TESLA's BRIAN WHEAT Picks METALLICA's 'Master Of Puppets' Over 'Ride The Lightning', Explains Why

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", TESLA bassist Brian Wheat was asked which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's 'Master Of Puppets', hands down. It's just more — I think the songs were better, the performances were better. I don't know — it just spoke to me. You know what I mean? I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find a better record than 'Master Of Puppets'. And you can go on about the 'Black Album' and any other record. In their catalog, my favorite record of theirs all time is 'Master Of Puppets'… I mean, '[Welcome Home] (Sanitarium)', [the] 'Master Of Puppets' [title track] — come on. It's tough. But, for me, I'm gonna stick with 'Master Of Puppets'."

Wheat, whose band shared management with METALLICA early in their respective careers, said that he has "nothing but the highest respect for all those guys [in METALLICA]. I'm such an admirer of what they've accomplished and how they've stayed true to what they do. And [I have] nothing but the utmost respect for every one of those guys. And they're all great guys."

Asked to pick a METALLICA song to play as part of the KCAL "Mandatory Metallica" segment, Wheat said: "If you're gonna play anything, play 'Sad But True'. I think it's the greatest groove song they ever did. Just the groove is just so deep and fat and wide."

TESLA will release a new single, "It's All About Love", this summer. It will be the follow-up to the band's previous standalone singles "Cold Blue Steel", which came out in the summer of 2021, and "Time To Rock!", which arrived a year later.

Some fans criticized TESLA for adopting a 1980s-style polished production for its latest album, 2019's "Shock". The follow-up to June 2014's "Simplicity" was helmed by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, whose own group is no stranger to slicked-up, glossy-sounding recordings.

In September 2023, TESLA released the official music video for its cover of AEROSMITH's "S.O.S. (Too Bad)". The song is a bonus track on TESLA's live album, "Full Throttle Live!", which arrived in May 2023. The LP includes the band's "Time To Rock!" single, plus other songs, all recorded in August 2022 at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In September 2021, original TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

TESLA's debut album, 1986's "Mechanical Resonance", went platinum on the strength of the hits "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Little Suzi". The 1989 follow-up album, "The Great Radio Controversy", produced five hits, including "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)" and "Love Song", which hit the pop Top Ten.