\n<\/p>\n
In the annals of Metallica<\/a><\/strong> lore, the tumultuous departure of bassist Jason Newsted<\/strong> in the ’90s cast a long shadow over the band’s stance on side projects. The fallout from Newsted<\/strong>‘s endeavors with Echobrain<\/strong> seemed to solidify the notion that Metallica<\/a><\/strong> and extracurricular musical ventures simply didn’t mesh. Fast forward to the present day, and the landscape looks remarkably different.<\/p>\n Kirk Hammett<\/strong>‘s debut solo EP Portals<\/em>, released in 2022, marked a newfound openness within the band, challenging the previously held belief that Metallica<\/a><\/strong> and side projects are incompatible. Arguably James Hetfield<\/strong> and Lars Ulrich<\/strong>, having weathered the storm of past conflicts and matured over the years, appear to have adopted a more accepting stance.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, bassist Robert Trujillo<\/strong> has maintained a sporadic involvement with the supergroup Infectious Grooves<\/strong>, though he admits that such endeavors have been more “off” than “on.” However, 2024 brings a welcome change as Trujillo<\/strong> and former Suicidal Tendencies<\/a><\/strong> bandmate Mike Muir<\/strong> gear up for a tour, with Jay Weinberg<\/strong> of Slipknot<\/a><\/strong> fame sitting on the drums.<\/a><\/p>\n In a recent interview on the Everblack Podcast<\/a><\/em>, Trujillo<\/strong> shed light on the rarity of their collaborations: “So, what’s happened over the last 20 years \u2014 we’ve done three shows in 20 years, that\u2019s crazy \u2014 is that every once in a while, I get a call from Mike Muir<\/strong>. And he’ll see\u2026 Maybe he’s checking out my schedule, as it appears with Metallica<\/a><\/strong>, and then if he notices, ‘Okay, Suicidal Tendencies<\/a><\/strong> is not doing anything during this two-month period, Metallica<\/a><\/strong> is not doing\u2026’ \u2014 which is very rare, not doing anything during that time period as well \u2014 ‘Let’s see if we can throw a couple shows together.'”<\/p>\n However, this year presents a departure from the norm, with schedules aligning to facilitate a reunion tour.<\/p>\n “It just so happened that these five months, this whole sort of break from the Metallica<\/a><\/strong> tour allowed us to do something else. Mike<\/strong> was like, ‘Let’s do some shows. Are you available?’ And I looked at my schedule. I said, ‘Actually, I am.'”<\/p>\n Trujillo<\/strong> also said he let James<\/strong>, Kirk<\/strong>, and Lars<\/strong> know about his extracurricular activities, and they had zero issues with it.<\/p>\n “And of course, as I always do, whenever I’m doing something away from Metallica<\/a><\/strong>, I always let my guys know \u2014 Lars<\/strong>, James<\/strong>, and Kirk<\/strong>. I had the opportunity to work with Ozzy<\/a><\/strong> on his new record, or this one-off with Infectious Grooves<\/strong>, or whatever it is. We just try to stay connected on that. And they were actually very supportive. You know, ‘Have fun!'”<\/p>\n \n