Metallica Monster movie needs its own movie - Rock

Former Metallica producer Bob Rock says there’s so much more to be told about the band’s Some Kind Of Monster era that a film should be made about the film.

The controversial 2003 movie charted the near-collapse of the thrash giants as they struggled to deal with James Hetfield’s addiction issues and the departure of bassist Jason Newsted, while making eighth album St Anger.

Rock tells Wikimetal: “The movie is just a very small fragment of what happened. You’d have to write a very long book to talk about everything – there should be a documentary on the documentary to get the full story.”

He says of his role in proceedings: “They were fragmenting and falling apart. I was a friend more than anything on that record, just trying to keep those guys together.”

Rock also produced Metallica’s iconic Black Album in 1991. He reflects: “I thought it was a special record, a very personal record. It drew everybody in, not just metal fans. Doctors, lawyers, teachers – everybody bought that record. It must have had something that just appealed to everybody.”

Metallica are working on their 10th album – although drummer Lars Ulrich recently told fans its release was still nowhere in sight. Rock, who’s not involved, last year predicted it would be a “landmark” work. The band headline this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals on the weekend of August 28-30.

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Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.