British heavy metal pioneers Raven were famously the first band to take Metallica on a national tour back in 1983 — the “Kill ‘Em All for One Tour.”
At the time, Metallica were still finding their feet in the burgeoning US metal scene and shaping their sound, having recently axed founding member Dave Mustaine for guitarist Kirk Hammett a few months prior. While Metallica weren’t looking to kick James Hetfield out of the band, they considered having him focus solely on guitar while they searched for a new lead singer.
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In a new interview with Guitar World, founding Raven members John and Mark Gallagher reflected on that now-legendary tour with Metallica — and revealed some advice they gave their young counterparts that would end up being historic.
When asked if they had any inclination that Metallica would go on to become “superstars” after that tour, Mark Gallagher reflected on their indecisiveness and insecurity at the time — the growing pains of a young band that wasn’t even sure it wanted to stick with its current vocalist.
“They were a little fractured at the time, saying, ‘We need to get a good singer,’” Mark said. “That was the whole thing. We were like, ‘What’s the matter with James Hetfield? He’s doing pretty good.’ They said, ‘That’s just temporary.’ I think they were looking at John Bush [of Armored Saint] to be the singer.”
Mark continued, “But even though they were a young band, they were ahead of what most bands would be at that point, as far as the time they put into it. It definitely had something. It had that hard edge, which was cool.”
As we know, Metallica followed Raven’s advice, and James Hetfield went on to become one of the most iconic metal frontmen of all-time.
Metallica are still going strong over 40 years since that first tour, with an extensive slate of North American stadium shows on the books this spring. Get tickets here.