"I personally thought that was good for the band," he said. "L.A. is gritty, hot and the studio is in an industrial area. There was no escape. That's different than recording in a place like northern California, where the air is cleaner and James' and Lars' houses are only a few minutes away.

"I think working in L.A. gave the album a meaner sound."

Throughout Metallica's career, the band has always done things on its own, according to Trujillo. "I mean the band members have creative control and they live in a bubble. They do what has to be done. And sometimes that isn't what fans want. But in other cases it is.

"Metallica has made fans angry at times, but good or bad, the band has always piqued its fans' interest. The sound of 'Death Magnetic' will be on fans' minds for a few years," he said, referring to the criticisms of the CD's stripped-down sound as opposed to the bigger mix used for music video games such as "Guitar Hero III."

Again, Trujillo said, "the band makes it interesting for the fans."

That also applies to the set list for the current leg of the tour.

"We change it every night," he said. "There are some we keep in all the time, but we want to play the new stuff because we're excited about it. And we will play some old stuff because fans know it. But I have noticed that the new stuff is going over well. The people know the lyrics, and it's been nice playing new stuff."

If you go

What: Metallica, Down, the Sword

Where: EnergySolutions Arena, 301 S. West Temple

When: Monday, 7 p.m.

How much: $55.50-$75.50

Phone: 325-7328

Web: www.ticketmaster.com

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com