5 Times Metallica Were The Best Band In The World (& 5 Times They Were The Worst)

The infamous (and intentional) turning down of Jason Newsted's bass on his first full-length Metallica album, 1988's ...And Justice For All, is often the prime talking point when it comes to discussing the bassist's poor treatment during his time with the band, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Often referred to as a "hazing process", Jason's mistreatment began on his very first tour with Metallica in 1986, where the band tricked him into consuming a ball of wasabi, and didn't stop until his departure in 2001.

Over the years, Kirk, James and Lars played many tricks on Jason, ditching him with restaurant bills, calling him out on stage and pushing him out of the recording process. Hetfield himself later admitted, "we were brutal with him and it never ended, really."

It is, of course, understandable that the band would still be in pieces following the untimely death of their bassist Cliff Burton, but group therapy would have been a much better choice than taking it all out on the newcomer.