METALLICA - 1980s
BRIAN SLAGEL
He knew Lars before Metallica even existed, and included Hit The Lights on his legendary Metal Massacre compilation. It was the leg up that set Metallica on the path to greatness
WORDS: DAVE EVERLEY
PRESS/STEPHANIE CABRAL
If it wasn’t for Brian Slagel, the history of Metallica might have been dramatically different.In 1982, the fanzine writer turned fledgling record label owner gave the unknown band their first big break by including them on Metal Massacre, a compilation album that would launch his brand new label, Metal Blade. The track they contributed, Hit The Lights, was jammed on the end of the album and miscredited to ‘Mettallica’, but it provided the spark that fired up the career of both the band and Metal Blade – both of which are still going strong today. “For them and for me to still be doing this 40 years later is just mind-blowing,” says Brian, speaking to Hammer via Zoom from his home in Las Vegas.
Where does your history with Metallica begin?
“I got to know Lars through my friend John Kornarens, who had met him in the parking lot at a gig in 1980. Lars was wearing a Saxon t-shirt and nobody in LA apart from John and I knew who Saxon were. John told him, ‘You should meet my friend Brian.’ A couple of days later, Lars shows up at my house and we became fast friends.
This was before Metallica existed?
“Yeah, way earlier. I remember being at his house one day, and he had a drum set in the corner – not put together, just the pieces. He goes, ‘I’m gonna start a band.’ ‘Yeah, sure, Lars, whatever…’ Fast forward a little, and I’d discovered this scene in Los Angeles – there was no internet, so nobody knew this was happening. I got the idea to put together a compilation, Metal Massacre, as a way to get these bands out there. Then Lars called me up and said, ‘Hey, if I put together a band, can I be on your compilation album?’ And that, of course, ended up being Metallica.”