Rock & Metal

Lloyd Grant Claims James Hetfield Is The Original Bassist Of Metallica

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During last month’s NAMM’s Ultimate Jam Night, Lloyd Grant shed light on an interesting detail from Metallica’s early days, revealing that James Hetfield once played bass in the band’s formative lineup.

While recounting his experience working on “Hit The Lights,” Grant shared, “Me and him and James; just the three of us. James was playing bass, I was playing guitar, and Lars [Ulrich] was on drums.” This brief period showcased a very different arrangement from the Metallica we know today.

Grant recalled his first introduction to the song, thanks to Lars Ulrich’s enthusiasm. “We were hanging out watching soccer, and he says, ‘Hey, I met this guy,’ blah blah blah, ‘and he’s exactly what we wanna jam with.’ And he played this one song, and it was great—that’s how I first heard ‘Hit The Lights.’ After that, I went over and jammed a few times.”

Eventually, Ulrich reached out to Grant to contribute solos for Metallica’s debut appearance on the ‘Metal Massacre’ compilation. “Lars called me and said they were gonna be on this compilation album. He brought over a tape of ‘Hit The Lights,’ recorded on a four-track, and asked me to lay down some solos. They were just gonna put it out and dump it on the compilation album,” Grant explained.

Despite his contributions, Grant never received an offer to officially join the band. In a previous interview with Metal Hammer, he clarified, “No; they didn’t need to, because by then they already had Dave Mustaine. Even when he left, they’d got Kirk Hammett in the wings, so they’ve always had someone great waiting.”

As Metallica’s lineup evolved, Dave Mustaine eventually replaced Grant’s parts on later pressings of “Hit The Lights.” Though his time with the band was brief, Grant’s role in Metallica’s origin story remains a fascinating footnote in metal history.

I'm Emma. I Love rock music, doing guitar reviews, and making food. I love writing works because it is the best way to provide information to people.

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