In a brand new interview with Noisey, Ulrich was asked if he still finds playing in METALLICA inspiring. He responded: “10 years ago or 30 years ago, it was totally different. Like, ‘Oh my god, GUNS N’ ROSES. Oh my God, who’re these NIRVANA guys! OASIS!’ You were hearing about it, and you wanted to meet them. These days, there are not any bands which have had that impact on me. The last time where I was like, ‘Holy fuck! This really inspires me,’ was this band known as THE SWORD, from Austin, Texas. Stoner rock, kind of a modern BLACK SABBATH. Super cool. They showed up 7 or 8 years in the past, and I just had to bring these guys on tour.
There’s a Norwegian band known as KVELERTAK. These bands are few and far between these days. This isn’t a black-and-white statement. I know more about film than I do about music because I follow it more. That does not mean if one thing superior came and slapped me in the face. then I would not embrace it; it just shows up less and less.”
Lars Ulrich said in a 2015 interview that he believed that streaming services were the future of the music industry — though he additionally admitted that they would more effective for established acts than new ones. Talking with the BBC, Ulrich mentioned: “I believe streaming is good for music. People sit there and go, ‘I am not getting paid very much’ — however streaming is a choice on all fronts.”
Lars added: “Streaming probably does benefit artists with higher profiles. A lot of playlists that are being made available for people seem to feature higher-profile artists… There is less and less and less and less money being put into younger artists. And there is a danger of younger artists coming close to extinction.”
However Lars also argued that streaming or any other music delivery service will not accomplish anything if the music itself is not as much as par, explaining: “I join less because there is less great new music to connect with. A lot of the stuff is just regurgitated — this yr’s flavor. It isn’t leading-edge like THE BEATLES, Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix.”
The band has shows booked in China, Singapore, Denmark, Mexico and South America over the next three months, however has yet to unveil its full 2017 tour plans, including its first North American tour in 8 years.
Metallica’s sole North American date thus far is May 21 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.
METALLICA’s newest album, “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct”, came out in November. The effort consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.
Leave a Reply