We've seen Metallica's generosity on display through their charitable foundation and through various stories shared by multiple musicians over the years. As it turns out, these good deeds can happen at any time, including mid-concert, as Frank Carter of Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes recently revealed. The singer recently shared an impromptu moment of good will that occurred with James Hetfield that happened while Metallica were mid-performance as he was watching from the side of the stage.
Carter revealed the gesture while naming Hetfield as his dream collaborator during a larger feature piece with NME.
"I was side of stage watching him from his little guitar world – well, massive guitar world – and it was so fucking sick. I’ve been trying to downplay it, but it was one of the best moments of my entire life. I fucking love Metallica. I’m stood there, watching him play, he comes over to change his guitar and he gives me a high five and goes, ‘Wait, I’ve got something for you,’" recalls Carter.
“He goes and gets this handful of stuff and then drops in my hand some plectrums and these little Vocalzone pills. They’re these little throat sweets and he goes, ‘These are going to save your life and save your throat. This is in the middle of his fucking set and he’s literally giving out sweets!”
The Metallica frontman then shared the story of how he got turned onto the sweets. “He goes, ‘Do you know who put me on to these?’ I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Man, some fucking rock 'n’ roll legend.' Then he goes, ‘Tom fuckin’ Jones,'" recalls Carter. "He puts his guitar back on and he goes back to the stage. I’m just stood there like, ‘Wow, that is fucking sick.'”
And the sweets weren't the only item that left an impact on Carter and his band. Guitarist Dean Richardson added that he was “about 10 times better at the guitar” when playing one of the plectrums gifted them by Hetfield, revealing that he hopes to “write all the riffs for the new record with just that pick.”
"He's a good lad," Carter says of Hetfield. "He's the king of rock 'n' roll. He's proper."
Speaking of a new album, within the course of the conversation, Carter revealed that the band's fifth release is currently a work in progress. “We’ve been working on it and writing a lot. I don’t really know where it’s going yet," said the singer. "It’s nice to just be free after a record and crack on. In September or October time, we’re going to properly dig in.”
