Hey guys i made a video of james hetfield different looks from his childhood days and from the kill em all, lightning, master, justice, black album, load, reload, s&m , st.anger ERA.. See how james’ face change through the years.
James Hetfield – Vocals/Rhythm GUitar Metallica \m/
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963 in Downey, California) is the main songwriter, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and a founding member of the American thrash/heavy metal band Metallica.
Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963, in Downey, Los Angeles County, California. His father, Virgil Hetfield (a truck driver) and mother, Cynthia (a light opera singer) were devout and strict adherents to Christian Science, and accordingly, much of his young life revolved around religion. In accordance with their beliefs, Hetfield’s parents strongly disapproved of medicine or any medical help and remained vigilant in their faith even as his mother began to die of cancer[3]. Her death, and his subsequently turbulent relationship with religion, are both recurring subjects which have been the focal point of some of Metallica’s lyrics (the songs “Mama Said”, “Dyers Eve” and “The God That Failed,” are about Hetfield’s mother and father, and “Until It Sleeps” is about cancer, of which both of his parents died).
Hetfield was nine years old when he took his first piano lessons, before taking on his brother David’s drums and finally picking up a guitar at the age of fourteen. His main influence was Aerosmith and said that they were the reason why he wanted to play guitar. Other bands such as Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Queen, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy also had a major influence on him.
In the early days, Hetfield did not have an interest in being a lead vocalist, and Metallica experimented with a few different vocal/guitar configurations. Some of the options considered included adding another guitar player, having then-lead guitar player Dave Mustaine play the sole guitar, as well as asking John Bush from Armored Saint (who later joined Anthrax) to sing for the band.
From 1981 to 1983, Mustaine’s famous rock and roll lifestyle sparked heated altercations between the two. One particular event that brought the conflict to the foreground involved Hetfield kicking Mustaines’s dog and Mustaine hit Hetfield in response, as well as flipping Ron McGovney on the ground and breaking things. Eventually, Hetfield and Ulrich fired Mustaine due to his alcoholic tendencies and recruited lead guitarist Kirk Hammett from the band Exodus the same day. Mustaine was sent home on a 4-day bus journey, and went on to form the thrash metal band Megadeth.
Until the mid-1990s, he recorded all rhythm tracks, most harmony tracks, and the occasional solo (the first solos heard in “Master of Puppets” and “Orion”, “To Live Is to Die”, and “Nothing Else Matters”), as well as writing the lyrics, vocal melodies, and co-arranging the songs with Ulrich. Hetfield has been involved in many accidents onstage, the most well-known being an incident with pyrotechnics while on the Guns N’ Roses / Metallica tour in 1992: he suffered severe second and third degree burns to his left arm during the opening of “Fade to Black” and was unable to play guitar for four weeks (former Metallica roadie and Metal Church guitarist John Marshall filled in while Hetfield continued to sing). He has tattooed his left arm with a picture of flames encasing four cards, – 1, 9, 6, 3 -representing the year of his birth. He also broke his arm several times while skateboarding too fast downhills, which prevented him from playing guitar onstage.
During the recording of the St. Anger album, Hetfield went into rehab for alcoholism and other obsessive-compulsive behaviours arising from his depression[citation needed]. Alcohol had long been a problem for Hetfield; the band’s alcoholic antics earned them the nickname “Alcoholica” by the music press. Just before this, Metallica’s bassist Jason Newsted announced he was exiting the band, after Hetfield forbade him to work on any side projects. Hetfield rejoined the band after two months in rehab and seven months with his family. He then continued with the album. He is now sober and clean and is determined to remain so, despite the many temptations dogging rock stars. The movie Some Kind of Monster documents the making of the St. Anger album and shows the various conflicts and issues the band is faced with including alcoholism and family commitments and the future of the band. This practice was eventually abolished by the Meji government who banned the art of tattooing altogether, viewing it as barbaric and unrespectable, this subsequently forced a sub culture of criminals and outcasts, many of whom were the old Samurai warriors Ronin – Master less