Its too bad both James and Dave are both first class d-bags. At least James tries to hide it
It’s insane how hard of a 180 Dave pulled. Dude went from being an anarchist icon to hanging out with Alex Jones.
Money does awful things to people…
James Hetfield made a statement that he was happy for Metallica music to be used for torture in Guantanamo bay.
Source?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-40090809
Metallica singer James Hetfield has said he is proud that his music is used against enemies of the US
Metallica’s Enter Sandman had became a particular favourite at the height of the War on Terror, when US interrogators admitted using music to break the resistance of captives in Iraq. The goal was to deprive them of sleep and offend their cultural sensibilities.
Unco-operative prisoners were exposed to children’s TV music from Sesame Street, and the purple singing dinosaur Barney.
Sergeant Mark Hadsell of the Psychological Operations Company (Psy Ops) told Newsweek magazine: "These people haven’t heard heavy metal. They can’t take it.
“If you play it for 24 hours, your brain and body functions start to slide, your train of thought slows down and your will is broken. That’s when we come in and talk to them.”
The fuck?
Oh, are you just now learning that America has been the bad guys pretty much since the beginning?
Apart from Iceland, I wonder which countries are “the good guys”? Your virtuous indignation is adorable
Ever since they ruined a perfectly good shipment of loose leaf tea
that’s not the surprising part, the surprising part is hetfield actively condoning torture
I don’t know what to tell you; the same site has Hetfield making a statement that’s pretty to the contrary:
Asked by Thrasher magazine in a recent interview if he is offended at all by the CIA’s use of METALLICA’s music to torture prisoners, Hetfield said: “Ha! We’ve tortured people with it for a long time. A lot longer than the CIA.”
He continued: "I’ve got nothing to say about that, really. I’m honored my country is using something to help us stay safe, if they are. But then again, once the music is out, I don’t have control over that. Just like how someone’s giving it away online. They’re using it to do what they do.
So really he couldn’t give a shit.
In the article you linked, it sounds like Metallica’s PR people did the asking; the interview with Ulrich is pretty equivocal:
With the debate over the military and CIA’s use of torture front and center in the news lately, Maddow also asked Ulrich how he felt about METALLICA’s music being used to psychologically torture prisoners of war. “There is a lot of METALLICA music that’s helping a lot of scared 18-, 19- and 20-year-old kids out there who are out on the front lines and who are doing a hell of a job on behalf of you and me and the rest of us,” he said. “But obviously when you hear stories like the one you’re telling, it all seems so bizarre and so strange that METALLICA’s music, which generally sort of facilitates bringing people together, is used in these bizarre circumstances. It’s certainly not something that we in any way advocate or condone.”
So not going to advocate or condone the use of their music in torture.
It is possible that James and his bandmates have different opinions about it. Hetfield has always come across as a bit dumb/rednecky(?) fwiw.
However the band as a whole did ask the US army to stop using their music.
My metal head friend said that Metallica became a pop band when they released the black album.
Your metalhead friend was correct. I personally think that that “Metallica” died with Cliff Burton. No hate to Jason Newstead, but Cliff was the one in the band with musical integrity.
Justice was really important to me. It was the first album I ever loved at the age of eight. It introduced me to the rest of their catalogue and, of course, fell in love with Burton and bass guitar. Too bad they did Newstead dirty on that album. But Justice sparked some political consciousness in me. And musically, I think they stretched as far as they could. With Burton, it would have been farther, but still farther than those three had stretched before. The same is not true for the black album.
I agree completely. There are versions of Justice that can be found online where the bass is mixed back in, and I highly recommend them. Newstead put in work on that album.
Yeha I think they’re called “And justice for Bass” or “And Justice for Jason”
When the black album came out, Metallic instantly went from legit thrash band to top 40 hard rock and was on the radio all day everyday… and somehow they still are and it’s baffling.
Love Metallica’s first few albums but honestly fuck them and what they’ve become. Went from a really solid thrash band to a million-dollar business with subpar dad rock and shitty titles like Don’t Tread on Me. They go against everything thrash metal (and metal in general) was supposed to be.
And the direction Megadeth went, while not as bad, is still rlly disappointing. Dave could’ve been one of the coolest figures in metal but instead he became a right-wing conservative.
Crossover Thrash FTW
I didn’t really listen to them but have always associated them with being fragile babies. In the early file sharing era, other bands were like, “I dropped an entire album as a free download, fuck the system.” Meanwhile Metallica was whining and sobbing about college kids on Napster stealing their pennies.
System of a Down literally named an album “Steal This Album” and made the CD art look like a burnt CD with sharpie label.
It’s one of the few albums I later purchased. Never would have gotten that into soad without piracy, other than their singles that most people from that era would know.
Exactly, and this is what happens when you go mainstream and drop your characteristic sound for radio-friendly music
Engaged in crime I grasp my throat,
Enraged my mind starts to smoke,
Enforce a mental overload,
Angry again, angry again, angry YEOW!
The meme was too young to remember …And Justice for All?
I’ve met people, REAL people, who think the black album is their first.
