Metallica released St. Anger in 2003 and, almost immediately, fans around the world were asking: “what’s up with Lars’ snare drum?”
It’s become a running joke in Metallica circles over the last 17 years, and now the two men most involved with the the sound of the drums on that particular album have spoken out. Producer Bob Rock recently gave an interview to Tone Talk, and it’s summed up in this recent piece from Metal Injection:
“[Lars] set up the drums in the rehearsal room, we were on our way, and he just kept staring at the drums. Finally, he sat behind and said, ‘Just give me a snare drum.’ I had bought a Plexi Ludwig snare because I wanted to try it, and he put it on the drum kit, and he said, ‘That’s the sound.’”
But it doesn’t end there. Last month, Lars Ulrich himself was pressed to respond to Rock’s comments. And he did, in true Lars form: “I stand behind it a hundred percent, because at that moment, that was the truth.”
You can dig deeper into Lars’ comments in this Heavy Consequence piece, then revisit the title track from the album below and judge for yourself.