Ex-Pink Floyd bassist/vocalist Roger Waters has delivered a fiery rant against James Hetfield, after the Metallica frontman seemingly told an audience at The Sphere that his band did not want to sway listeners with political statements.
The heavy metal singer/guitarist, 63, continues to face backlash after saying at Las Vegas’ multimedia venue on Saturday (October 10), “Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit.”
Though it remains unclear to whom Hetfield was referencing, the comment came a few weeks after Macklemore was removed from a tour supporting Ed Sheeran for saying “Free Palestine” onstage.
Earlier this week, Waters, 83, appeared on a new episode of the podcast The Katie Halper Show, where the host, an American left-wing commentator, guided the musician through some of Metallica’s past politically conscious lyrics, including those on 1986’s Disposable Heroes and 1988’s …And Justice For All.
Halper then showed Waters an interview Hetfield gave in 2007, around their performance at the climate change charity concert Live Earth, where he said “politics drive me crazy”.
She went on to revisit the time in 2008 when Hetfield reacted to Metallica’s music being played during the US torture of Iraqi prisoners (he explained in a separate interview that he was partially “bummed” about it and didn’t want the band “being attached to some political statement”).
After this whistle-stop tour of Hetfield’s political history, Waters is asked for his reaction. “He’s just showing that he’s a complete prick,” he states. “He’s got an IQ of about three, and why we’re talking about him, I don’t even know, because he’s a nobody. He may have a few hundred million dollars or whatever, but he’s a prick.”
Waters then goes a step further and blasts Hetfield’s musical ability, stating his belief that the frontman is “no musician”: “I heard them playing acoustic instruments and it was appalling.” Rolling Stone named Metallica’s Fade To Black, where Hetfield plays an acoustic guitar, as the 35th-best metal song of all time in 2023.
Hetfield isn’t the only heavy metal figure for whom Waters has had harsh words. Following the death of Ozzy Osbourne in July 2025, the bassist said that he “couldn’t give a fuck” about the Black Sabbath singer. Ozzy’s son Jack told Waters “fuck you” via social media and the Osbournes briefly released a shirt mocking Waters. During an interview with Piers Morgan in January, Waters doubled down, asking, “Do I have to like every rock group that ever was or people who bite the heads off bats?”
Metallica have yet to respond to the controversy around Hetfield’s words at The Sphere. The band will take the stage at the venue once again tonight (October 15) and conclude their residency there in March.
Metal Hammer has approached Metallica’s representatives for comment on Waters’ word.
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