In yet another example of metalheads secretly owning the pop music world, Taylor Swift's bass player Amos Heller has uploaded a video of him shredding Metallica's Blackened.
Heller adds some much-needed, technically proficient bottom end to the And Justice For All... classic, boldly going where Metallica alumni Jason Newstead and current bassist Robert Trujillo have gone before.
Heller also lets slip that Metallica, and thrash metal, in general, played a huge part in his development into a career musician, commenting "I don't think I would be a musician if it wasn't for thrash metal, and I don't think I would love thrash if I hadn't listened to it every day of my freshman year riding to school in my brother's car with ...And Justice For All blazing out of the speakers. This album is an oddity...a killer metal album with no bass on it. So I put some bass on it. The modern tone I went for might not be the most era-specific, but it felt like a good fit to me. This song was a real challenge, and I love playing it. Enjoy."
With his current gig involving playing to sold-out stadiums worldwide with literally the biggest music star on the planet, it will be interesting to see if Heller can convince Taylor to let him bust out some thrash on her Eras tour.
Blackened appears on Metallica's 1988 record And Justice For All....the band went in-depth on the record, including their decision to turn the bass down during the final mixing process, in this lengthy interview with David Fricke.
Listen to the best new heavy tracks on the Metal Maniacs playlist.
