METALLICA's HETFIELD Says 'Too Much Magic' Happens Between Bandmembers To Call It Quits

In his review of METALLICA's documentary "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster", Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert expressed surprise at the fact that the band are still playing together after going through what was arguably two of the most difficult years of the group's existence during the making of the movie. "If 'Metallica: Some Kind of Monster' has a message, it's great being a rock god up to a point, but most rock gods play the role long after it's much fun," Ebert wrote. "Some people sing and tour forever (WILLIE NELSON, THE STONES, MCCARTNEY). What Dr. Phil should probably advise METALLICA is to call it a day. Why work with people you can't stand, doing work you're sick of, and that may be killing you? Lots of people have jobs like that, but METALLICA has a choice."

Singer James Hetfield recently told Launch Radio Networks that for him, it was important to dig in and fight to keep the band together. "We could have taken the easy way out and just said, 'Nah, forget it. Let's just get divorced,' " he said. "But man, we had too much history, we had too much magic that happens between us. And I think the whole giving up thing, that to me has always been a disappointment. People give up at stuff — that's not role-model material."

Hetfield also admitted that he was willing participant in the angry, drunk reputation that METALLICA had in the press and with fans. "There's no doubt that I played into the image that was portrayed in the press, portrayed in people's description of why they liked METALLICA," he said. "I didn't want to disappoint. I wanted to be that guy. I wanted to put that mask on, and then keeping the mask on 24 hours became suffocating, and I could not do it anymore."