Metallica's James Hetfield Reflects On Cliff Burton's Ongoing Influence

09-28-2024

Friday (September 27th) marked the 38th anniversary of the death of legendary Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. To mark the occasion, frontman James Hetfield reflected on Cliff in a new episode of The Metallica Report.

James shared that Burton still has a massive influence on the band, even after all of these years. He said, "Hetfield says, "Cliff still lives in all of us. The way he lives in me is I get to channel, you know, 'Cliff, what would be really cool right here?'

"And I do - I do hold him in such high regard that I ask for his help still. And I challenge myself, 'Would Cliff like this?' That, to me, is a pretty high standard. We already have high standards for ourselves, but you know, if I could impress Cliff, it was a good day."

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Back in July, the band launched a special exhibit celebrating Burton as part of their online museum, entitled The Metallica Black Box, which is available for free via a Fifth Member account.

The band shared: "Now that The Metallica Black Box has made the move to Metallica.com, we're excited to share our first exhibit launch with you! This one has been a long time coming, and we know you've been eagerly awaiting it. Introducing Orion: A Tribute to Cliff Burton, honoring the life and legacy of the man and the musician.

"Though Cliff's time with Metallica was brief, his impact and influence remain monumental through his music, our memories, and stories. To celebrate our brother, we've dipped into our vault to share pieces of him that we've hung onto all these years. And because the 'Metallica Cliff' is just one side of him, we've recruited his friends, peers, and fans to join us in telling his story. We'd like to extend a massive thank you to the Burton family for sharing memories that go as far back as Cliff's childhood.

"The first of four releases in this exhibit, today's drop contains everything from old photos and personal letters to new exclusive video interviews. So dig in and take your time with this content - there will be more where that came from! Come back on August 13 to check out the next release.

"As a reminder, The Metallica Black Box is our digital museum of memorabilia, ranging from personal band member collections to fan contributions and everything in between. Entrance is free, but you must have a Fifth Member account. Not a Fifth Member? Sign up!"