JOHN BUSH: 'I Don't Think Anyone Expected METALLICA To Become The Beast That They Became'

Former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush, who was offered an opportunity to join METALLICA in the early '80s but turned it down, was asked by Metal Insider if there was a feeling more than thirty years ago that METALLICA would one day be as huge as they now are. He responded: "I don't think anyone expected METALLICA to become the beast that they became. Well, maybe Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] did because Lars is Lars. [Laughs] They became this giant monstrosity of a band regardless of genres. You could sense there was something about them that was special, and people felt this connection that was a little more than the average band was getting, but to what degree, I don't know. I think a lot of times it is about the timing, and their timing was perfect, and they certainly backed it up with a lot of important music and records that were just pivotal. They just exploded on the 'Black' record. It's all just very solid and legitimate because they're an amazing band — they wrote songs that just connected with a lot of people. Even during those years where people were saying, 'Oh, they cut their hair!' on the 'Load' album — to me, they were always doing something to push the envelope a little bit."

He continued: "When you have a long career, there are going to be times when you don't hit the mark every time, in terms of always connecting with people. I love U2, and there was a time when there was a huge backlash with that band — they became so big there was that natural reaction to go, 'Ah, I don't like them anymore.' I know that feeling, because I feel that way towards bands as well. Even back then, though, METALLICA was doing things that were pushing the boundaries. For that, I always respected them. They didn't try to mail it in and reproduce 'Master Of Puppets' every time, which you can't do. I think that's a mistake. I'd rather see bands trudge forward and say, 'We're here — this is where we're at now.' You always look back and see that the roots of the band are entrenched, but I like when bands move forward and hit new territory. METALLICA has always done that."

ARMORED SAINT will release its seventh studio album on June 2 in North America via Metal Blade. Titled "Win Hands Down", the CD was produced by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR).

Photo courtesy of Metallica.com