There was no letup despite losing equipment. Borrowed equipment from fellow Zazula-managed act Anthrax was a suitable replacement and allowed Metallica to finish the tour. Hetfield felt the loss of equipment more than most apparently, as he'd become reliant on a particular Marshall amplifier to create the guitar sound he wanted. After a gig at the Channel Club in Boston on January 14, Metallica's gear was stolen from a van outside the venue. The year did not begin exactly as planned. With a growing number of likeminded followers in Europe, if ever there was an opportunity for Metallica to establish themselves at the forefront of a transient metal scene, 1984 was it.

The Swiss band Celtic Frost-who influenced a slew of black metal and death metal bands with their off-kilter and avant-garde debut, Morbid Tales-were another young act trying to break into the market with a much darker and extreme sound. Their vast stage sets and ambitious visual production set the standard for any rock band to follow. Both bands continued to tour and release quality material for another twenty-five–plus years, but this was one of several peaks for both bands, particularly Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden, the most successful act to hail from the NWOBHM that Lars loved so much, released their mighty Egyptian-themed Powerslave that year, while Judas Priest-that other force of British metal-were flying high with Defenders of the Faith. Some of the more established bands enjoyed career-high success, while new acts-including Metallica-were trying to crash the party. In many ways, 1984 was a pivotal year in the genre. Far from being a time of media censorship and cultural repression, there was an outburst of aural productivity, and it was an exciting time to be a metal-head. When 1984 rolled around, it was less Orwellian than some had predicted. As a lifelong fan, that news is more gratifying than anything.' Not just that, I've been informed that So Let It Be Written s existence has facilitated the reforming of friendships from James' teenage years. That process inevitably led down some dead-ends, but also resulted in some fascinating revelations about the people involved in James' early life, as well as the making of early Metallica music.įrom that perspective, this biography is unique in its insight and balanced in its commentary. In order to present genuinely new and interesting information about someone who exists in the public eye, it was important to somehow find ways to contact those who knew James, yet had rarely spoken about knowing him. Author and ghostwriter Mark Eglinton-who first met James Hetfield and Cliff Burton in 1986 on the Damage, Inc tour-is no stranger to the prestige metal musician memoir, either he's also co-authored books with Pantera bassist Rex Brown and Behemoth's Nergal, and this latest effort features a forward by Testament's Chuck Billy.Įglinton told Noisey, 'In many ways, writing So Let It Be Written was like solving a puzzle.

Metallica ride the lightning