![\"Lars](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Lars-Ulrich-Metallica-2008-Far-Out-Magazine-F-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Far Out \/ Kreepin Deth)<\/p>\n
Sun 14 December 2025 17:45, UK <\/p>\n
There\u2019s been the running joke for years that Lars Ulrich\u2019s most challenging Metallica<\/a> songs are the band\u2019s entire back catalogue. Throughout Metallica\u2019s evolution, many capable drummers have called Ulrich\u2019s talents behind the kit subpar, with the band themselves even trying to sack him in the late 1980s. While Ulrich kept the Metallica train rolling through every iteration of the group, one of their more complex works still trips him up.<\/p>\n Then again, Ulrich has never been one for practising. Considering his role in the public eye and doing most of the press work, Ulrich is likelier to talk on a phone or do interviews in the minutes before getting into the tuning room. Even though that behaviour may be infuriating for many artists, Ulrich\u2019s passion for it has turned the band into the cultural juggernaut they are today.<\/p>\n Once Cliff Burton passed away, though, even Ulrich wasn\u2019t sure where to go. Burton had been an integral part of the band\u2019s sound, and even though Jason Newsted fit like a glove, it would never be the same without Burton\u2019s signature licks. Times were also changing in the metal scene, and Metallica was looking to go the extra mile on And Justice For All.<\/p>\n Written in memory of their fallen bass player, the band pulled out all the stops for their new album, looking to create the most ambitious songs they would ever make. Being much closer to progressive metal than traditional thrash, most songs breach beyond six minutes, with every riff being more challenging than the next.<\/p>\n Storming out of the gate, \u2018Blackened\u2019 set the tone for the entire project, from the opening swell of guitars played backwards to kicking into the main riff in 7\/4 time. This would also be Newsted\u2019s first contribution to the band, coming up with the signature guitar figure and the complex time signature that runs throughout the verses.<\/p>\n Even though Ulrich had been known for his relentless playing throughout Master of Puppets, he still confesses to having a hard time playing \u2018Blackened\u2019 live, saying<\/a>: \u201cYou have to really stay on top of all the starts and stops and tempo changes. Here it comes. Four bars away, I hope I don\u2019t screw this up\u201d.<\/p>\n The constant switching of tempos wasn\u2019t by accident, either. When sculpting the arrangements, the band often threw riffs together to get their ideas out, making for songs that ran like medleys despite being part of one central theme. Even though the band had set another solid benchmark for themselves at the end of the 1980s, they knew they needed guidance when working on their following projects.<\/p>\n