One of the longest standing rumors in heavy metal was that Metallica once considered letting Lars Ulrich go. While Ulrich is credited as being the band's business mind, his drumming technique has been widely criticized for years. The rumors started in 2014 when Dave Mustaine told Rolling Stone that Scott Ian told him after Metallica's final tour with bassist Cliff Burton, before he died, the band considered letting Ulrich go.
Last year, Ian confirmed the story but now we have confirmation from somebody who was actually in the band at the time, guitarist Kirk Hammett. In a new interview with PYX 106 transcribed by Blabbermouth, Hammett said:
"You know, that was just an old thing, you know. I think at one point or another, we were pissed off at Lars, around maybe 1985 or something. We were unhappy and we might have grumbled something to someone. And then that person might have picked up on it and made it something a lot bigger than it actually was… To be completely honest, [Lars] has a lot of drive, and that's a part of the reason why I love the man. His drive and his motivation is just so intense, you know."
What would Metallica have sounded like if they replaced Lars before …And Justice For All? Who would they even have gotten as a replacement? I literally cannot even fathom this. Who would've you booked in that position? Chime in with your comment below.
