You would think most rock bands would want to work with Metallica in some kind of capacity. They’re one of the most successful, legendary groups of all time. Moreover, they have one of the most devout fan bases across any genre. Their tours almost always sell out in massive stadiums, leading to a ton of money in an industry with not a ton of it going around. Getting in their good graces would theoretically equal a lot of great opportunities, right?
Well, according to James Hetfield, apparently, Turnstile turned down the opportunity to work with the rock legends. Ultimately, though, he didn’t feel like they needed the Metallica cosign anyway. “We wanted to get them on tour, and they said no. They’re doing good on their own already,” Hetfield said during an episode of Riff Life on SiriusXM.
Clearly, Hetfield didn’t take the denial personally because he was extremely complimentary of their work. In fact, he argued that any rock fan should go out of their way to watch Turnstile live.
“What a vibe they bring. Go see them play if you can,” James Hetfield said. “They sound great on their records and recordings, but if you see them live you totally get it. We’ve hung out with them a bit. Super cool guys, super fun. They’ve got a gal in the band now, which is fun.”
Metallica Picked Limp Bizkit to go on Tour With Them Instead
Hetfield never did specify any particular reason that Turnstile turned him down. However, clearly, they weren’t hurting for options. Eventually, they picked Fred Durst and the rest of Limp Bizkit to join them on their upcoming 2027 North American stadium tour. If their recent live shows are any indication, it’ll probably be a fun time.
Metallica isn’t the only group to give Turnstile a major cosign either. Rage Against The Machine legend Zack de la Rocha gave the band his major seal of approval and hoped that they could act as a ‘bridge’ to get into other legendary punk bands.
“It’s interesting to see how this style is resurging. I don’t know if it will have the same impact, but, once again, there are a lot of kids who are discovering it for the first time. And they are doing so through their first experience with bands like Turnstile,” de la Rocha explained.
“Afterward, they start discovering Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Negative Approach, The Clash… So these bands occupy a really interesting space, like a sort of bridge. I hope that through them, people look back at the original groups.”
(Photo by Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns)
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