“I came down absolutely not knowing what to expect – and I came out a different person”: Robert Trujillo took profound inspiration from Steven Wilson, and believes Metallica would feel the same

Before he joined Metallica in 2003, Robert Trujillo had worked with influential musicians including Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves. But he found a new level of inspiration when he discovered Steven Wilson, as he told Prog in 2014.

“I’d been communicating with Nick Beggs about a film that we’re making about Jaco Pastorius [Jaco was released in 2014]. Nick told me he was working with Steven Wilson. I’d heard of Steven but I wasn’t familiar with his solo stuff. So he said they’d be in LA at the House Of Blues, and would I like to come?

I came down absolutely not knowing what to expect – and I came out of there a different person! It was really amazing and inspiring, and it touched a place in me creatively that was really powerful.

One of my friends is a drummer called Brooks Wackerman [Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Religion, Suicidal Tendencies]. He’s a fan of Porcupine Tree. The second time I went to see Steven Wilson with my wife – right up in the nosebleed seats at Club Nokia – there’s this different drummer, not Marco Minneman. I’m like, “Wow, that guy looks like a Wackerman!” And it was Brooks’ brother Chad!

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (Live) - YouTube

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That show was on another level. I saw the video production, the animations… it was a huge moment for me. The collaboration with [animator] Jess Cope is really special. In a positive way I’m almost jealous – I wish we had a collaborator like that for Metallica [Cope and Metallica went on to collaborate in 2016].

It sounds crazy, but I love that stuff – I’m a big fan of Pink Floyd and they use that visual side really well. When I saw The Raven That Refused To Sing live, I had tears in my eyes, it was so powerful. Steven certainly opened that door for me again.

Now every time he comes through LA, I’ll have to go. He’s like a new artist for me to discover, and I’m excited for Nick because even for him this is new territory, and he has a lot of freedom. Each guy in the band has a strong stage presence, and you can see them blossoming with every gig.

Steven Wilson - Routine - YouTube

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I’ve waved the flag in Metallica for Steven Wilson. I think that when they see him live they’ll be impressed. Metallica is certainly open to trying new things – Lou Reed, Lang Lang… go back to the S&M album with the symphony orchestra – that was a huge step forward. There’s a lot of possibilities for our future.

To me Steven ranks with Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails or the Beach Boys; he’s capable of anything. I’m so happy that I found him!”