PopMatters' Steven Ward has issued an interview with British rock n’ roll journalist Mick Wall (METALLICA: Enter Night - The Biography). An excerpt follows:

Q: After reading Enter Night, the reader comes away with personality categories for each character. Cliff (Burton) is the hero, moral center and savior—maybe even the martyr for the band’s success. Lars (Ulrich) is the egotistical and calculating businessman/leader. James (Hetfield) is the ex-alcoholic loner with deep-rooted family issues. Kirk (Hammett) was the talented nice guy that fit right in and never tried to exert any leadership. And poor Jason (Newsted). Jason was a guy who happened to play bass with Metallica for 14 years. I actually felt sorry for Jason. Am I on the mark with these assessments?

A: "Broadly speaking, I would say that about sums it up. I hope the book is able to color in those details a little, too. Cliff was only human and had his faults. Lars is also great fun. James is kind and gentle. Kirk is smarter than he looks. And Jason had one hell of a zillion-dollar ride. Would anyone even know his name, if not for Metallica?"

Q: Cliff comes off as someone you had a lot of respect for. But do you think Metallica would have been as successful, had he lived?

A: "Metallica was already successful before Cliff died. The book addresses the question of what turns their career might and might not have taken, had he lived. Certainly it’s the big sliding door moment of the band’s career. A tragedy that actually freed James and Lars to do their own thing."

Q: You make subtle remarks in the book that Cliff would not have liked the band moving on so fast with his replacement. I think you make fun of Kirk when he tells you in an interview that Cliff would have wanted it that way. But during one of Cliff’s last interviews, doesn’t he talk about Lars dying, and then said the band would move on and keep on going?

A: "I don’t believe my remarks were subtle, actually. I believe what I say is unequivocal. The band did not move on because “Cliff would have wanted it” which is what they said at the time. They did so because what else could they do? Guys like Lars and James who started the band before Cliff joined were certainly not going to throw in the towel just as their career was really taking off, even though they loved Cliff."

Read the full interview at this location.