“Cliff still lives in all of us. I ask for his help still.” James Hetfield says that Cliff Burton still influences Metallica's songwriting, almost four decades on from the bassist's tragic death in 1986, aged 24

27 Sep 2024, 23:07 · louder

By Paul Brannigan
( Metal Hammer )
published 27 September 2024

James Hetfield acknowledges that Cliff Burton's influence on Metallica will never die

(Image credit: Pete Cronin/Redferns)

So desperate were the teenage James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich to persuade Cliff Burton to join their band that, after the homebody bassist point-blank refused to move from his home in San Francisco to Metallica's Los Angeles base, the pair decided that they and guitarist Dave Mustaine would relocate to the Bay Area instead. It may have been the smartest decision Hetfield and Ulrich ever made.

In addition to being a formidable performer on stage, Burton's musicianship and compositional skills elevated Metallica head and shoulders above their thrash metal contemporaries: the six songs he co-wrote on the group's second record, 1984's Ride The Lightning were so obviously superior to the two to which he did not contribute (Escape and Trapped Under Ice) as to be embarrassing.

Speaking earlier this year, Lars Ulrich acknowledged that Burton “added a whole other dimension to the Metallica sound”, and challenged his bandmates in ways they never anticipated.

In a 2013 interview with Revolver, the drummer explained: “He was up to challenge the normalcy, to challenge the status quo, to just fuck with things musically, attitude-wise - the way he dressed, the way he carried himself, his sense of humor, his relationship with the music that inspired him, the music that he played. It was always very unconventional, and it was very unusual.”

This week, during an appearance on the latest episode of the band's own weekly podcast The Metallica Report, James Hetfield was asked if Burton's influence still feeds into the quartet's contemporary songwriting.

His response was immediate and unequivocal.

“Absolutely,” Hetfield answered [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “Cliff still lives in all of us. The way he lives in me is I get to channel, you know, Cliff, what would be really cool right here? And I do - I do hold him in such high regard that I ask for his help still. And I challenge myself, Would Cliff like this?' That, to me, is a pretty high standard. We already have high standards for ourselves, but you know, if I could impress Cliff, it was a good day.”

Metallica recently announced dates for their 2025 North American tour.

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Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

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