Metallica is a heavy metal band that has left a lasting impact on the music industry. The band has gone through many ups and downs, including the tragic loss of their bassist Cliff Burton. In 1986, during their “Master of Puppets” tour, the band’s tour bus skidded off a road in Sweden, resulting in Burton’s death. The remaining members of the band were deeply affected by the loss of their mentor figure and friend.

Jason Newsted, who replaced Burton later that year, recently spoke about how Burton’s death affected the band and their frontman, James Hetfield. Speaking on the “Let There Be Talk” podcast, Newsted praised Hetfield for his ability to continue giving his all to the band and its fans despite his inner demons. He noted that Burton’s death wasn’t the first loss Hetfield had suffered in his life, making his resilience even more admirable.

Burton’s death was a turning point for Metallica, and the band has since dedicated many songs and performances to his memory. Hetfield, in particular, has been open about the impact Burton had on him and the band, calling him an important mentor figure and friend. Despite his grief, Hetfield has continued to lead Metallica and create music that has resonated with fans around the world.

Jason said:

“I don’t think that James will probably ever recover from the Cliff thing because of his abandonment and separation; [because] of things that happened to him and his family and suffering so far beyond his control. This is kind of sh*t that cuts so deep, you know, no matter how many people you’re talking with, it’s still going to be there.

“So within all of that, he had to find a way to compartmentalize, you know, there’s a thing Ive learned over these past years with the respect that I’ve always had great respect for the guy, but even more so now there was never a time I didn’t respect him.

“His ability to harness and or process and field everything that comes at him and what he’s able to do with the crowd, there’s only a handful [of people that can do the same]…”

Earlier Metallica’s James Hetfield talked to SoWhat! (band fanzine), where he talked about the band’s new album “72 Seasons”, saying how it was a genuine group effort, and how having every member involved in the creative process improved the band’s inner dynamic.

James said:

“We opened up. I was much more ready to open my heart to everyone in the band: lyrically, emotionally, and creatively. I was really an advocate, going out of my way to say, ‘Send in your riffs. We need stuff, c’mon,’ you know?’ […]

“I don’t want to sit there with [only] Lars and create the songs anymore. I want everyone to be a part of it and be in it. Can we all show up? Can we all be in the studio together? Can we jam on these things together? Can you speak up and say what you think might be great and not so great? Really wanting to open it up, and there were challenges in that. But I think we got through most of ’em, you know?”

Asked how Lars adapted to the situation of Metallica having “four chiefs instead of just two”, Hetfield answered:

“Well, I think we all have fear of change. We all have fear of change or, ‘Wait, this is working, let’s just keep going with it,’ you know? But as an artist, as someone who’s creative, I like those challenges. I don’t like them out in the regular life very much; I don’t like changes and challenges.

”But in the studio, I feel comfortable with it, and I think Lars eventually understood why and where I was trying to go with it. And even if there wasn’t input from others, just having that white space for input was great.

“You know, there would be times when all four would be in the studio, and Lars would be looking at me [asking], ‘What do you feel the next part is?’ And I would just be quiet. Just say, ‘What do you guys think? What are you guys feeling?’

“It felt really free to kind of just sit back and let the process happen more. And yeah, it did take longer, and we might’ve gone through ten ideas that didn’t work to get to one that did, but if you’re not out there mining for gold, you’re not gonna find any. So there were nuggets that came out of it that were just amazing.”