DIAMOND HEAD guitarist Brian Tatler, who performed with METALLICA a decade ago as part of the week-long celebration of the James Hetield-fronted band’s 30th anniversary, was asked in a recent interview with TotalRock Radio if he will return to San Francisco in December to take part in METALLICA‘s upcoming 40th-birthday concerts. “Well, I don’t know,” he responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I have to be invited. I was invited last time. I flew over to San Fran and all of that, which was awesome. Maybe because of COVID, things will be different this time… But maybe also they’ve done that thing with guests — they had Rob Halford [JUDAS PRIEST], they had MERCYFUL FATE, King Diamond and things like that. And so I think, if anything, they’ll try to think of another angle. ‘Cause otherwise you’re just doing the same thing again, aren’t you, really? And also, that was really hard to do. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] said to be that they had to learn 80 songs. He said it [was] insane. He said it was one of the hardest things they’ve ever done — that week — when they had to learn [all those songs]. And they had guests flying in from all over the world, and they had to rehearse.”
Asked if any member of METALLICA has ever gotten up on stage with DIAMOND HEAD, Brian said: “No. Not yet. Not even Lars. When we met Lars in 1981, he never even said he was a drummer. He never once said, ‘I’ll have a go on the kit.’ He was just a fan — über fan. He didn’t even say, ‘I’m gonna form a band.’ Nothing. Only later when he wrote a letter did he say, ‘I’ve got this band.'”
METALLICA will play two unique live shows featuring two different setlists on December 17 and 19 at Chase Center in San Francisco. Tickets for these shows were made available only to registered members of METALLICA‘s Fifth Member fan club. In addition to the two shows at Chase Center, METALLICA will be curating other live music and comedy events, Blackened Whiskey tastings, and so much more all around the city during the long four-day weekend of celebrations starting on Thursday, December 16.
DIAMOND HEAD influenced a slew of early ’80s thrash metal bands, in particular METALLICA, which recorded the band’s “Am I Evil” as a B-side to their 1984 “Creeping Death” single and again included on the band’s multi-platinum 1998 covers album “Garage Inc.” METALLICA would record three additional DIAMOND HEAD songs: “Helpless” (“Garage Days”, 1987), “The Prince” (“One” single B-side, 1989) and “It’s Electric” (“Garage Inc.” , 1998).
According to Brian, the royalties that he receives from the DIAMOND HEAD back catalog, including the METALLICA recordings of his songs, are enough for him to live on. “It’s my biggest source of income,” he revealed in a 2019 interview. “It’s great and I don’t know what I would do without it. It gives me the freedom to do what I like. I’m very grateful.”
DIAMOND HEAD‘s latest album, “The Coffin Train”, was released in May 2019 via Silver Lining Music. The album was recorded at Vigo Studios in Walsall, Circle Studios in Birmingham and Raw Sound Studio in London.
