In late 2008, the BBC radio station 6 Music hosted a veritable heavy metal clash of the titans. Iron Maiden frontman and renowned polymath Bruce Dickinson had a weekly show on the air at the time, while Metallica were making the rounds promoting their ninth album, Death Magnetic. The Beeb made full use of the metal all-star opportunity they had on their hands, so they got Bruce to interview every member of the Four Horsemen individually, with all four separate conversations making it onto radios across the UK.
When Bruce interviewed James Hetfield, the conversation instantly turned to the powerful topic of Cliff Burton, Metallica’s ex-bassist who died in a bus crash aged 24. The Air-Raid Siren’s chat with drummer Lars Ulrich, however, started on more light-hearted footing. Lars reflects on meeting Iron Maiden’s famed manager, Rod Smallwood, and how his first impression of a then-unreleased Master Of Puppets felt groundbreaking for the young New Wave Of British Heavy Metal fanatic.
