Lars Ulrich: “Excited about the state of the METALLICA nation”

Lars Ulrich recently spoke for James Hetfield‘s return to rehab and talks about the METALLICA situation. He also talks about the ongoing pandemic.

METALLICA‘s famous drummer Lars just get talking for Hetfield, the current state of the band, upcoming new album. He also reveals his thoughts on the ongoing pandemic. How they affected?, What they think about the band’s future? and more. He also mentions forcing the postponement of the METALLICA tour of Australia and New Zealand.

During an interview with So What!, Lars Ulrich talked about James Hetfield’s alcohol addiction problem and how it affected the rest of the band members, and more:

“Two or three days out from the ‘S&M²‘ project, I was told that James had some issues and that he had to go and deal with that, and nobody at that time really knows what that means. You know, what does it mean for him, what does it mean for us, what does it mean for scheduling, all that shit. You just kind of sit there, and obviously your first thoughts are, is he okay? What’s going on? Then the Australian dates got moved. Then there was the ‘Helping Hands’ concert that got moved, so on and so forth. And you start understanding more.

We spoke a couple of times. We were texting. Started getting some more clarity, I mean, we’re coming up on 40 years here. You surrender to the elements. It’s part of the ride, and, obviously, none of us are officially married to each other, but you know, in marriage vows you say ‘in the good times and the bad times, in health and in sickness, in ups and then downs,’ and if there’s anything that’s clear almost 40 years later, it is that we’re in this for the long haul. We love each other, we believe in each other and we have each other’s backs.

We will fight for each other. And we sort of roll with it. I’m not gonna bullshit you, if I look back to a year ago, there were days where I was more positive, there were days where I was less positive, and there were days where you sit and wonder, ‘How is this going to play out?’ And Kirk, Rob, and I were probably talking and communicating closer and more intimately than ever before. This shit is never easy, but it’s also part of the ride, and so you just learn.”

Lars Ulrich added:

“But a year later, here we are, all engaged. James is in a very healthy place, the band is in a very healthy place, and obviously, COVID has played a major role in all of it.

It’s been a mindfuck of a year; I’m sitting here on October 16th, I feel confident and excited about the state of the METALLICA nation, and I feel very optimistic about what’s ahead.”

Lars Ulrich also reveals the band’s future plans:

In order for this band to function, the band members have to function, families have to function, and personal lives have to be in order. METALLICA lives have to be in order. So there’s all these sorts of relationships, people, and dynamics to work with. As we move forward and the earth rotates through the universe, I think we continuously get a little more clarity on the path forward in terms of the balances needed to keep everything rolling, to keep the band functioning, to keep the band members happy, to keep the lights on — all those different things. I think we’re better at it now than we were ten years ago, ten years ago we were better at it than we were ten years before. So it’s all just part of the path forward.

Obviously, you understand that if you are in a group, if you are in a collective setting, there are pros and cons to that. There are four members, and if one of those four guys goes down for whatever reason, and I don’t want to sound clinical about this, then we deal with it to the best of our ability, and with the resources and the knowledge that we have. I feel that every time somebody goes down, we learn from that and so the next time we deal with it better.”

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