How to Survive as a Band: Metallica's 7 Tips for Collaboration

Formed in the early 1980s, Metallica has taken the heavy-metal genre to new heights of aggression and sophistication. Drummer Lars Ulrich and singer-guitarist James Hetfield started the band, which also includes guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. In the past four decades, the group has grossed more than $1.4 billion in concert tickets and sold over 125 million albums worldwide.

Early albums Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets shook the metal scene and locked in a rabid fan base. The acclaimed …And Justice For All arrived in 1988—followed three years later by a self-titled record that helped launch the band to worldwide superstardom. After a string of successful releases during the 1990s, including the blues-inspired Load and the live orchestra recording S&M, Metallica has continued turning out buzzy epics like St. Anger and Hardwired… To Self-Destruct.

Metallica’s longevity is not the product of luck. It’s a matter of steady, continued work. Along the way, they’ve accrued a wealth of knowledge about conflict resolution, personal reflection, and keeping it together when things start to fall apart.

1. 1. Be real with each other. Rock ’n’ roll history is flush with band members waging war on each other for creative control. If bandmates start arguing about who’s in charge, Lars recommends intervening—with respect and kindness—to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. “There are times where you gotta call somebody out as a brother,” says Lars. “You gotta say, ‘Hey man…you are really overstepping certain boundaries here.’” In other words: Keep the drama in the music.
2. 2. Build up your bandmates. “Giving constructive criticism is an art form,” says Lars. “And we have learned to navigate that better and better as we grow.” Vindictive feedback never works. Instead of telling someone that their riff “sucks,” says Kirk, ask them how they can make it better. Above all, be gentle. “Artists are such emotional and sensitive people,” says Lars. “But I embrace that. It’s okay.”
3. 3. Check your ego at the door. One person with a big head can kill your creative flow. A whole group of them? Totally unsustainable. “When egos are flaring, it’s important for you to understand what’s happening,” says Robert. In moments of interpersonal turbulence, he recommends recognizing the tug-of-war taking place and making sure all band members have the opportunity to communicate when they’re feeling levelheaded. “Communicate always,” says Robert. “Especially when you’re not feeling great about a situation in your band.”
4. 4. Cool your jets. In the early days, James says, Metallica argued over everything—from stage time to shower time. “There were lots of fights about who was running the show,” says James. Eventually, the band learned that the only way to be happy was through compromise, allowing every bandmate equal contribution to the creative process.
5. 5. Don’t neglect the individual. In the wake of bassist Jason Newsted’s departure from the group in 2001, Metallica brought in a performance coach named Phil Towle to diagnose the band’s communication breakdowns. What did they discover? The band had placed their collective performance on a pedestal while ignoring the personal needs of each member. “It just came to a point where the individual needed a voice,” Lars says.
6. 6. Empathize, empathize, empathize. The more you understand why a band member is behaving a certain way, the less likely you are to take what they do or say personally. Maybe one member gets sarcastic as a defensive reflex, while another always tries to get the first word in because they have a deep fear of going unheard. No matter where your fellow musicians are coming from, conflicts can be swiftly resolved when you understand the emotional baggage each person is carrying. After all, as James says, your band is like a family unit: “You should know what makes them happy [and] what pisses them off.”
   
7. 7. Remember your common goal. When you’re collaborating with others on a project, disagreements are inevitable. And when the project is creative, the disagreements can get emotional quickly. The key isn’t to avoid conflict entirely—that can make things worse—but rather work on strategies that encourage compromise. Repeating the maxim “whatever’s best for the project” can help quell intraband conflicts, according to James. “Everyone will get their chance to speak, come up with the idea, whatever it may be. But at the end of the day, the right one will emerge, you know. That cream will rise.”

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