Bob Rock Compares Lars Ulrich to Two Other Legendary Drummers

Bob Rock believes that Metallica’s Lars Ulrich is a “genius” who ranks among the most legendary drummers in the history of rock and metal.

Bob Rock ‘Almost Cried’ Seeing Metallica

Rock is most remembered by Metallica fans as being the producer for the run of the band’s albums starting with 1991’s Metallica and ending with 2003’s St. Anger. His work with Metallica also coincided with a shift in the band’s early thrash metal sound.

Metallica moved on from working with Rock, opting to work with producer Rick Rubin for 2008’s Death Magnetic.

Rock would spend nearly 15 years before seeing Metallica play live once again. That changed when he attended one of the band’s 2023 shows at So-Fi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

During a recent appearance on The Metallica Report, Rock noted how taken aback he was seeing Lars “in the pocket” while drumming that night.

He thought back to when Metallica came to him with the demos for the black album and explained they wanted “to have a groove.”

“When I saw Lars, when I saw the pocket, I almost cried,” he explained.

Bob Rock Compares Lars Ulrich To Legendary Drummers

Rock didn’t hold back in his praise for Ulrich during The Metallica Report episode that dropped on Aug. 6, which was the second part of an interview with the producer.

“Lars plays to James. His fills are James’s riffs.”

Read More: The Most Collected Albums By 11 Big ’80s Metal Bands

Rock said that when he first heard the demo for “Sad But True,” he immediately noticed similarities to Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks.” Some of that had to do with how Ulrich played along with James Hetfield

“Keith Moon played to (Pete) Townsend. John Bonham played to (Jimmy) Page.”

Ulrich’s approach has led to what Rock believes is unjustified criticism of his drumming on Metallica’s albums throughout the 1990s and on into the 2000s.

“That’s his style. If he just played boom-dah, it wouldn’t be Metallica. So I think he’s a genius, to be quite honest.”

Lars Ulrich’s Love Of John Bonham

Ulrich’s appreciation of Bonham is well-documented.

The Metallica drummer appeared on a 2021 episode of the Howard Stern Show, where Stern and co-host Robin Quivers asked him to break down his list of the greatest drummers of all time.

Bonham was at the top of his list.

“You mentioned ‘When the Levee Breaks,’ that’s classic Bonham,” Ulrich told Stern. “That’s classic Bonham. The drums are big, thunderous, ambient. He’s a little bit behind on the snare. And it’s got in that groove. He’s in a pocket.”