'Metallica' Almost Had a Different Frontman? James Hetfield Says It's THIS Singer

James Hetfield of 'Metallica'
MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/AFP via Getty Images

James Hetfield has been the frontman of "Metallica" since 1981, but he recently revealed that the band previously attempted to recruit a different singer; who is it?

The singer/guitarist recently hosted a segment called "Road Dog Brothers" on Mandatory Metallica station under Sirius XM.

Per NME, the frontman recalled the bands they have toured with, which caused "chaos, joy, and debauchery."

He remembers the time when they had a lot of memories with another music act called "Armored Saint," who's also based in Los Angeles, California, back in the early 80s when "Metallica" was getting started. (listen to his full statement below)

During those years, the band got to know singer John Bush "really well," to the point that they wanted him to get into their group as a frontman.

"John Bush was a singer we got to know really well, and really, really tried to get him into the band as a singer." Hetfield said.

However, things took a different direction because they saw how Bush was "dedicated and very in love with what he was doing with his brothers in Armored Saint," so they decided not to pursue him anymore as they "absolutely respect" his bond.

Despite their loss, they managed to get a crew member named Zach Harmon, who runs their whole show.

John Bush Previously Revealed Why He Refused 'Metallica's Offer

According to Blabbermouth, Bush refused "Metallica's" proposal for "all the right reason." He said fans thought it was crazy, but they should remember the scene back then.

"Metallica was nobody. Armored Saint was hot; you have to remember that. Also, I was very tight with the [Armored Saint] guys, back to elementary school in fact. Armored Saint was getting interest from all kinds of places, and we had a lot of people starting to turn up at shows," he said.

When Is 'Metallica' Releasing New Music?

Drummer Lars Ulrich said that fans can expect new music from their band but explained: "there's nothing cohesive yet."

"Metallica" was able to work with each other during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Hetfield previously confirmed that they wrote ten songs together via Zoom.

The band's previous album was "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct," released in 2016.

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Metallica, James Hetfield, News
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