EXCLUSIVE: Vishal Dadlani says Metallica’s influence reflects in his music in subliminal way

Singer-composer Vishal Dadlani is joining global artistes, including Miley Cyrus and Elton John, to celebrate the legacy of Metallica, and he credits the band for introducing him to heavy metal, which continues to reflect in his work.

“Their influence reflects in my music in a subliminal way. Metallica, specifically The Black Album, became the bridge for millions of young people in the early 1990s to get into heavy music,” Dadlani tells us in an exclusive interview.

The 48-year-old goes on to point out it wasn’t just him, “but they influenced a whole generation”.

Formed in 1981, the Grammy-winning band, comprising James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, put to use sounds of heavy metal to express their views on personal and socially conscious issues, leading to a revolution in the heavy metal scene.

“The influences aren’t obvious in my music, but they introduced me to the genre of metal music that I grew to love. Whether it is Master of Puppets or Kill ‘Em All or Ride the Lightning, it became a part of my life, and is now ingrained in me. Metallica is a seminal band, and always will be,” admits the singer-composer.

As a homage to the 30th anniversary of Metallica’s iconic Black Album, Dadlani has worked with DIVINE and Shor Police to represent India by working on a desi version of their track The Unforgiven, which is a part of The Metallica Blacklist.

The tribute record set has 50 artistes from world over giving their own interpretation of their favourite song from the album, proceeds of which will go to different charities. For Dadlani, it’s not merely a recreation, instead a celebration of the music that people grew up listening to.

“Being part of this celebration is a sign of how India is reaching out to the world… that they sought people from India for the commemorative (initiative). I’m glad it’s happening across so many spheres,” shares the vocalist of rock band Pentagram India.

Asked about the popularity of the metal genre in the music world, with pop and hip-hop dominating the charts, Dadlani doesn’t think heavy metal cares whether it’s in the popularity chart or not.

“That’s the whole point of metal music. It’s a statement and an expression. The metal musicians don’t look at the mainstream charts,” he asserts.