10 Greatest Hard Rock Frontmen Of The '80s

At the start of Metallica's career, James Hetfield didn't necessarily want the role of a frontman. Even when they were making Master of Puppets, the band was always on the lookout for a proper singer who could bring their sound to the next level. James Hetfield may not have sought to be the frontman of the group, but he turned himself into one over time.

Though Hetfield's presence on Kill Em All painted him as a young metalhead who barked out the lyrics, the rest of the decade saw him become the royal ambassador for all things thrash metal. Going into albums like Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning, Hetfield became a much stronger vocalist around every corner, as he could switch from tender and melodic to harsh and threatening within the span of a single song.

While other singers like Dave Mustaine and Tom Araya were more suited to high energy music, Hetfield had something unique to offer by pulling off vocal performances as different as "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)." Little did we know that this heavy metal overlord would take his star all the way to the top on the Black Album once the '90s rolled around. James Hetfield might not be everyone's first choice for amazing frontmen, but whenever you think of Metallica, the first thing that comes to your head most likely has Hetfield's claws all over it.