Metallica announces new album to be released on my birthday, but won’t play Vancouver on world tour

By Steve Newton Metallica, arguably the world’s greatest-ever heavy-metal band, has announced that it will release its next album on my birthday. The Bay Area headbangers will unleash their 12th studio album, 72 Seasons, on April 14, 2023. “72 seasons,” says Metallica singer-guitarist James Hetfield in a press release. “The first 18 years of our … Continue reading Metallica announces new album to be released on my birthday, but won’t play Vancouver on world tour

That time I asked Lars Ulrich about backstage passes for Metallica and, unlike Ronnie James Dio, he kinda blew me off

By Steve Newton Back in May of 1989 I did the second of my four interviews with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. At the time he was in Nagoya, Japan, on the band’s Damaged Justice Tour, which was due to hit Vancouver in a couple of weeks. Three years earlier I’d taken my 16-year-old nephew Jeff … Continue reading That time I asked Lars Ulrich about backstage passes for Metallica and, unlike Ronnie James Dio, he kinda blew me off

Newcomers Babylon A.D. bring ear-splitting hard rock from the land of Metallica

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 10, 1989 By Steve Newton It was an ear-shattering ol’ time down at the Metro Tuesday night. Volume maniacs were in their glory, along with those people who don’t enjoy talking while the band’s on. No one would have heard them anyway–Oakland’s Babylon A.D. made sure of that. A new hard-rock … Continue reading Newcomers Babylon A.D. bring ear-splitting hard rock from the land of Metallica

That time Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi told me what he thought of Megadeth, Metallica, and Pantera

By Steve Newton Back in March of 2007 I did my second interview with Tony Iommi, who was about to kick off a nine-month global tour with the Ronnie James Dio-fronted Heaven and Hell. (The band had changed its name from Black Sabbath, which it had previously recorded and toured under, to differentiate it from … Continue reading That time Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi told me what he thought of Megadeth, Metallica, and Pantera

That time Bob Rock told me that Metallica never have and never will sell out

By Steve Newton Bob Rock is the famed producer best known for helming several Metallica albums, including their hugely popular Black Album of 1991. I’ve interviewed Rock a few times, both for his role as a producer and as a rockin’ guitarist in bands like the Payola$, Rock and Hyde, and Rockhead. Back in February of … Continue reading That time Bob Rock told me that Metallica never have and never will sell out

That time Lars Ulrich told me that he was surprised by how down-to-earth Van Halen were on the Monsters of Rock Tour

By Steve Newton Back in May of 1989 I did my second interview with Lars Ulrich, who called me up from Nagoya, Japan, while Metallica was touring behind its ….And Justice For All album. A year earlier the band had taken part in the Monsters of Rock ’88 Tour, which saw them sharing the stage … Continue reading That time Lars Ulrich told me that he was surprised by how down-to-earth Van Halen were on the Monsters of Rock Tour

That time Lars Ulrich told me that Metallica just wasn’t a let’s-sit-around-and-drink-beers-all-day-with-the-support-act type of band

By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich four times because, hey, the guy likes to talk. The last time was back in August of 1998, when his band was touring behind its Reload album. Two years earlier Metallica had headlined Lollapalooza, sharing the stage with the likes of Soundgarden, the Ramones, Rancid, and … Continue reading That time Lars Ulrich told me that Metallica just wasn’t a let’s-sit-around-and-drink-beers-all-day-with-the-support-act type of band

Midnight Oil’s inspiration helps Seattle’s Candlebox to ignite with chart-topping debut

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 15, 1994 By Steve Newton In 1983, Midnight Oil released an album called 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, which included a song called “Tin Legs and Tin Mines”. Within that tune was the lyric “boxed in like candles”, which struck a chord with a young Seattle rocker by the name of Kevin Martin. He decided … Continue reading Midnight Oil’s inspiration helps Seattle’s Candlebox to ignite with chart-topping debut

That time I photobombed Armored Saint backstage when they were opening for Metallica on the Ride the Lightning Tour

bev davies photo By Steve Newton Legendary Vancouver punk and metal photographer Bev Davies just sent me a photo from 1985 that I never knew existed. It’s a backstage shot of American metal band Armored Saint getting all wild ‘n’ crazy, but if you look close you can see me in the background, chuckling at … Continue reading That time I photobombed Armored Saint backstage when they were opening for Metallica on the Ride the Lightning Tour

That time I asked David Ellefson if there was any competition between Megadeth and Metallica

By Steve Newton I interviewed Megadeth bassist David Ellefson back in November of 1992. when he was 27. That was four months after the band released its most popular album, Countdown to Extinction, the one with “Symphony of Destruction” on it. Man I love that tune. (As you may have heard, founding member Ellefson recently … Continue reading That time I asked David Ellefson if there was any competition between Megadeth and Metallica

That time I asked Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed if Metallica ever blew his band off the stage

By Steve Newton I interviewed Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed on August 5, 1992, while his band was in the midst of a coheadlining stadium tour with Metallica. The tour was scheduled to hit Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium on August 17–with openers Faith No More–but three days after this chat James Hetfield got badly … Continue reading That time I asked Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed if Metallica ever blew his band off the stage

That time Jason Newsted told me that Black Sabbath were “the inventors” and they could do anything they want

By Steve Newton Jason Newsted is best known as the bassist who played with Metallica for 14 years, during the peak of their popularity, on discs like …And Justice For All and The Black Album. I interviewed him back in July of 2013, when he was fronting his own group, Newsted, three weeks before it … Continue reading That time Jason Newsted told me that Black Sabbath were “the inventors” and they could do anything they want

That time Scott Ian told me that, if there’d been a Big Five Tour, Exodus could have joined Anthrax, Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth

By Steve Newton Back in September of 2012 I interviewed Scott Ian. He’s the fourth Anthrax member I’ve chatted with, having hooked up with Joey Belladonna in ’91, John Bush in ’93, and Frank Bello in 2005. That band likes to talk. Anyway, two years before my chat with Ian, Anthrax had hooked up with … Continue reading That time Scott Ian told me that, if there’d been a Big Five Tour, Exodus could have joined Anthrax, Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth