Kirk Hammett says Tony Iommi uses “smart chords” – this is what he means
Over the years, Metallica and Black Sabbath have shared many stages; the heavy metal unit performed at Sabbath’s grand Back To The Beginning gig back in July, but they’d previously opened for Ozzy Osbourne back in 1986, while bassist Robert Trujillo was also an official member of The Prince of Darkness’s band between 1996 until 2003.
However, no matter how many times they performed together, Metallica never stopped being stunned by the talent within the Sabbath ranks. In episode 112 of The Metallica Report, Trujillo reflects on the unique style of each member of the band. “Take Bill Ward, for instance, as a drummer,” he says. “He’s so unique in his style of playing and that swing that he has, it reminds me of big band music… [Then there was] Ozzy with his very bluesy, soulful style of singing.”
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He then points to guitar legend Tony Iommi and his own brand of ‘smart chords’. “His chords are – well, Kirk Hammett calls them smart chords,” he explains. “[They’re] basically jazz chords, which he incorporates into the riffs.”
Of course, Iommi’s style is partially the result of an injury he suffered as a 17 year old. Ever since slicing the tips of his fingers off at a factory job, he’s had to adjust his style, now playing with artificial leather fingertips. “Even just the fact that his fingers are different… it creates a certain sound, a certain riff,” Trujillo explains.
Elsewhere in the chat, Trujillo recalls how Ozzy’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, had initially labelled the band as an “alternative” act. “It was so different from anything that was happening back then,” the bassist says. “And there’s a lot of reasons for that… A lot of [their music] is just very unique, very soulful.”
Reflecting on Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning gig, Trujillo recalls it as being yet another reminder of why Black Sabbath are the crème de la crème of heavy metal. “They were soundchecking, and Ozzy wasn’t even on stage yet… but just hearing them warm up, it was another level,” he says.
“This is like Muhammad Ali [hitting] the speed bag – it’s that intense. It’s crazy… they’re just warming up – drum fills, some tribal beats Bill was doing, and you hear Geezer Butler [bassist] kind of noodling a bit. And then Tony [plays] some kind of chords here and there.”
He recalls watching the band run through Into The Void, a track that Anthrax would instead perform during the final show. A few members of the supporting bands watched the performance – and it was pretty emotional. “We just started headbanging, and we were all smiling… but some people were crying,” he notes. “It was so beautiful, and it was a powerful moment. Anybody that witnessed it, that’s something that they’ll probably remember for the rest of their lives.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
