Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell has talked to Metallica’s James Hetfield about making music together and jammed

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Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell has revealed that he and Metallica frontman James Hetfield have briefly discussed making music together.

The soloist and Alice In Chains guitarist shared the news during a new issue of Metal Hammer, in which he took questions from fans.

At one point in the interview, Cantrell was asked about his long-running friendship with the Metallica singer – namely whether the two had ever contemplated working together on new material.

“James and I have talked about it, kind of,” he began. “We never had a formal conversation but I’ve jammed with him at Kirk’s [Hammett, Metallica guitarist] place. I’ve even spent a night or two at his house, and we’ve ended up with guitars in the kitchen and on the porch.”

He continued: “It’s something I’d be really curious about – even to just write a song with him. As for whether it’d turn into something more than that… he’s got a pretty demanding day job. So I’d understand if it never comes to be.”

The two have been friends for a number of years now, and the latest interview with Metal Hammer is far from the first in which Cantrell has shared his fondness for the Metallica singer.

Back in 2020, for instance, he told the outlet the reasons why he considers Hetfield to be such a successful leading member. “What makes James such a great frontman is his physical presence. Nobody else commands the same kind of respect and attention without it being self-seeking or egocentric,” he recalled.

Jerry Cantrell, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield
Jerry Cantrell, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield. CREDIT: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage/Getty Images

“He’s all about the music; all about the fun and the celebration and the connection with the fans. And that, to me, is really inspiring. Especially because he’s done this for so long, and he’s been at the top of his game for so long and he continues to search for a deeper meaning. He took an underground thing and took it worldwide.”

He continued, sharing his appreciation for the band as a whole: “Metallica is a huge thing for me and for any hard rock or metal band… Will he go down in history as a rock icon? He already has. He’s the godfather.”

The appreciation is mutual too, with Blabbermouth highlighting a past interview with Hetfield, in which the singer, songwriter and guitarist shared his love of Alice In Chains.

“I wasn’t really close with Layne [Staley, singer], but I remember going to see Alice In Chains many times,” he told Revolver when asked about the Seattle icons. “I remember when we were down in L.A. [in 1991, making ‘The Black Album’], I left the studio early to see them play on ‘Clash Of The Titans’ with Slayer. I was driving like a madman in this rented van [saying:] ‘We gotta get there!’ And we get there, and they’d just got off. I was like, ‘Aw, man!'”

He continued: “I hung with them a little bit, always just loved their music, and I’d say that Jerry and I share some life experiences, like getting a second chance at life and realizing how cool things can be. So we’ve got kind of a kinship that way.

“And seeing them play — I just love hearing those songs. Those songs are awesome and should be heard, you know? They were so unique, so ahead of their time. And out of all the Seattle stuff, that stuff is the most timeless.”

Jerry Cantrell and James Hetfield perform together
Jerry Cantrell and James Hetfield perform together. CREDIT: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

The interview with Cantrell for Metal Hammer comes after the singer, songwriter and guitarist dropped his latest solo album ‘I Want Blood’ last year. It marked his fourth record as a solo artist, and Cantrell now has a number of festival slots lined up for 2025 – including a set at Download.

Before then, he teamed up with Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan to collaborate on the latter’s 2023 solo album ‘Lighthouse’.

As for Metallica, the band have recently wrapped up their huge ‘M72’ world tour, celebrating the release of their latest album ‘72 Seasons’. Since then, they’ve played two sets full of hits, deep cuts and some unexpected covers during their annual Helping Hands benefit show.

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Japanese Breakfast shares ‘Orlando In Love’ to announce new album ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ and 2025 tour

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Japanese Breakfast have announced their new album ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ and have shared the lead single ‘Orlando In Love’.

Produced by Grammy-Award winner Blake Mills (Sky FerreiraFiona Apple), Michelle Zauner and co’s fourth LP sees the group dive into a deeper, moodier sound, creating what a press release calls “an artistic statement of purpose: a mature, intricate, contemplative work that conjures the romantic thrill of a gothic novel”.

‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ was inspired by the landscape of European Romanticism, diverging from the group’s previous releases, 2017’a sci-fi inspired ‘Soft Sounds from Another Planet’ and 2021’s buoyant ‘Jubilee’. ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ is set for release on March 21 via Dead Oceans and is available for pre-order/pre-save here.

The first taster of Japanese Breakfast’s new era comes in the form of the lead single ‘Orlando In Love’. The song is a riff on John Cheever’s riff on Orlando Innamorato, an unfinished epic made up of 68 ½ cantos by the Renaissance poet Matteo Maria Boiardo.

Japanese Breakfast’s ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ comes after their Grammy-nominated LP ‘Jubilee’ and Zauner’s New York Times best-selling memoir Crying In H Mart catapulted them into the mainstream. Speaking about the success in a press release, Zauner shared: “I felt seduced by getting what I always wanted. I was flying too close to the sun, and I realized if I kept going I was going to die.”

Japanese Breakfast 'For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)' album artwork. Credit: PRESS
Japanese Breakfast ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ album artwork. Credit: PRESS

The tracklist for ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ is: 

1. ‘Here is Someone’
2. ‘Orlando in Love’
3. ‘Honey Water’
4. ‘Mega Circuit’
5. ‘Little Girl’
6. ‘Leda’
7. ‘Picture Window’
8. ‘Men in Bars (feat. Jeff Bridges)’
9. ‘Winter in LA’
10. ‘Magic Mountain’

Elsewhere, the band have also announced their 2025 US, UK and European tour which will kick off with their slot at this year’s edition of Coachella in California followed by stops in Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte, Detroit, Boston, Brooklyn and more before heading over to Europe and the UK. The tour will close out with a return to the US and wrap up at The Armory in Minneapolis on September 9.

Check out a full list of tour dates below. An artist pre-sale will be made available tomorrow (January 8) at 10am local time. General ticket sales will commence on Friday (January 10) at 10am local time. Visit here to purchase US tickets and here for UK and European tickets.

Japanese Breakfast’s Melancholy 2025 tour dates are: 

APRIL
12 & 19 – Indio, CA, Coachella Music and Arts Festival
23 – Austin, TX, Moody Theater (ACL Live) *
24 – Dallas, TX, South Side Ballroom *
26 – Atlanta, GA, Tabernacle *
27 – Charlotte, NC, The Fillmore *
28 – Nashville, TN, Ryman Auditorium *

MAY
2 – Chicago, IL, Salt Shed *
3 – Detroit, MI, The Fillmore *
5 – Toronto, ON, Massey Hall *
7 – Boston, MA, MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
9 – Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Paramount *
16 – Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia Presented by Highmark *

JUNE
21 – Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
24 – Oslo, NO, Rockefeller
25 – Stockholm, SE, Filadelfia
26 – Copenhagen, DK, VEGA
29 – Manchester, UK, Academy 1
30 – Glasgow, UK, Barrowland

JULY
3 – London, UK, O2 Academy Brixton
4-6 – Ewijk, NL, Down The Rabbit Hole 2025
8 – Paris, FR, Le Trianon
10-12 – Bilbao, ES, Bilbao BBK Live

AUGUST
23 – Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl *
28 – San Francisco, CA, The Masonic *
30 – Bend, OR, Hayden Homes Amphitheater *

SEPTEMBER
1 – Vancouver, BC, Orpheum Theater *
6 – Denver, CO, The Mission Ballroom *
9 – St. Paul, MN, Palace Theatre *

*With Ginger Root

In a four-star review of Japanese Breakfast’s ‘Jubilee’NME wrote: “After making her name writing about the most difficult topics possible, Zauner proves here that it’s within your grasp to grab joy from that pain even when it feels impossible. Let ‘Jubilee’ be your guide.”

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