Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo has revealed the cut from the band's latest studio album that he is most proud of. Discussing the metal titans' eleventh record 72 Seasons, which was released earlier this year, Trujillo is asked which song from the album he'd take to a desert island with him. As it happens, his choice comes from deeply personal reasons, given that it enabled him to break new ground as a member of Metallica after twenty years with the band.
“Inamorata is an amazing song and we all feel it has classic potential, but I’m gonna have to go with You Must Burn!," he tells Metal Hammer in an exclusive new interview. "That’s the first official semi-solo vocal moment for me in Metallica. Greg [Fidelman, producer] and James [Hetfield, frontman] gave me the freedom to present my vocal moment, where I was just trying to channel Ozzy – you may or may not hear that! I do really like that middle section, it feels like a very complete song and has the right power groove. That’s my desert island jam.”
Asked if he'd consider singing more for Metallica in the future, Trujillo reveals that he is very much happy to keep his options open, depending on what the band needs from him.
"I’m always there for what the band need!" he replies. "I was expecting to just do gang vocal-type things, adding a bit of texture and presence to the recording, but I didn’t realise I’d get a semi-solo moment! I always do my best whatever I’m asked to do though man, and these are the moments you can cherish.”
In a 7/10 review for Metal Hammer, critic Stephen Hill wrote of 72 Seasons: "This deep into a career, it’s hard to imagine many bands making their finest material. That Metallica have still found something new to say (if not play) deserves respect. They may not have delivered their very best, but they’ve given us the best we realistically could have hoped for."
Metallica recently played their first ever show in Saudi Arabia at the Soundstorm festival on December 14. They go back on the road next year across Europe, the US, Canada and Mexico to continue promoting 72 Seasons. Read more from Rob Trujillo in the latest issue of Metal Hammer, out now.
