{ Lick That Riff! }

Ok, so I know I haven’t posted on here in absolutely ages, I do apologise. Anyway lets not dwell on my lack of motivation and discipline and lets look at this weeks Guitar Hero instead. This hero hails from the biggest metal band on the planet, no question. They formed in 1981 and he was part of the original line up. They appealed to both mainstream and die-hard metal fans and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. They have had 9 studio albums since they formed with their best selling being their self-titled “Metallica” album or “The Black Album” as most fans call it. So who is this weeks Guitar Hero? Well it can’t be Hammett because we’ve already covered him. It is, of course, the amazingly talented James Hetfield.

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What Total Guitar Said About Him:

You know him by his: Explorer-shaped guitars; talent for penning some of the best riffs of modern times

Greatest Moment: Battery – how does a non-android play riffs with such incredible speed and precision?

James Hetfield, arguably the greatest metal guitarist to emerge during the 1980′s, was not a shredding soloist but a certified riff master. As proven by such classics as ‘Ride The Lightning’ and ‘Master Of Puppets,’ not since the days of Machine Head and Paranoid has the metal world enjoyed two albums that spawned such a barrage of contagious riffs.

Born in Los Angeles, California, on August 3, 1963, Hetfield discovered hard rock and metal via the usual suspects – Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Thin Lizzy – and began replicating their sounds with various high school bands. But it wasn’t until he met drummer Lars Ulrich that he discovered a new wave of British heavy metal and formed Metallica. Early members came and went before a stable line-up consisting of Hetfield (who also doubled on vocals), Ulrich, bassist Cliff Burton and lead guitarist Dave Mustaine began tearing up the San Franciso area. Upon relocating to New York to secure a record deal, Mustaine was given the boot and Kirk Hammett ushered in.

Modelled after such twin-guitar tandems as Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden, the Hetfield-Hammett duo was quick to gel on their 1983 debut, Kill ‘Em All. While the album contained many well-worn lyrical topics; namely head banging and hell raising, Hetfields lyrics quickly matured by 1984′s Ride The Lightning. But there was no denying it was the riffs that stood out most (For Whom The Bell Tolls, Creeping Death), as Hetfield perfected a powerful down-picked rhythm style (with the low strings always muted) that would soon be adopted by countless metal guitarists. The quartet grew stronger on 1986′s Master Of Puppets – a metal masterpiece that may consider to be one of the finest metal albums of all time. In fact, it could be argued that the playing of Hetfield-Hammett on Battery and the title track has never been topped.

Then tragedy struck. Burton was killed in a bus accident later that year, resulting in Jason Newsted taking his spot. Like AC/DC before them, Metallica were able to overcome the death of an integral member to enjoy their biggest chart successes with 1988′s metal epic… And Justice For All, and 1991′s none more black Metallica. The group continues to fire out albums (1996′s Load, 1997′s ReLoad, 1999′s S&M and 2003′s St.Anger), while Hetfield’s impeccable playing is still a major influence on countless metal acts today.

Well that is it for this weeks Hero Worship. This could well be the last of my hero worship posts, although I haven’t decided quite yet. I hope it might be a fitting end to such an enjoyable series. Here I will leave you with one of Hetfields finest works:

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