10 Times Metallica Attempted Career Suicide

7. Lars Ulrich

Perhaps this is an ongoing suicide attempt, but back when the the band was starting out, drummer Lars Ulrich was arguably the biggest heavy metal fan on the face of the Earth, and so-badly wanted to be part of that world that he co-founded Metallica before he really even knew how to play. He got better of course, but if you were to ask any real musician (even today), most will likely tell you his skills pale in comparison to his bandmates. Whether or not such an assessment is accurate is obviously subjective (we think he's a great drummer), and perhaps some of the condemnation of Ulrich's musical ability stems from his ego, which seemed to swell exponentially as Metallica got bigger. Lars was the one who flaunted his wealth, hobnobbed with the red carpet crowd and alienated thrash fans who made Metallica so successful in the first place. In interviews, he often comes across as embarrassingly arrogant, repeatedly condemning his peers who chose to remain true to their roots. Since he also does the most interviews of any band member, Lars has become their unofficial spokesperson. He was especially painful to watch during the Napster hearings, where he came across as a spoiled brat whose toys were taken away. Lars may have ultimately been right about the impact of file sharing on the music industry, but the fact he loves the spotlight and doesn't know when to shut up has left a lingering bad taste in many people's mouths. But do we love Lars? Absolutely. Ultimately, he's still a metal fan (despite his repeated allegiance to Oasis) who's living the ultimate dream. This is a guy who initially had no discernible talent other than ambition. Maybe that's why we still tend to forgive him for his digressions.