The first band Metallica toured with have admitted that they didn’t think the metal juggernauts had a bright future ahead of them.
John Gallagher of British metal veterans Raven, who headlined during Metallica’s first-ever North American tour in 1983, tells the Talkin’ Rock With Meltdown podcast that the California stars were still unseasoned when they played together, likening them to a “gang”.
“They were like a gang, which is always appealing ’cause we were, obviously, like a gang,” Gallagher says (via Blabbermouth). “It wasn’t the mentality of one guy starting a band and putting adverts out and having a bunch of mercenaries come in. There was none of that. They were a gang.”
He adds: “But as far as, ‘Do you see them in – whatever – 10 years being the greatest thing since sliced bread?’ It’s like, no, not a chance!”
The singer/bassist adds that Metallica were still a year away from releasing their groundbreaking second album, Ride The Lightning, which introduced acoustic guitars and more groove-oriented songs to their canon.
“It showed some maturity and breadth and the ability to do different things other than just [playing fast] all the way through,” Gallagher says of that seminal 1984 release. “So, they sat, they learned and they soaked it all in and they did a whole bunch of stuff.”
Though Metallica may have vastly changed as musicians in the years following their shows with Raven, Gallagher claims that the band are still “the same guys” that they were in 1983.
“We had a long conversation with James [Hetfield, Metallica singer/guitarist] a couple of years ago up at Metallica HQ [in Northern California]; we visited there. And [he was] very humble and very ‘I don’t know how this all happened, but we’re very grateful and humbled that it did. And we’re gonna continue to do the best we can.’ You can’t ask for more than that.”
Metallica had just released 1983 debut album Kill ’Em All when they hit the road with Raven, and the package was opened by fellow fledgling thrashers Anthrax and Exodus. The album didn’t chart, but reached number 120 on the US Billboard 200 in 1988, as the band were rocketing up the ranks of the heavy metal scene.
Ride The Lightning marked Metallica’s chart debut and reached number 48 on the Billboard 200. However, amid the album’s 40th anniversary celebrations last summer, it outdid itself and reached number 24.
As of 2023, Metallica have sold more than 125 millions albums around the world.
As for Raven, the UK trio celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2024 and continue to tour and record. They released their latest album, All Hell’s Breaking Loose, in 2023.
