Itʼs a long road between starting your band and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. First, you donʼt even become eligible until 25 years after your first album comes out. Second, you need to be recognized as having had an “influence and significance to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.” Only a handful of artists make the cut each year, and their worthiness is measured by comparison to the artists who came before them, like Chuck Berry, Elvis, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and many others.
In other words, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is about as big an honor as any rock musician can hope for. Itʼs no surprise that the 2009 induction ceremony, held on April 4, was led by the band that helped define the metal genre: Metallica. The entire band, including current members James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo, as well as fomer bassists Jason Newsted and the late Cliff Burton, all received the honor of induction.
ESP President Matt Masciandaro said about the induction, “It was 1987 when Kirk Hammett started working with ESP on his first custom guitar, followed soon after byJames Hetfield. Today, Metallica continues to be a huge influence on all musicians who want to play Metal. We congratulate them on being recognized for an incredible career.”
As ESP fans, we hardly have to tell you the story of what made Metallica great. Starting in the underground community in 1981, the band started gaining a strong following from the very beginning, with their first two albums (Kill ʻEm All and Ride the Lightning, released in 1983 and 1984 respectively). Their big breakthrough from a standpoint of worldwide popularity was the 1986 release of Master of Puppets, which went on to become one of the most influential albums ever in the heavy rock genre. In 1991, Metallicaʼs mainstream success became undeniable when their self-titled (“black”) album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Metallica has continued to reign as one of the most influential bands in metal, and have the respect of nearly every rock musician whoʼs come along since. Unlike many Rock Hall inductees, Metallica has continued to maintain their popularity throughout their long career; their latest album Death Magnetic was one of the best-selling albums in recent months.
For more than 20 years, Metallicaʼs guitar tandem of James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett have been using ESP Guitars on albums and on tour. Their influence on hundreds of bands who followed them has been a factor in helping ESP become one of the worldʼs most popular guitar manufacturers. Weʼre still proud each time we see Kirk and James take the stage with our guitars in hand; they both allow everyone to see (and -- more importantly -- hear) the craftsmanship and attention to detail thatʼs put into each guitar we make.
So, from ESP to Metallica, we offer our congratulations on the remarkable achievement of your Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. We also offer our thanks for over two decades of playing ESP. Most of
