Metallica: 10 Best Lars Ulrich Drum Performances
8. Sad But True
On the surface, "Sad But True" probably seems like one of the easiest songs that Lars Ulrich had ever performed. In fact, it wouldn't be a shock if many people ranked this among Ulrich's worst performances, given the slow tempo and straight ahead 4/4 rhythm. What the drums don't have in technical finesse though it more than makes up for through sheer power.
With the help of producer Bob Rock, Ulrich wanted to create a layered drum sound that would make the song cut through anything else that was out at the time. After rigorous sessions going through different types of snare heads and snare design, the actual room tone that they created made it feel like the drums were literal cannons going off.
While it is far from the most inventive approach, there are some subtle nuances to this song that many drummers could misconstrue. The moment in the chorus when James Hetfield sings "You know it's sad but true" features a strange slowed down triplet that enhances the power of the vocal. It's not necessarily a mind-blowing feat of drumming excellence, but this little detail shows just how well Lars understood what a song needed in the studio. Drummers will bash this song for its lack of interesting elements, but none of them will ever come close to reaching the sound of Ulrich's drums of doom.