Classic Metallica Producer Reveals What He Likes About ‘St. Anger,’ Addresses People Who Say Lars Isn’t a Good Drummer

“People can hate as much as they like. It’s become like a national sport for some.”

Classic Metallica Producer Reveals What He Likes About 'St. Anger,' Addresses People Who Say Lars Isn't a Good Drummer

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Flemming Rasmussen, record producer best-known for working on Metallica’s classic 1980s albums, shared his opinion on the controversial 2003 album “St. Anger” and addressed some of the critics of Lars Ulrich’s drumming.To many people, the “St. Anger” record felt like one of the worst things that happened to metal music back when it came out. However, as years go by, Metallica accepted all the jokes about it and the fans have even embraced it to some extent. Now, it’s another chapter in their history and a sign that they’re willing to experiment and try new things.Rasmussen, who produced “Ride the Lightning,” “Master of Puppets,” and “…And Justice for All,” reflected on “St. Anger,” telling Daniel Sarkissian in a recently shared interview that he kind of has a love-hate relationship with it.

“Every second time I hear it, I go, ‘Fuck, that’s so great,'” Flemming offered (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “They dare do something new, not just doing what they’ve always done. And then, the times in between, I go, ‘It sounds like the worst demo I’ve ever heard.’ So it’s, it’s kind of like that.”

“Sometimes, I take it off after the first ten seconds, and other times, I listen to it to the end. Because it’s pretty demanding listening to. That snare sound is fucking annoying as hell, right?”
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But speaking of the album, one simply can’t avoid the issue of that snare drum sound that was the butt of every joke among metalheads back in the day. When asked how he felt about the snare the first time he heard “St. Anger,” the producer was very honest about it.

“I hated it,” Flemming replied. “It’s probably one of those loud things that… You know, if you want it to be loud, that’s what you do. But it was like, nah. Didn’t like it.”

From 1991’s extremely successful self-titled album, all the way to “St. Anger,” Metallica worked with producer Bob Rock on all studio releases. The 2003 album also included songwriting input and bass parts from Rock. However, it ended up being his final album with the band.

While discussing the snare issue during the interview, Flemming was also asked about some people’s negative views of Lars Ulrich’s drumming skills. While saying that he may not be the greatest in the world, the producer explained his significance for Metallica, offering:

“People can hate as much as they like. It’s become like a national sport for some. Yeah, he was not the world’s best drummer, but for Metallica, he is.”

“And he evolved. He’s gotten better and better, shit happened. From here to here, there was a huge development. Musically and technically, he’s really, really good.”