The Big Four, all together in one stage, for the first time ever!

The Big Four

"You've been posting and chatting about it for months and we're here now to confirm it . . . Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax will all share the same stage for the first time EVER! Look for the four of us at the Sonisphere shows in Warsaw, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic on June 16 and 19, 2010 with a few more of the festival dates still in the works, you can be sure these shows won't be the only ones.

In the words of Lars: "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time...what a mindfuck! Bring it on!"

What more can we say??"

June 16th - Warsaw, Poland @ Bemowo Airport
June 18th - Zurich, Switzerland @ Jonschwil Degenaupark
June 19th - Prague, Czech Republic @ Mimon Airport

The Black Album Era : James Hetfield's Equipments

Guitars:

Black ESP Explorer #2 Custom - (Recording/Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays: Dots
Pickups: EMG 81/60
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: James' first truly Black Esp Explorer. Used on the road and recording up to this day. Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - most songs. Last time used live: Before the "Load" gigs.


Black #3 ESP Explorer Man To Wolf Inlays - (Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays: Man to Wolf inlays
Pickups: EMG 81/60
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: Used a ton during the Roam Tour, and still used live today. Can be seen in the video "Live Shit: San Diego" during "Harvester of Sorrow".


Black ESP Custom Explorer #4 Snake Inlays - (Recording/Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays: Snakes
Pickups: EMG 81/60
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: James Still Uses this on the road from time to time. Can be seen in the video "Live Shit: Seattle" during "Sad But True". Mainly used as a D-tuned guitar

Black ESP Explorer #5 NRA logo inlays - (Recording/Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays: NRA (National Rifle Association) Logo
Pickups: EMG 81/60
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: Not Seen or Used a lot, probably never played live.


Black ESP Explorer #6 Deer Skull Inlays - (Recording/Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays: Deer Skull
Pickups: EMG 81/60
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: Later Converted to the Diamond Plate Top. Last used live: Before the "Load" gigs








Black ESP Doubleneck Explorer - (Live)
Short description: Set Double Neck, Rosewood Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Strings: 12 on Top, 6 on bottom.
Inlays: Black Ducks
Pickups: EMG 81/60 x 2
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone x 2
Note: Used For Fade To Black Live. In Montreal on 8 August 1992 James was burnt in a pyrotechnics accident with this guitar.



Gibson Chet Atkins Acoustic/Electric (Live)
Short description: Solid Spruce top, acoustically chambered Mahogany back. Black with gold hardware. Rosewood fingerboard.
Inlays: None
Pickups: Gibson Hex piezo bridge transducer
Controls: Active volume, Active volume, treble and bass (boost and cut)
Note: Can be seen in the video" Live Shit: San Diego" during "The Unforgiven".


Gretsch White Falcon (Recording)
Short description: The maple body has two F-perforations. The 22 frets large fretboard consists of ebony. White with gold hardware. Model 7594.
Inlays: Pearl blocks
Pickups: 2 Filtertron pickups
Controls: 2 volume controls for each pickup, 1 master volume control and 1 tone control Note: In Gretsch's tradition this guitar was constructed by hand. It is a reissue of the original White Falcon series which has been constructed for the first time in 1950. In contrast to the 'White Falcon I' series that reissue has a double-cutaway Used on the recording of Nothing Else Matters.
Fender 1952 Telecaster (Recording)
Short description: Butterscotch with black hardware.
Inlays: Dots
Pickups:
Controls: Parsons-White B-bender system
Note: Used mainly for recording in the studio. The only live performance was during the "1998 American Music Awards" for "The Unforgiven II".








Other Guitars Used During The Metallica Era:

Olympic White Danelectro 12 string - (Recording) - Nothing Else Matters
Blue Jerry Jones Dano Longhorn Baritone - (Recording - Sad But True main riff)
Red Vincent Bell Coral Sitar - (Recording) - Where Ever I May Roam And My Friend Of Misery
Natural "Hetfield" Stratocaster style - (Recording)
Black Gibson Moderne
Red Gibson SG Doubleneck - Another Trial on Nothing Else Matters
Guild 12 string - Another Trial On Nothing Else Matters
Tom Anderson Electric - Man Guitar Used on Nothing Else Matters
Aria Nylon String Acoustic (Gift from Cliff Burton) - Probably for The Unforgiven
Fender Shenandoah Steel String - Used for its "shimmery, high end qualities."
Red Coral Electric Sitar

Amplifiers:

Mesa Boogie Mk IIC+ - Main Sound Combined With Below
Mesa Boogie Mark IV - Main Sound Combined With Above
Jose Arrengando Modified 100 watt Marshall Head
Roland JC-120 Combo - Used for Pretty Cleans
ADA MP1 - Preamp Modded By Voodoo Amps. Makes for some killer high gains...for crunchy Rhythm tones.
ADA MQ1 - Preamp
Aphex Parametric EQ - Just for Tightning Tones
Marshall 4x12
Mesa Boogie 4x12
Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp
Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp

Note: For the "Black Album" gigs and beyond, equipment manager and bass roadie Zack Harmon designed speaker coffins for consistent tone. These were essentially large road cases housing a speaker cabinet, sound dampening and fixed position microphones (Senheiser 421s).

Picks:

Dunlop Green Tortex .88 mm imprinted with the Metallica logo / The Black Album snake.

Metallica's Quartet

Metallica consists of four heavy metal freaks namely James Hetfield (Vocals and Rhythm Guitar), Kirk Hammett (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums) and their fourth Bassist by far, Robert Trujillo who, before joining Metallica, has played for Ozzy Osbourne and Suicidal Tendencies.

Metallica has released 11 Main Albums namely Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited (EP), ...And Justice For All, Metallica, Load, ReLoad, Garage Inc., S&M(Live), St. Anger and the Untitled Ninth Studio Album to be released on February, 2008.

Who is this Metallica..?

Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. Metallica has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades, and are considered one of the "Big Four" pioneers of thrash metal, along with Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth. The band has sold more than 90 million records worldwide, including 57 million albums in the United States alone.