In the latest episode of the weekly Metallica Report podcast, James Hetfield revealed that he’s been hard at work on new music during the band’s downtime. Since Metallica’s last concert in December, the frontman has kept himself busy preparing for the band’s upcoming spring and summer tour dates.
“The time off has been pretty fantastic and, at the same time, I miss playing with the guys,” Hetfield, affectionately known as “Papa Het,” shared on the podcast. “I’ve let them know, ‘Man, I miss jamming with you guys.'”
Despite the hiatus, Metallica hasn’t been completely dormant. Hetfield highlighted their appearance at the Gershwin Prize concert honoring Elton John and Bernie Taupin. “The Elton John thing was so fantastic. I had a blast there. Elton, what a beautiful soul,” he reflected.
Beyond public appearances, Hetfield’s passion for music remains unwavering. “I’ve been writing lots of music, playing guitar pretty much every day,” he said. “I have to. It’s like breathing.”
Although Hetfield didn’t specify his plans for the new material, he shared insights into his creative process. He spends considerable time in his “little music room basement,” equipped with a computer, guitars, and a rig setup. This space serves as his “soul-nourishing place to go in there and just play and write.”
Hetfield’s focus is primarily on writing rather than practicing. “It’s just writing,” he emphasized.
He also draws inspiration from various musical influences, including his recent interactions with Elton John and Bernie Taupin. “Watching them play ‘Rocket Man’ and seeing how they wrote… Elton is just such a visionary in a way that Bernie sets a set of lyrics — a poem — in front of him and he sees the music just appearing which is bizarre to me,” Hetfield explained.
Contrasting this to his own method, Hetfield acknowledged that his songwriting is heavily influenced by Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, building everything around the riff.
With a busy touring schedule on the horizon and a fresh batch of material brewing, Metallica fans can look forward to more from Hetfield and his iconic bandmates in the near future.
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