James Hetfield Names The Singer That Was Gonna Replace Him In Metallica

Metallica frontman James Hetfield recently revealed that he might not have been the band’s permanent singer if history had taken a different turn. During the latest episode of ‘The Metallica Report,’ Hetfield discussed the potential twist of fate and shared his thoughts on new music.

When asked about any recent music that caught his attention, Hetfield explained his approach to discovering new tunes:

“I flipped through Sirius [XM satellite radio] a bunch. It’s just so easy to go on to your playlist and listen to the same stuff over and over. If I’m not listening to the radio where someone else is in control, I’m not learning new stuff so much. I don’t like getting caught in that rabbit hole: ‘If you like this, you might like this.’ Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s a computer telling me what I might like.”

Hetfield then mentioned a band whose sound he found surprisingly familiar, particularly its lead singer:

“The newest thing that I was surprised by and really made me smile was Category 7, a band that’s kind of a collaboration of a few people. I was listening to it, thinking, ‘That voice is awesome and it sounds very familiar.’ It was fricking John Bush [of Armored Saint], our singer that we never got.”

Expanding on Bush’s current endeavors, Hetfield said:

“John Bush is in a band with a few other well-known people out there, like Phil Demmel from Machine Head and bassist Jack Gibson from Exodus. They all wanted to form a band and start playing. Brian Slagel [of Metal Blade Records] has signed them. I heard one song on the radio, and it was great. I’m glad that John has gone out on his own and done his own thing. He was so tied to Armored Saint and then the Anthrax thing. Yeah, it’s exciting.”

John Bush Reflects on Turning Down Metallica

Reflecting on the past, Hetfield highlighted that John Bush was offered a spot in Metallica in 1983 during the ‘Ride the Lightning’ era. However, Bush turned it down, a decision he does not regret. In a 2017 interview, Bush recalled the offer and his reasons for declining:

“Do I regret turning that down? What I always tell people is that Armored Saint was developing and we were doing well, and these guys were my buddies. Metallica were doing well, but it wasn’t like it was Metallica in 1987. It was a few years before that. So, I didn’t want to leave my band. I liked them and I still do!”

This insight into Hetfield’s thoughts and Bush’s decision offers a fascinating glimpse into what might have been a different path for musicians and Metallica.