Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
During the December 2025 broadcast of Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward’s radio show as part of the LA Radio Sessions, which airs Sundays at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on 99.1 KLBP-FM in Long Beach and is also accessible online at KLBP.org, he performed Metallica‘s “Enter Sandman.” Subsequently, Bill Ward elaborated on his relationship with Metallica‘s drummer Lars Ulrich, emphasizing their longstanding association and mutual admiration, as blabbermouth.net reports.
Lars, first of all, he’s the most huggable man. [Laughs] Of course I was with him recently [at the ‘Back To The Beginning’ event], and I was so happy that we could spend time together earlier when we did the last show with Black Sabbath, and we talked, I think, for about an hour nonstop. I mean, when me and him start talking — it’s a bit like when I’m with Johnny Kelly from Type O [Negative], to be honest with you. As a matter of fact, you know what?! That can go for all the drummers that I meet. But we gave each other big hugs all the time. And we passed a lot of things between us. There’s a lot of history between us. There’s a lot of honor between us. I know that he’s a huge fan of Black Sabbath and I’m a huge fan of Metallica. I just love Metallica. I love Lars’s drumming. He’s had to find himself, as have all the band, they’ve found a niche or a place where they can exist and dominate in heavy metal.
When I first met them, they were really young — all the guys [were] really [young]. I think I first met Lars when he was about 18 years old, 19 years old at the most. So, they have created their own society and a musical genre that is unto themselves. And it’s such a great name, Metallica. Lars is a brilliant drummer. He’s persevering, he works hard. I’ve seen him work hard. And he’s such a nice man. And again, I don’t know what it is with fucking drummers, but everybody rattles — ‘rattles’ is Astonian for ‘talks a lot’ — and so when we get together, he does all the talking, to be honest, and then I try to find a gap where, if he goes silent while he’s taking a breath, I try to find a gap where I can get in a word. I love him to death. When I put my arms around him, he could stay there forever. I love his family. I love how he plays. So, he’s just one of the best people to know.
