James Hetfield Names Tony Iommi His Riff Lord

James Hetfield has described Tony Iommi as a riff lord and said Iommi influenced his rhythm guitar playing and songwriting more than any other guitarist. Hetfield introduced Black Sabbath’s 1971 song Children Of The Grave, saying he particularly liked its riff and discussing the guitar arrangement at the opening of the track.

Iommi formed Black Sabbath in 1968 with Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Hetfield said in a 1992 Guitar World interview with Iommi that he discovered Sabbath’s music through his older brother’s record collection. In 2015, Hetfield said that if he had to choose a favorite band, it would be Sabbath.

Iommi described Metallica’s 1991 album as one of the first records he had bought for a long time that he could praise without hesitation. In 2006, Metallica performed Iron Man for Sabbath’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, with Iommi, Osbourne, Butler and Ward taking part. Osbourne later performed Iron Man and Paranoid with Metallica onstage in 2009.

At Sabbath’s final show, Back To The Beginning, Metallica played a six-song set that included covers of Sabbath’s Hole In The Sky and Johnny Blade.