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Fronted by Geddy Lee, Rush was one of the first bands to combine Progressive Rock and Hard Rock, becoming one of the godfathers of what would later be known as Progressive Metal, a genre that gave the world bands like Dream Theater, Tool and Queensr\u00ffche<\/a>. The power trio, also formed by Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, were influenced by bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Yes and Genesis, which were crucial in helping them shape their own sound and songwriting style.<\/p>\n Over the decades, Geddy has spoken about many musical genres, including Heavy Metal. One of the groups he gave his opinion on several times was Metallica<\/a>, which went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world.<\/p>\n Geddy Lee on Metallica and Heavy Metal music<\/p>\n Although Geddy Lee is not a big fan of Heavy Metal, he does like Metallica a lot and said he\u2019s got a great respect for them as a band. \u201cWell, I don\u2019t listen to a lot of metal. Even though there\u2019s an aspect of our sound that can be quite metal, I sort of attribute it more to early metal. In the way that Zeppelin were metal and in the way that Black Sabbath were metal, and Blue Cheer were metal. And that\u2019s the sort of tradition of metal that we took on. I like Metallica, I\u2019ve got great respect for them. But, you won\u2019t hear too much speed metal or death metal in my house,\u201d Geddy Lee told Vice<\/a> in 2015.<\/p>\n He has been praising the group since the mid 80s when they were starting to become more famous. According to him, most Metal<\/a> bands at the time sounded the same but Metallica was an exception. Especially because they were not afraid to explore different ideas. \u201cMost metal bands sound the same. There\u2019s a frightening lack of desire to break from the standard metal cliches. But I like Metallica. They\u2019re a great metal band. They\u2019re real good and honest at what they do. In some ways, they remind me of Rush. They\u2019re trying to make their metal complicated, but also entertaining,\u201d Geddy told Hit Parader<\/a> magazine in 1986.<\/p>\n Curiously, the Rush frontman almost became the producer of Metallica\u2019s groundbreaking album \u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d (1986). Geddy was a good friend of Cliff Bernstein, Metallica\u2019s manager, who was the one who signed Rush to their first American record deal and that\u2019s how his connection with the band started.<\/p>\n Geddy Lee said:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s sort of true. There was some discussion with Lars, back in the day, about working with them. This was before \u2018Master of Puppets\u2019 came out, I think? There was talk, you know. I was friends with their management and I met Lars back in England. I remember going to see them here in Toronto when they played at the Masonic Temple.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when the original bass player was still happening. You know, before that tragedy. And, you know, we talked about it and I liked their band a lot at that time. But it just never came together,\u201d Geddy Lee told Vice. Bernstein was the same person who gave Neil Peart<\/a>\u2018s number to Lars Ulrich around that time so that he could ask for some advice about gear.<\/p>\n Geddy Lee likes \u201cFor Whom the Bells Tolls\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor Whom the Bells Tolls\u201d, released on their 1984 album \u201cRide The Lightning\u201d is one of the most famous songs of their career. Geddy Lee likes that track as he told CBC Music<\/a> in 2019, when he was part of the show \u201cIt\u2019s a Jam or Not a Jam\u201d. After they played a part of the song, without saying which one it was, he said: \u201cI know that bell\u2026 Well, this one of those songs where the bass line is really doubling the guitar parts. So it\u2019s not\u2026 it\u2019s basically contributing to the \u2018heaviosity\u2019 of the track.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe purpose of the bass line in this is to add weight. It\u2019s got a bit of a twang, it\u2019s got a lot of heaviness. So that genre requires that Heavy Metal pomp and that\u2019s what the bass line does. It serves after it. So I would say it\u2019s kind of a jam,\u201d Geddy Lee said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).<\/p>\n That song is one of the best examples of the late Cliff Burton<\/a>\u2019s talent, showcasing the bass guitar as a fundamental part of the track. Curiously, as revealed<\/a> by Metallica\u2019s guitarist Kirk Hammett, Cliff was extremely nervous back in the 80s when they told him Geddy Lee would watch them playing. \u201cGeddy Lee showed up at one of our shows on the \u2018Ride The Lightning\u2019 tour. We played Toronto, and all of a sudden we got a message backstage that Geddy Lee was in the audience. And Cliff Burton just freaked out.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued:<\/p>\n \u201cHe started pacing, he started smoking pot, and he was, like, \u2018Oh my God! Geddy! Geddy Lee!\u2019 He could not settle down. He was so nervous and just happy at the same time that Geddy Lee was there. And then Ross (Halfin \u2013 Photographer) tells him that Geezer Butler\u00a0 is out there one night. Same thing \u2014 he starts pacing around, super nervous, grabs a beer.\u201d Kirk Hammett said in 2022. Before his tragic death in 1986 at the age of 24, Cliff Burton said multiple times in interviews that Rush was a big inspiration for him.<\/p>\n Geddy Lee mentioned Metallica in his autobiography<\/p>\n Geddy Lee released his autobiography, \u201cMy Effin\u2019 Life,\u201d in 2024 and although he doesn\u2019t talk about going to see Metallica around that time, he mentions the band in a very positive way. For example, he notes that their 2008 album, \u201cDeath Magnetic,\u201d was one of the records that pushed the limits in terms of production and audio quality. \u201c\u2018Definitely Maybe\u2019 by Oasis is widely credited with being the first CD that blew other songs out of the jukebox thanks to producer and engineer Owen Morris\u2019s \u2018brick-walling\u2019 technique.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the albums notorious for pushing the limit included Metallica\u2019s \u2018Death Magnetic\u2019 and \u2018Californication\u2019 by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Today, streaming services have put an end to competitive loudness practices with Audio Normalization. I think, by the way, that the Loudness Wars helped spark the debate over which was superior, digital or analog. (It) created a whole another red herring,\u201d Geddy Lee said.<\/p>\n When talking about the period when Rush started working again with producer Peter Collins, Geddy recalled they recorded at a legendary studio where respected artists like Metallica had worked. \u201cIn February 1996 we brought Peter Collins back to produce our new album \u2018Test for Echo\u2019, at the legendary Bearsville Studios, our first-ever recording session in the US of A. In its thirty years of operation, more than two thousand albums were made there by artists including Metallica, Patti Smith, Todd Rundgren and the late, great Jeff Buckley.<\/p>\n Metallica advocated for Rush to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame<\/p>\n