Papa Roach Guitarist Recalls How Metallica’s ‘…and Justice for All’ Got Him Hooked on Metal: ‘I Remember That ‘A-Ha’ Moment’

“I was just feeling like I could be up on that stage and rocking out like that. I’ll never forget it.”

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Papa Roach lead guitarist Jerry Horton spoke about how “…And Justice for All” from Metallica’s 1988 album of the same name that made him pursue the career of a guitarist.

Speaking to Premier Guitar in a new interview, Horton recalls the massive impact that the thrash giants’ fourth studio album had on him as a kid, and how the song’s intro riff was what got him hooked on playing heavy metal, effectively paving the way for an era-defining career as one of nu-metal’s premier ax-men. The guitarist recalled:

“I remember I was in Indiana, in a small town in Indiana, visiting my grandparents. And I had an acoustic guitar, and I had just picked it up, and I was into Metallica. Everyone around me was more into, AC/DC, more classic rock. But Metallica was new for me, and ‘…And Justice For All’.

“And I was just learning, and I had my acoustic guitar. And that riff was simple enough – in the beginning, the intro riff – and it sounded enough like an acoustic that I worked on trying to figure it out, and I remember that ‘a-ha’ moment.

“I was at the park down the street and started playing it and then along with it; I had my Walkman. And even with the acoustic, just still riffing the loud parts, I was just feeling like I could be up on that stage and rocking out like that. I’ll never forget it. It was a blast. And it really just set me on that path to really try and figure out as many of the songs that I loved and try to do my own thing.”

Papa Roach released their eleventh studio album “Ego Trip” this April via New Noize.