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Dumping on Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is getting a little old. Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier is sick of it, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted is sick of it, and now prolific drummer Dave Lombardo has voiced his displeasure with it as well.
In an interview with Metal Hammer, Lombardo said part of what makes Metallica sound the way they do is Ulrich‘s drumming. That, and the guy can actually drum, as is evidenced by his output over the years.
“Absolutely! I saw Mario Duplantier recently talking about Lars, saying some kind words. I feel Lars is an essential part of that band – anybody else and it just won’t sound the same. I admonish the people who talk shit about him, I don’t like that. You have to embrace who Lars is, and his contribution to Metallica‘s sound.
“They’re such an inspirational band, and everybody wants to be as big as they are, and you can only do that by taking risks. They shocked people when they cut their hair or whatever, but it was part of their evolution and they clearly knew what they were doing. I love that they’re still out there, kicking ass.”
The public perception of Ulrich in recent years has been an interesting one to watch turn around. There seems to be a lot more defense for the guy’s playing, and even extending over to his famous lawsuit against Napster in the early 2000s. The latter of which is becoming more easily defensible, considering how bad everyone is getting screwed over with streaming royalties.