Robert Trujillo Is the Hero We Need but Not the Hero We Deserve (Including Metallica), and Here Is Why

Or, Why Robert Trujillo is the best metal bassist in the world right now.

After the first two rounds of Ultimate Guitar community vote for the best metal bassists in the world right now, we’re kicking off the finale part of this rundown. But before we start, let us first define the rules!Did you read the rules? Good. The article awaits below.

Since time immemorial, bass players around the world have more often than not been unacknowledged for their role in the band, so much so that an untrained ear might even unaware of its presence, even leading many to think of the presence of a bassist in a band as completely arbitrary. While the claim that you don’t really need a bassist, if overstretched and in dire circumstances, is technically somewhat kinda true, it is also true that you can eat your toast unbuttered, but neither seem like life choices that any person in their right mind would voluntarily pick, and we here at Ultimate-Guitar.com like our toast well buttered.

And while the little little reversal of the line by Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon from “The Dark Knight” in the title of this article stands true for virtually every bassist there is, in this article we explore the reasons why Robert Trujillo is the best example of what makes a great bass player and how important his role in the band is.

Now, we all know that Metallica is the most popular metal band evah, but is the band being able to claim such a title the best testing ground for the determining the overall quality of a bass player? Well, yes and no. A part of the reason for its popularity can definitely be found in innovative and quality music writing, the thing that Metallica really shines in is making good music well rounded, well organized, and most importantly accessible. This implies that every band member knows his place and does his part impeccably, contributing to the performance of the band as a whole. Throughout its history, Metallica has had some incredibly talented musicians manning the bass, all of which including the aforementioned principe in various degrees. While Cliff Burton’s fuzzed out, virtuously insane bass solos and his crucial role in Metallica as new punky kids around the block that might just be crazy enough to make it will forever be acknowledged (and, sadly, missed), it was with Jason Newsted’s streamlined and controlled bass-playing that Metallica made the greatest jump in commercial success.

This trend of the bass being a bulletproof support mechanism (but often not much more) continued with Metallica, and Newsted knew – and did -his part perfectly, setting the standard pretty high, albeit often at a cost of not being able to express himself much.

Enter Robert Trujillo. At this point, it is obvious that his arrival somewhat polarized Metalica’s fanbase, but he was an invaluable addition nonetheless. As Newsted did before him, he was (and is) perfectly aware of his supporting role in Metallica, and executed it with equal professionalism, but managed to bring even more to the band.

As we’ve already concluded, a part of being a great musician is knowing and doing your part in the band at a top notch (which is arguably even more important when the rhythm section is concerned), but there’s also the matter of virtuosity and the ability to make one’s chosen instrument really shine (John Myung anybody?), and Trujillo bridges the gap between the two beautifully.

In fact, Trujillo began his musical career in the direction of extravagant bass performances. With a background in flamenco guitar and influences such as Jaco Pastorius, the full extent of his creative madness (and his full use of all of his right hand fingers when playing), as exhibited in his bouts at Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves comes off as less of a surprise. The man has at that bass like a beast, though:

To sum it all up, Trujillo brings the best of both worlds when it comes to bass-playing. A tremendously talented musician, he has managed to make the bass in Metallica more prominent both on-stage as well as in the studio, but never at the expense of the rest of the band. He recognizes the supporting role of his instrument and plays it to its strengths. His stage presence is likewise undeniably felt but never overdrawn. Simply put, he is the best one could want in a bass player.