James Hetfield says Tony Iommi is his biggest inspiration

Like since the beginning of his career, James Hetfield keeps praising his biggest hero: Tony Iommi. In a recent episode of his Sirius XM radio show “Riff Life”, the guitarist and singer introduced the classic Black Sabbath track “Children of the Grave” praising the legendary British guitarist.

James Hetfield says Tony Iommi is his biggest inspiration

“Tony Iommi is the riff lord in my mind. He is the one that has inspired me the most out of any guitar player for my rhythm guitar playing and songwriting. Obviously, Tony is the riff lord and everyone starts the song together on the one riff. Basically Tony plays off that riff, goes in to hit the big giant chords, which opens the song up.

“I really love the drum overdub that they did to help with that percussion of the riff and the real cool, ghostly guitar sounds at the very end.”

James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were the ones who inducted the band that founded Heavy Metal into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2006. In his speech at the ceremony, Hetfield said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). “Black Sabbath is mammoth riffs with menacing lyrics that make me ‘oh so happy’. That was going to be my speech (Laughs).”

Hetfield then continued recalling his connection with Sabbath’s music at the age of 9, saying: “Those monstrous riffs lived inside him (His 9 year-old version). Spoke the feelings he could never put into words. Sending chills of inspiration through him from those gloomy lyrics, outlaw chords and all. They helped crack the shell he was stuck in. Also scaring his mother and sister was an extra bonus (laughs)”. Metallica covered Black Sabbath’s “Sabbra Cadabra/National Acrobat” on their 1998 covers album “Garage Inc.”