Formed in New York City in 1974, The Ramones are considered the band that shaped what Punk Rock music and style was. The group not only influenced bands of the same musical-genre but also Metal bands that appeared later on and the late singer Joey Ramone even said in an interview in Helsinki, Finland made by Heli Nevakare (Rockstop) back in 1991 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) that The Ramones would have been Metallica‘s main influence.
Why Metallica’s main influence was The Ramones according to Joey Ramone
When asked about the evolution of Punk Rock, Joey Ramone talked about Metallica, saying: “It keeps evolving. When we started out it was the ‘Punk Revolution’ and then Thrash (Metal) came in, bands like Metallica with Lars (Ulrich). He saw us in 1980 in Copenhagen (Denmark). That’s basically where he got the idea to combine the music of The Ramones with Metal influences like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and people like that.”
“He took that to L.A where he put the band together. You know, bands like Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction. All that Thrash (Metal) stuff was derived from Ramones. The Sex Pistols, The Clash, all that came later,” Joey Ramone said.
Even though Joey Ramone said he thought that his band was Metallica’s main influence, the members of the Thrash Metal band also credited other bands like Scorpions, Motörhead and many others from the New Wave Of The British Heavy Metal.
James Hetfield listed Johnny Ramone as one of his biggest influences
In an interview with Music Radar in 2009, the Metallica vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield listed guitarists that influenced his style and one of them was Ramones’ Johnny Ramone. “My rhythm gods are Tony Iommi, Rudolf Schenker and Malcolm Young. Guys who just keep it steady. The Misfits too, and even the Ramones with their simplicity. It’s all downpicking! Watch some footage of Johnny Ramone. You’ll go, ‘Wow!’” James Hetfield said.
Guitarist Johnny Ramone was The Ramones co-founder and remained a constant member of the group together with vocalist Joey Ramone. The Ramones are considered the band that helped to shape Punk Rock as it became.
Metallica was part of Ramones’ tribute album
Metallica was part of Ramones’ tribute album “We’re A Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones”, playing “53rd & 3rd”. In an interview with Howard Stern in 2020, Metallica credited Punk Rock for the band’s longevity, because they were never worried about everything being perfect all the time.
Hetfield also recalled that they had the chance to play with them at Lollapalooza. According to him it “was such a treat”.
