Jon Matsumoto at MercuryNews.com has filed the following report on METALLICA featuring an interview with bassist Robert Trujillo:

Robert Trujillo was understandably stoked when he was selected to be the newest member of Metallica in 2003. But at the same time, the process of becoming a part of the veteran thrash metal band felt a little strange and discomforting for the down-to-earth bass player.

After all, Trujillo's initiation into the superstar band took place while film cameras were rolling. What was subsequently presented in the 2004 Metallica documentary "Some Kind of Monster" was a band in the state of personal and interpersonal flux. Vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield was struggling to beat alcoholism. Metallica had also hired a life coach to help the members improve inter-band communication and understanding through group therapy.

"I was a little freaked out by the film crew being there everyday," Trujillo says. "There was no hiding because I was part of the spectacle. I realized I just had to suck it up and try not to think about it too much. It was a pretty heavy transitional period for the band. I know James, at times, was walking on thin ice."

Six years later, Trujillo is happy to report that the Metallica kingdom is once again firing on all cylinders. Hetfield is on the wagon and more stable in his overall attitude, he says. At the same time, the band's frontman is playing with the intensity and commitment of a young musician trying to make his mark rather than a complacent rock star content on resting on his laurels and wealth.

Public thirst for the band appears unabated some 28 years after it was formed. The San Francisco-based quartet (which performs at the HP Pavilion on Saturday) began touring arenas last year behind the "Death Magnetic" album. And Trujillo, who was previously part of Ozzy Osbourne's band as well as Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves, says that the band plans to perform live well into 2010.

"Death Magnetic" has also garnered some of the best reviews for a Metallica album since its 1991 self-titled breakthrough album (also known by fans as the "Black Album"). After making the odd decision to eschew guitar solos on its 2003 "St. Anger" album, Metallica allowed Kirk Hammett plenty of room to roam on lead guitar on "Death Magnetic."
"There's a lot of stuff on the album where I had input," Trujillo notes. "But personally I felt my role — and this was my choice — was to absorb the process and to really try to learn the art of songwriting through the eyes of Metallica. When (drummer) Lars (Ulrich) and James build and arrange a song, it's pretty special. You really have to let them feed off of each other. You don't want to ruin that energy flow."

Go to this location for the complete article.