‘They Were Incredibly Supportive’: Rоb Trujillo Discusses Metallica Bandmates’ Reaction to His Side Project

In the aftermath of the Jason Newsted controversy in the ’90s, which ultimately led to the departure of the bassist from the iconic Metallica band, it was widely believed among fans that Metallica and side projects were incompatible.

However, with decades having passed since the rift between James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Newsted over the latter’s involvement in the supergroup Echobrain, it appears that time and experience have softened Hetfield and Ulrich’s stance on side projects. This shift was recently highlighted by Kirk Hammett’s release of his debut solo EP, “Portals,” in 2022.

Meanwhile, Robert Trujillo has intermittently engaged with the supergroup Infectious Grooves, though he acknowledges in a recent interview on the “Everblack Podcast” that his involvement tends to be sporadic. This year, however, presented one of those rare moments of activity when Trujillo and his former Suicidаl Tendencies bandmate Mike Muir announced a tour, featuring former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg on the drums. Trujillo explained:

“Over the past 20 years, we’ve only done three shows, which is quite surprising. Every now and then, Mike Muir reaches out to me. He checks my schedule, sees what Metallica is up to, and if he notices a window where both Suicidаl Tendencies and Metallica are free, he suggests putting on a couple of shows.”

While Trujillo acknowledges the challenges of aligning their schedules, this year proved to be an exception:

“By chance, during this five-month break from the Metallica tour, we found ourselves with the opportunity to do something different. Mike said, ‘Let’s do some shows. Are you available?’ And fortunately, I was.”

Trujillo made sure to inform Hetfield, Ulrich, and Hammett about the plans, noting their overwhelmingly positive response:

“As always, whenever I pursue something outside of Metallica, I make sure to keep my bandmates informed – Lars, James, and Kirk. Whether it’s collaborating with Ozzy on his new record or participating in a one-off with Infectious Grooves, we maintain that connection. And I must sаy, they were incredibly supportive. Their message was simply, ‘Have fun!'”