METALLICA's HETFIELD: Why PEPPER KEENAN Didn't Make It Into The Band

March 10, 2003

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield has confirmed reports that C.O.C. guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan was one of the musicians to have auditioned for the bassist slot in the group following the departure of Jason Newsted.

"[Pepper]'s a good player and a solid guy," Hetfield told Kerrang! magazine. "I had such high hopes for him. But when it came to jamming with the band, I knew that it wasn't going to work. It just didn't feel right."

Keenan was one of several high-profile names to have auditioned for the slot (other musicians known to have tried out for the group include former MARILYN MANSON and current A PERFECT CIRCLE bassist Twiggy Ramirez, and ex-KYUSS man Scott Reeder),which eventually went to former OZZY OSBOURNE/SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Robert Trujillo.

Trujillo, who first met METALLICA when SUICIDAL TENDENCIES toured with them in 1993, is overjoyed at the prospect of playing with one of the biggest metal bands of the last couple of decades.

"This band is one of the true Goliaths of rock," Robert said. "They're one of the few bands in the world who have such a stature. To be part of that is just incredible."

Guitarist Kirk Hammett suggested that Trujillo audition for the band after the pair went surfing in Venice Beach, California.

He said: "Rob is a great guy. He's now a member of the METALLICA family. He's not a hired guy, he's not on a salary — he's a full-time member of the band."

Hetfield added: "When we played with Rob, it just sounded and felt right."

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).