One of the most influential frontmen of the past decades, Metallica guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield had many heroes to look up to and draw inspiration from in the early days of his career.
He loved Rock and Roll bands from many different subgenres and countries, which is reflected in his songwriting. Like any music fan, he also has his favorites and in the 1980s he mentioned two of his favorite frontmen of all time, whom he remains a big fan of to this day.
2 underrated frontmen James Hetfield mentioned as favorites
Phil Lynott
The first one James Hetfield mentioned in an interview with a Rock magazine in the late 1980s is Phil Lynott, the late legendary Thin Lizzy songwriter, bassist and vocalist. At the time, he mentioned the song “Honesty Is No Excuse” as one of his favorite ones by the Irish group. The track was part of their debut album, released in 1971. Over the decades, he continued to praise the band, highlighting how important they were as an influence on him and revealing other songs by them that he loved.
“Those guys introduced me to guitar harmonies. I love that dual guitar stuff, which especially influenced me on ‘Ride The Lightning’ and ‘Master Of Puppets’. That song’s one of the easier songs, so I learned it first. We use it on our pre-concert intro tape, so it’s a little special,” he told Vic Gabrini in the 90s, after choosing “Jailbreak” as one of his favorite songs by Thin Lizzy. More recently, James praised “The Boys are Back in Town”, saying is a song that makes him smile and gets him “pumped up”.
James Hetfield said:
“There are so many great Thin Lizzy songs, they’re all just amazing pieces of songwriting. They’ve all got their moods and their place. My walkout music would be The Boys Are Back In Town, there’s no doubt about it. That song makes me smile, and it gets me pumped up. There’s a feeling of ‘family’ or a gathering – a gang – and the harmony solos are so catchy and memorable. It’s the perfect length of song, too, it’s got a little breakdown, it’s got it all! A good vibe and it always, always puts me in a great mood,” he told Classic Rock in 2026.
Metallica, of course, paid tribute to the band by covering “Whiskey in the Jar”. Although it is a traditional song and was not written by Thin Lizzy, the band gave the track a distinctive touch and truly made it their own.
They even had the opportunity to share the stage with Eric Bell, the group’s original guitarist, during a performance in Ireland in the late 1990s. However, Bell did not enjoy the experience, as he had expected to be paid for the appearance. Instead, he received only some Metallica merchandise as a gift. “I was quietly expecting about two grand, which wouldn’t have meant a thing to them. But I got handed over a big ball of Metallica t-shirts, key rings and hats. I got paid fuck all. Then they all fucked off.”
He continued:
“It wasn’t until I was sitting in my car on the way home I realized they hadn’t paid me. I thought I’d get something in the post but not a dickie bird. Later somebody tried to get in touch with Metallica to get me something. But they found it impossible and they gave up. They are a pack of bastards. I couldn’t believe what they did, especially as they are so well off. I should have been paid £2,000 but got fuck all,” he said in an interview with Guitar World in 2019.
Glenn Danzig
The second frontman mentioned by James was Glenn Danzig, the original vocalist of the Misfits, a band that had a major influence on Metallica. When asked by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008 to list the 20 best singers of all time, James placed Danzig in the position number 8. He was in front of names like Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Freddie Mercury and Johnny Cash.
Answering fans questions in an interview with Double J in 1996, he was asked why he looked “up to Glenn Danzig so much”. He explained joking: “He’s actually shorter than me, so I look down to him. He’s got some guts vocally. I think he is a good singer.”
When the band decided to cover “Green Hell” in the 80s, they asked Danzig for permission and they received a letter from him with the lyrics. It also said: “Cliff, here’s the words to greenie, if it comes out, send me a few copies. I don’t usually let people cover our stuff. But you guys are about the only band who can do it and not butcher!! If you do butchererrrrrr… Beware my vengence!!! (I doubt you will). That’s about it, if there’s any problem with publishing make’em give me a buzz. Later killer,” Glenn Danzig said.
Curiously, James Hetfield once said that everytime that he asked Glen Danzig for the lyrics of a Misfits song, he used to send him something different. “Everytime I asked Glenn Danzig for the lyrics, he would send me something different. He would just rewrite them or something. Either to mess with me or he was trying to make them better or something,” he said.
He joined Metallica on stage in 2011, during their 30th anniversary concert to perform “Green Hell”, “Last Caress” and “Die Die My Darling”.