CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist and vocalist Pepper Keenan has reflected on his audition for the open bassist position in METALLICA following Jason Newsted's departure in 2001 — a process captured on camera for the band's documentary "Some Kind Of Monster."
Keenan was candid about what appealed to him about the opportunity: "I would've loved to bang heads with Hetfield fucking writing shit." Despite his enthusiasm for the creative possibilities, he acknowledged uncertainty about whether he was the right fit for the role's constraints.
His audition didn't go smoothly — his attempt at a new, drop-tuned song was notably rough. James Hetfield later described the session diplomatically, calling Keenan "a good player and a solid guy" but noting that jamming together "wasn't going to work" and "didn't feel right." The job ultimately went to Robert Trujillo, who remains METALLICA's bassist to this day. Other candidates for the role included Twiggy Ramirez and Scott Reeder.
The comments come as CORROSION OF CONFORMITY are riding high on the release of their double album "Good God / Baad Man," out April 3, 2026, and produced by Warren Riker. The band — now featuring bassist Bobby "Rock" Landgraf and drummer Nick Shabatura — has also announced a spring North American tour with Whores and Crobot.