The Latest Breaking News from Cliff Burton

Dan Campbell’s Plan After Losing Top Two Assistants Is to Be Like Metallica

Dan Campbell is not a one-man band.

Sports Illustrated · Jul 27, 2025

“Cliff played guitar as well as bass – I picked up a few things from him that ended up on Master of Puppets”: Before Robert Trujillo and Jason Newsted, Cliff Burton set the musical bar for Metallica and established an indelible legacy

Cliff Burton’s playing style may have been an offbeat fit for the cutting-edge thrash of Metallica, but it worked perfectly

Guitar World · Jul 12, 2025

“A personal crowning moment for me was having Lemmy ask me to play on a Motörhead record!” Alice in Chains’ Mike Inez on why Cliff Burton ruled, Paul McCartney's influence – and what John Entwistle told him (that he already knew)

Inez is a rock bass powerhouse, holding it down with AIC, Ozzy, Heart, guesting with Slash. Here he discusses a life in low-end and the evolution of his style

Guitar World · May 9, 2025

“A lot of Slayer riffs aren’t really for bass players – there’s just too many notes”: Slayer’s Tom Araya charts his incredible 4-string journey

From starting on a Paul McCartney Höfner ripoff to pioneering some of the heaviest metal ever committed to tape, Tom Araya admits he's no bass virtuoso… but he “can play fast sometimes”

Guitar World · Mar 24, 2025

"We were all basket cases! But we created this thing called Metallica that’s been our refuge." Kirk Hammett on 40 years in one of the biggest bands in the world

Toxic masculinity, matriarchal societies, fights with bandmates, Metallica's future – Kirk Hammett tells all

Metal Hammer · Mar 23, 2025

"You can only be what the public thinks you are for so long before it becomes boring": The story of how Metallica got themselves an orchestra – and the album that followed

With Metallica’s S&M reaching the grand old age of 25, we look back at how, and why, the world’s leading metal band teamed up with – shock, horror – the San Francisco Symphony

Metal Hammer · Feb 26, 2025

“Cliff always wanted to play more than he should have, but we didn’t try to control him – we couldn’t”: How Cliff Burton’s bass masterpiece earned its place in the pantheon of great rock solos

Recorded for Metallica’s genre-sparking Kill ’Em All, Burton’s complex snarl of notes has captivated bassists for years. Dial in your favorite fuzz-wah tone and let it rip

Guitar World · Jan 18, 2025

“Please tell the bass players of the world to go easy on me. I did my best to represent you well!” Bob Rock made bass history on Metallica’s St. Anger – quite a feat, since he “never really played bass” before

Producer Bob Rock on making St. Anger, the legacy of Cliff Burton and why he used Loverboy’s bass guitar on every track

Guitar World · Jan 12, 2025

“Jason and I were always battling for the same space in the mix”: The controversial mixing of Metallica’s …And Justice for All wasn’t a hazing of Jason Newsted. This is James Hetfield’s explanation

The band's first album with Newsted, ...And Justice for All was marked by the band's increasingly progressive and technically intricate bent – and barely audible bass parts

Guitar World · Dec 30, 2024

“I went to Lars’ house, and he played me the tape of Hit the Lights. I said, ‘This song sucks. You need more guitar solos’”: They forged a new sound, and in 10 years, they were the biggest band in the world

The story of Metallica's meteoric rise – as told by the people who were there, including Dave Mustaine, Scott Ian, Kerry King, Gary Holt, and, of course, Metallica themselves

Guitar World · Dec 12, 2024