He auditioned to stand in for James Hetfield in 1992, after an onstage pyro accident left the frontman with third-degree burns and unable to play guitar, although he could still sing.

The stand-in job eventually went to Metal Church axeman James Marshall, a former Metallica roadie. But Kisser believes he came close to landing the role � especially after getting a seal of approval from then-bassist Jason Newsted.

"I knew all the Metallica stuff by heart except the Black Album, which was very new at the time," He tells Guitar World (via Blabbermouth). "I went and practiced with them. James wasn't there, only Lars, Kirk and Jason. I played the songs and they liked it a lot. Jason was really excited about my playing and they asked me to stay a second day."