James Hetfield

Latest about James Hetfield

Metallica, portrait, NECArena, Birmingham, UK, 29th August 1996.
Bob Rock says Metallica's divisive Load album redefined the Hetfield-Hammett guitar partnership

By Phil Weller Published

New influences, a change in production methods, and moving away from thrash led to the pair switching up their tandem

Guitarists
Cory Wong wears a green tracksuit and plays his blue Highway Strat. James Hetfield plays his white Flying V copy on a stage lit up in green.
What funk maestro Cory Wong learned from James Hetfield

By Cory Wong Published

Papa Het has got a brand new bag when it comes to downpicking, and it’s full of lessons for the funk guitar player

Artist Lessons
Wes Borland and James Hetfield
Wes Borland cosplays as an ’80s-era James Hetfield while opening for Metallica

By Phil Weller Published

The attention to detail, right down to his guitar of choice and the 'mod' he's made to it, needs to be applauded

Guitarists
Gary Holt with arms out wide as Exodus play Alcatraz Metal Fest, Belgium. He plays his signature ESP single-cut.
Gary Holt on his thrash metal redemption, balancing Exodus and Slayer – and why even Hetfield cheats on downpicking

By Jon Wiederhorn Published

Exodus and Slayer mainstay Gary Holt reveals what compelled him to finally roll up his sleeves and unflinchingly tell his life story

Guitarists
American songwriter, guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of Metallica James Hetfield performs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavillion in Chicago, IL on April 5, 1986.
Want to play Master of Puppets the right way? Here's how to get faster at downpicking so you can chug like James Hetfield

By Jamie Hunt Published

Downpicking is a fundamental and powerful pick stroke, and one of the mainstay techniques in metal and punk

Techniques
James Hetfield with Kenneth Lawrence guitar
How Ken Lawrence came to build some of James Hetfield’s most iconic guitars – including one using wood from Metallica’s former home

By Jacob Paul Nielsen Published

The luthier specialized in bass guitars before he met Hetfield via Mesa/Boogie. It would land him his most challenging but rewarding collaboration

Electric Guitars
Raven and Metallica
When Metallica hit the road for their first national tour, crowds weren’t convinced by their music

By Phil Weller Published

James Hetfield and co went on tour with British heavy metal band Raven when they came over to the States in the early 1980s – but they didn’t always win over the audience

Artists
James Hetfield of American heavy metal group Metallica performing live on stage at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester on February 27, 2009. Hetfield is playing a Ken Lawrence Explorer guitar
James Hetfield's luthier on how he went from crafting basses to becoming the Metallica guitarist's go-to axe maker

By Janelle Borg Published

And why we have Doug West from Mesa/Boogie to thank for Ken Lawrence and Papa Het's now-iconic link-up

Electric Guitars
James Hetfield of Metallica and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains
Jerry Cantrell and James Hetfield have talked about making an album together

By Matt Owen Published

The two guitar heroes have recorded together in the past, and collaborated at a number of benefit concerts. Could a fully fledged album be next?

Guitarists
Metallica's Jason Newsted (left) and James Hetfield perform onstage at Castle Donington in Donington, England on August 22, 1987
James Hetfield explains the controversial mixing of Metallica’s …And Justice for All

By Jackson Maxwell Published

The band's first album with Newsted, ...And Justice for All was marked by the band's increasingly progressive and technically intricate bent – and barely audible bass parts

Bands
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