared just enough to feel alive.”

Hetfield and the guys of Metallica were forced to cancel their Australian tour last year so that Hetfield could return to rehab to deal with his addictions. Last week’s event marked Hetfield’s first public appearance since entering rehab.

Metallica has a light year in 2020, as the metal band has just five U.S. shows on their itinerary. The band will will headline five major North American festivals, produced Danny Wimmer Presents, including Epicenter, Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple Music + Arts, Louder Than Life and Aftershock. At those shows, Metallica will perform two different headlining sets each night, featuring a unique set list.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.