Slash: "I first discovered Metallica when they came out with their first EP. Metallica has always been one of my favorite heavy metal bands. I think that they are one of the most versatile metal bands that came out in the '80s. They are also one of the most creative. I think that James Hetfield is one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists to ever walk this earth."

Kerry King (Slayer): "I imagine it was at The Woodstock in Orange County, when Dave Mustaine was in the band. I instantly became a fan. I couldn't believe Mustaine was ripping these incredible leads way back then and not even looking at his fingers. I'm still [expletive] looking at my fingers. [Laughs] There were no records then; it was just seeing them. I think Metallica might've just been on the Metal Massacre compilation or something."

Scott Ian (Anthrax): "I was actually at Johnny Z's record store, Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, in New Jersey. He played me the No Life 'Til Leather demo, so that was the first time I had ever heard any Metallica. It was pretty mind-blowing to hear for the first time. One of the coolest feelings about hearing it was just knowing there was another band out there on the West Coast that had the same mindset. Certainly, we didn't sound alike at the time. Just the fact that they were playing their own music and had their own thing going on was how we felt about what we were doing as Anthrax in New York."