Ex-Anthrax Vocalist John Bush Praises Metallica: “They’re Always Taking Chances”
John Bush has had a pretty killer career in metal. Mostly known as the vocalist for Armored Saint, he was Anthrax’s vocalist from 1992-2005, and now he’s been fronting a supergroup side project called Category 7.
What most people may not realize, however, is the fact that Bush famously turned down Metallica. Back in the days before Metallica’s first album, Kill ‘Em All, Metallica frontman James Hetfield was not sure if he wanted to be the lead vocalist of the band and wanted to focus more on being a guitar player, so Bush was asked to join the band as the vocalist. Armored Saint was starting to take off, so Bush said no. But, apparently, Bush has an unwavering respect for Metallica that remains to this day.
In a recent interview on The Dan Chan Show (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Bush was asked his opinion on Metallica, particularly their recent material, and Bush had nothing but praise for the metal giants:
“Metallica is a band that never rests on the laurels of what they’ve done. They’re always taking chances, they’re always doing different things, they’re always expanding on their style and pushing the boundaries of the listeners, whether it’s doing the orchestra stuff or doing a record with Lou Reed or making just a metal, powerful, thrashing record. The live performances — I went to see him at SoFi Stadium here [in Los Angeles], and it was phenomenal. It was really cool how they have these four different sections — they actually took this arena and yet when they were all together playing, it felt like you were almost watching them in some small room. It was amazing.
“When you’re a band like Metallica, everybody’s expectations are so grand all the time. And the reality is you’re not always gonna hit the bullseye on everything, especially if you’re willing to take chances, which they are. And I really commend that, because it would be easy to just kind of play it safe. And they never do. So I really respect them on that level.
“When I heard ‘Lux Æterna’ [the first single from Metallica’ latest album, 72 Seasons], it sounded rad. It just sounded like them. It was really powerful. It’s a great tune. And I was, like, ‘Wow, it’s cool.’ And it just sounds fresh.
“James [Hetfield, Metallica frontman] is one heck of a singer and just an awesome vocalist. And so, what are you gonna do? They’re Metallica.”
He’s not wrong that Metallica’s risks don’t always pay off. Some might argue they haven’t been paying off for a few decades now. But it’s nice to know that Bush still has nothing but respect for the band he turned down, even though he doesn’t seem to regret his decision to turn them down.
