Elton John revealed he collaborated on an unidentified project with Metallica in recent months.
Speaking on his Apple Music 1 show Rocket Hour, he told guest SG Lewis: “I’ve just done something with Metallica. During this lockdown period. I’ve been working with Gorillaz and people like that. I haven’t been doing any Elton stuff, but I’ve been doing great stuff with other people.”
While no further details were offered, it’s possible that Metallica have been trying different approaches to writing new music after Lars Ulrich reported they’d been unable to proceed with a new album as far as they’d hoped. Describing their progress as “glacial” in January, the drummer told Classic Rock, “These are the craziest of times and nothing is letting up. There’s a little bit of movement, but it’s hard to do a lot when we’re not together.”
In September 2019 Ulrich posted a picture of himself, his wife and John on Instagram, writing, “Beyond inspiring to spend an evening in the company of one of the greatest songwriters and entertainers ever… thank you Elton for your generosity and embracing vibes!”
Last year John appeared on Ozzy Osbourne’s album Ordinary Man, playing piano and singing on the title track. Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who also played on the record, described the duet as “fucking awesome,” adding: “They’re singing – these two iconic, legendary English fucking rockers that have been through it all – about the end of their lives: ‘I don’t want to die an ordinary man.’” He recalled John saying: “I’ll do anything for Ozzy. I love Ozzy.”