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The Latest Breaking News from James Hetfield

“He wanted all that at an undoable selling price”: Mesa/Boogie founder Randall Smith confirms rumours that it built James Hetfield a signature model – and it combined three iconic amps in one

A Diezel, a JC-120 and a Mark IIC+ all in one? That would have cost a whack – and it would have, which is why the Metallica frontman's prototype never got released

MusicRadar

Metallica may have ‘stolen’ Spinal Tap’s album art, but the comedy-metal legends aren’t bitter about it

David St Hubbins downplays the idea of a feud between Spinal Tap and the world’s biggest metal band

Metal Hammer

"People should get off their asses to topple us. Here’s a guitar – blow us away if you think you can." The track-by-track guide to Metallica's Load

Metallica had just become one of the biggest bands on the planet, but they weren't about to repeat themselves with their sixth record

Metal Hammer

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Watch unearthed 1991 Metallica interview in which they insist they are not a thrash metal band

Restored interview not seen in decades features Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield speaking shortly before Black Album is released

Metal Hammer

“Theory C: it’s a scoop knob... they built James’ parametric EQ into the amp”: Metallica spark a Mesa/Boogie mystery as unidentified amp spotted in 50th Anniversary message to ESP Guitars. Could this be a James Hetfield signature?

Speculation surrounding this unidentified chugging object has been ongoing since 2017 when it was spotted in Metallica's studio

Guitar World

I just watched Metallica play in front of a few hundred people including Paul McCartney, Michael J. Fox and Sylvester Stallone - here's what it was like

Intimate, fun and occasionally feral, I feel like I just witnessed something truly special

Metal Hammer

“This has been through thick and thin… one of our crew fell on a stair, the whole neck snapped right off”: Swedish heavyweights Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge was a game-changer

Richard Hansson and Niklas Karlsson on why passive humbuckers are better for downtuned riffs, James Hetfield's influence, and why baritones and extended range guitars are too much guitar

MusicRadar

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“Recreating this piece of metal history wasn’t just a challenge, it was a privilege”: Jason Momoa orders super-gnarly replica of James Hetfield’s iconic Elektra OGV – and this Polish luthier recreated every last detail

Momoa's downstroke game better be on point because Krupi Guitars went to town on recreating the guitar that made Metallica

Guitar World

“It really doesn't have much to do with us. We gave this guy a couple of riffs and told him to run with it”: The WTF hip hop collaboration that Metallica don’t talk about any more

The one time Metallica dabbled in hip hop didn’t end well

Metal Hammer

“The idea is Kirk was gonna play rhythms along with James. That changed everything, and some people don’t like it”: Bob Rock says Metallica's divisive Load album redefined the Hetfield-Hammett guitar partnership

New influences, a change in production methods, and moving away from thrash led to the pair switching up their tandem

Guitar World

“I don’t follow the rules of metal, which is probably wrong, and I’m sorry”: Metallica producer Bob Rock looks back on controversial Load and Reload albums

Rock is “glad” he and Metallica didn’t imitate the metal stars’ blockbuster Black Album when making its divisive follow-ups

Metal Hammer

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 3-9

Celebrities having birthdays during the week of Aug. 3-9 include actor-turned-princess Meghan Markle, singer-guitarist James Hetfield of Metallica and actor-director Greta Gerwig

The Independent UK

"I would have quit wrestling in a heartbeat." The bizarre story of Hulk Hogan's phantom 'audition' for Metallica

This week, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan passed away aged 71. We revisit one of the strangest stories involving the Hulkster, which included the world's biggest metal band

Metal Hammer

“Experience one of the rarest and most coveted vintage amplifiers ever”: Mesa/Boogie puts ‘Crunch Berries’ on the menu as it releases the holy grail amp used by Metallica

Mesa/Boogie launches the Mark IIC++ head as a limited edition production model

MusicRadar

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Metal Hammer

“I could have ruined metal”: The man who almost sang for Metallica has no regrets

Armored Saint vocalist John Bush says it wasn’t his “destiny” to front the biggest metal band of all time

Guitar World

“If you think about the approach to guitar I’m known for, it seems to have little in common with Hetfield’s. But I would argue that it has much to do with it”: What funk maestro Cory Wong learned from James Hetfield

Papa Het has got a brand new bag when it comes to downpicking, and it’s full of lessons for the funk guitar player

Metal Hammer

"Without Sabbath, there would be no Metallica. Thank you boys for giving us a purpose in life." Metallica pay onstage tribute to Black Sabbath as the Godfathers of Metal return to their hometown to play their last show ever

As Black Sabbath bow out, Metallica salute their immeasurable impact and influence on our world

MusicRadar

“I spent six months listening only to AC/DC – and it changed my entire approach to songwriting”: How Metallica embraced simplicity – and Mötley Crüe's producer – to create their 30 million selling monster hit

Hiring Bob Rock was one of the smartest moves they ever made

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Guitar World

“EET PHO”: Wes Borland cosplays as an ’80s-era James Hetfield while opening for Metallica – complete with a custom troll guitar

The attention to detail, right down to his guitar of choice and the 'mod' he's made to it, needs to be applauded

Metal Hammer

Wes Borland cosplayed as James Hetfield during Limp Bizkit’s last concert with Metallica

Limp Bizkit’s run of North American shows supporting Metallica wrapped up last week

Metal Hammer

“As great as it undoubtedly was, the bug-eyed insanity of thrash was nowhere to be heard in any of its songs”: How Metallica’s Black Album killed thrash metal

The band that helped create thrash pretty much killed it

Metal Hammer

"I told him, 'You saved my life.'" Faith No More's Mike Bordin recalls his words of support to Ozzy Osbourne in 1990

In 1990 Faith No More teamed up with Ozzy Osbourne and James Hetfield to play War Pigs. But after the show, FNM drummer Mike Bordin recalls consoling a downcast Ozzy

Guitar World

“Even after four decades of high-gain amp design evolution, the Mark IIC+’s distortion tonesstill remain the gold standard”: Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ review

Beloved by James Hetfield, Prince and John Petrucci, the most revered amp in metal guitar tone makes a long-awaited return

Guitar World

“Greg had this ‘60s P-Bass with a nut that had been cut so many times that the strings were rattling around, and a pickup that couldn't really handle how hard I played”: Alex ‘V-Man’ Venturella on tone, technique – and how he nailed his Slipknot audition

Slipknot's low-end specialist discusses his epic amp collection, the brilliance of Eloy Casagrande and how James Hetfield shaped his technique

Metal Hammer

“The ultimate anti-everything symbol”: How heavy metal found its fashion sense

From denim vests to bullet belts and drawer after drawer of black t-shirts, this is how metal music developed its signature dress code

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