Credit: Ross HalfinThis year marks the 30th anniversary of Metallica‘s seminal LP Master of Puppets, and it also marks the 30th anniversary of the death of bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed in a tour-van accident on September 26, 1986, just months after the album was released. Metallica will look back on Master of Puppets and honor the memory of Burton in the upcoming photo book Metallica: Back to the Front.
In a video promoting the book, the members of Metallica share their memories of Burton and how it feels to look back on their time with the late musician.
“I still miss Cliff, no doubt, and I’d love to see him again at some point” says frontman James Hetfield. “So seeing photos that I haven’t seen before, especially where we’re together, that is awesome. To get another piece of him back into my heart is great.” Guitarist Kirk Hammett adds that it’s “very emotional” to look back at some of the photos in Back to the Front.
Current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003. Before going on his audition for the gig, Trujillo was staying at a friend’s house, who happened to have a photo of Burton in his guest room.
“I look up, and it’s Cliff, and he’s staring at me…and it was the strangest thing,” Trujillo remembers. “And I said, ‘Cliff, if I get this gig, I won’t let you down, I promise.’ ‘Cause I almost felt like he was checking me out, hopefully he was giving me a thumbs-up. But I’ll never forget that moment, because it was very surreal, but it was important.”
Along with the photos, Back to the Front features an afterword written by Burton’s father, Ray, whom Hetfield calls “so inspiring.”
“When I grow up, I wanna be Ray Burton,” Hetfield laughs.
Metallica: Back to the Front will be released September 13.
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