Metallica's James Hetfield Unusual Inspiration Revealed ::Metallica News ::antiMusic.com

Metallica's James Hetfield Unusual Inspiration Revealed

04/24/2015
. (Classic Rock) Metallica frontman James Hetfield asked how to sing like pop star Chris Isaak before recording the iconic Black Album, producer Bob Rock has recalled. The frontman had been inspired by Isaak's trademark hit Wicked Game, and wanted to match the vocal emotion in his own performances.

Rock tells Talk Is Jericho: "He said, 'Bob, I've never really sung before - I've just kind of yelled.' He played me a Chris Isaak record and said, 'On Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven, I want to sing. How do you sing like this?'"

The solution was "a great vocal sound" so that Hetfield didn't have to double-track, the producer explains. "I said, 'What you hear in Chris Isaak's voice is the nuances when he sings. He isn't doubled, he's actually performing. You perform.' We set it up so he had a great sound and then he sang." Read more and hear comparisons between Hetfield and Isaak's vocals here.

Classic Rock Magazine is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.
Copyright Classic Rock Magazine- Excerpted here with permission.

Metallica Music, DVDs, Books and more

Metallica T-shirts and Posters

Share this article