A Conversation with Sem Hadland

I am known in my group of friends to be a huge fan of Metallica. They were the first real band I got into as a kid and I always kept up to date with them. There are a lot of fan sites out there that usually have adequate articles about what’s going on with Metallica. Some of them go a little too deep into it (I once found a fan site that had a 3D tour of Kirk Hammett’s House… I’m sure a restraining order was filed).
There is one site, though, that I have always respected in terms of Metallica journalism: Sem Hadland’s Encycmet.com. Encycmet (short for Encyclopedia-Metallica) is a site that is meant for the die-hard fans of Metallica. Sem Handland, a major collector in rare Metallica memorabilia, started this data-base in accordance of his knowledge and collection of Metallica releases.

The site itself has everything you would want to know about Metallica and then some, hence the name “Encyclopedia Metallica”. One of the site’s features is an actual encyclopedia of every terms that refers to Metallica, ranging from “Alchoholica” to “Tommy’s Joint” (a regular hang-out spot of the band’s). In addition to Sem’s extensive site, he has also published a collector’s guide to rare and out of date Metallica memorabilia entitled: Metallica: Fuel and Fire.

I personally prefer Sem’s site to the official Metallica site because Sem releases more news about the band that they wouldn’t normally put on their site, ranging from what other celebrities are saying about the band, or what secret projects that they may be up to. The site is so popular among Metallica fans, Lars is known to visit the site to see what rumor’s about him that he has to confirm.

I had the chance to talk to Sem through e-mail to ask him about his sites (Sem also has a Guitar Tab site, Fretplay.com), his Metallica Collection, and his relationship with the band.


First and foremost: I need to know what your opinion is on Death 
Magnetic.
Heavy as hell, I think Metallica is back to the roots, but without taking a 
step backward. Some songs are way killer while others are not to the top. 
There might be too many songs but this is a problem I have seen on most 
bands since the CD was introduced. 8 tracks like we have on Master of 
Puppets is enough.


Your site says that you have about over 500 Metallica items. Are there 
any items that stand out?
I have 3 different platinum albums, all given to me by the band because of 
my site. One for the black album, S&M and St. Anger. I also have a white label test press 
of Puppets which exist only in 3 copies. The One Japanese promo single is 
something every collector enjoys or the gold vinyl of the Creeping death 
maxi single which was one of the first rarities I bought. I also have a KH2 
guitar given to me by the band and some other unique stuff. Collecting is a 
fun hobby no matter what you collect.




I know you've met Metallica a bunch of times and have built somewhat of a 
relationship with them over the years. Are there any stories of you hanging 
out with them that are particularly memorable?
I just met the band two weeks ago in New Orleans. The band is just four 
guys like you and me. Lars Ulrich was a huge Diamond Head fan when he was 
young and followed them on tour in England. He met them and had the days of 
his life. Because of this he knows how important it is for fans to meet and 
greet. Metallica paid my flight to New Orleans from where I live in Norway 
and also paid the hotel for me and my wife. I also met them backstage before 
the show for a short chat. We talked about collecting in general and both 
Lars and Kirk talked about their art collections. Kirk Hammett is a huge fan 
of the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. You can see the full story on my 
Metallica site encycmet.com. First time I met them was in 1992 when I did an 
interview with them for a Norwegian Metal magazine called Scream. I have 
since met them several times.

Do you get that kind of special treatment from a lot of bands that you listen to?
Only Metallica.

In terms of Metal, What other bands are you most interested in?
A lot, mostly 80s bands like Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Judas Priest but also new bands. Too many to mention. There is also many Norwegian bands on my Ipod. Check out Turboneger and Theater of tragedy.


When the whole Napster controversy was going on, Metallica, particularly 
Lars, was taking a lot of criticism from the media. Even a lot of fans 
turned their back on them What was your take on all of that?
Being the webmaster of encycmet.com I always try to look at everything from 
the outside. Then I am able to see the case from both sides. I understood 
the fans, but also Lars Ulrich point of view. At that time the whole MP3 
shearing thing was something new and a big threat to everyone in the music 
industry, but I guess Lars Ulrich who was the main man behind this didn't 
know everything. He did something he should not have done and he say so 
himself in interviews. All in all this was only a few months of fuzz, I have 
been a fan for years and saw them live for the first time in 1988. It is 
only a small part of their history.


When Jason left and Metallica was going through all of their issues, a 
lot of people were speculating as to what the future of Metallica was going 
to look like (or not look like). What did you make of Jason's departure? 
Have you seen or heard of him since he left?
I remember Jason’s last show with the band very well. It was a one song show 
for VH1 and they invited 100 fan club members to be their public this night. 
It was an outdoor event and they only played a few songs plus Fade to black 
which ended up on the screen. Prior to the show I asked on my website people 
who had tickets to send me their review of that show. I got 10 reviews in my 
inbox the next day. That is 10% of the crowd! I was never afraid that they 
would split up after Jason left, they started to record St-Anger right later. 
Jason sent me a postcard for Christmas after he split and also a few 
emails to promote the albums we worked on then.


What was your initial response to St. Anger?
I know that there are many people out there who do not like this album, I 
like the aggression, it is just how I like albums. Miss the guitar solos 
though. I have four lithographs of the original painting done for the 
cover. All in different colors, numbered and signed by the artist Pushead.

Metallica has done a few things that make skeptics out of fans, but they do what they want. Did you think it was odd for them to play at Bannaroo?
Metallica would not be where they are today if they didn't do unusual things. Band that try to do nothing but what they think their fans expect soon disappear. Bannaroo? Just another gig.

 

Do you see a general spike in site visits when Metallica is busy with 
touring or a new album?
Yes, many people are checking the site prior and after a concert and with 
30.000+ people on each show this makes my server red hot.

You find out a lot of stuff that's going on with Metallica on a more personal or social aspect (Eg. James shopping at Armani and using teleprompters, Lars selling his paintings or talking about his cocaine habits, or Kirk going to Dimmu Borgir concerts). Stuff that they wouldn't normally put on their site. How do you find out so much of what's going on? Is it just word of mouth or just good web surfing?
Both. I often get news from people or fans that have seen them lately, so one and one makes two. If someone tells me that they have seen Lars somewhere in Northern Denmark I know that he is probably with his girlfriend there as that is what she lived before. Then I can continue saying that Lars is Danish and so on. At one point I should get some autographs from the band but as James was in rehab I had to wait. When I finally got the package I knew that he was on a short holiday from his stay so I wrote about it on the site. CNN and many other news sources found my piece and the news spread like wildfire. Other times it is just good online research. I have been working on this for 14 years so I have my sources and I know the tricks.


What does Metallica think of Encycmet.com?
I guess they like it. Lars Ulrich once said that it was because of me that 
they had to confirm or deny all the rumors on their own site. I don't think 
they would have sent me all the platinum albums and cool shit it they didn't 
like it.


Overall, I give Sem’s sites a huge A+ and recommend it to any die-hard fan of Metallica or Guitar or Bass player.
Check em’ out for yourself, let us know what you think!

Encycmet
Fretplay

You can also see the rest of the photos of Sem's collection on my profile.