Metallica Share Emotional Memories of Cliff Burton in New Video

Back to the Front, a new book focusing on Metallica’s final album and sessions with the late Cliff Burton, will be available September 13.

In advance of the book's release, the band has posted several Burton-centric promotional videos.

In the latest—and perhaps most touching—clip, the members of Metallica reflect on the tragic loss of Burton, their beloved bassist, who died at age 24 in bus crash during the 1986 European leg of Metallica’s Master of Puppets tour. Some of the memories were sparked by the book's impressive collection of rare, never-before-seen photos from sessions for Master of Puppets.

“I still miss Cliff, no doubt. I’d love to see him again at some point,” James Hetfield says in the video, which you can check out below. “So seeing photos that I haven’t seen before, especially where we’re together, that is awesome. To get another piece of him back into my heart is great.”

“Very emotional memories seeing Cliff,” Kirk Hammett adds. “Seeing pictures of Cliff and I in the hotel rooms, Cliff and I hanging out. Pictures of us in the dressing rooms when our dressing room was a deli tray, a stack of towels and, disproportionately, just a ton of booze. … I respect Cliff’s memory.”

The band also praises Burton’s father, Ray, who is still a part of the Metallica family.