Rob Trujillo Opens Up About Singing On Metallica’s New Album, Says He Wanted to ‘Channel Ozzy’

“That’s the first official semi-solo vocal moment for me in Metallica.”

Robert Trujillo chose a song from Metallica’s latest outing, “72 Seasons,” he’s the most proud of, revealing that he tried to “channel Ozzy” on the album’s fifth track, “You Must Burn!”The thrash giants’ eagerly awaited follow-up to 2016’s “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” brought many subtle homages in addition to the expected riff galore, and the band’s longest-serving bassist even managed to sneak a small nod to his former boss — The Prince of Darkness himself. Asked during a recent interview with Metal Hammer which song from the latest bunch he’d take to a desert island, Rob first mentioned the 11-minute-long album closer “Inamorata” — which got a special mention in Ultimate Guitar’s review of “72 Seasons” — before settling with “You Must Burn!”

The track also features Rob’s foray into singing backing vocals, which, as the bassist excitedly noted earlier this year, was his first with Metallica. He now tells Metal Hammer:

“‘Inamorata’ is an amazing song and we all feel it has classic potential, but I’m gonna have to go with ‘You Must Burn!.'”

“That’s the first official semi-solo vocal moment for me in Metallica. Greg [Fidelman, producer] and James [Hetfield, frontman] gave me the freedom to present my vocal moment, where I was just trying to channel Ozzy – you may or may not hear that! I do really like that middle section, it feels like a very complete song and has the right power groove. That’s my desert island jam.”

Asked if he’d be open to more singing on future Metallica releases, Rob said:

“I’m always there for what the band need! I was expecting to just do gang vocal-type things, adding a bit of texture and presence to the recording, but I didn’t realise I’d get a semi-solo moment! I always do my best whatever I’m asked to do though man, and these are the moments you can cherish.”

In May this year, when Rob first spoke out about his foray into singing on the new record, the bassist said:

“I was surprised when I got the call from Greg because I was coming up to play a little bass, but then he said, ‘I’m going to have you sing on a couple things, too.’ And I was, like, ‘Really?’ I got a little nervous. At the same time, I was very motivated.”

“Fortunately for me, the part really does suit my comfort zone, so to speak. The vibe and the interesting — I don’t know, I wouldn’t say the ‘quality’ in what I had to offer, but the part lends itself to my personality, to my voice, and it sits and slots in really well with the moment and bass breakdown.”