Anthrax was touring with Metallica at the time of Cliff's death, and, as reported by Loudwire, guitarist Scott Ian describes the events of that very day: the feeling of absolute shock and unreality; the cancelling of Metallica's show that night; the fans showing up at their hotel to show support. Lars Ulrich, Metallica drummer, was hospitalized with a broken toe. Hetfield and guitarist Kirk Hammond returned to their hotel absolutely trashed, and Hetfield had also been heavily sedated because he was a complete wreck.
Hetfield confirmed all this in a 2016 interview with Loudersound, where the surviving band members described their first emotion as anger. They wanted something to blame, and they initially accused the bus driver of drinking. Ultimate Classic Rock describes Hetfield as walking up and down the road in his socks in frozen weather, looking for the black ice that the bus had slipped on. In the 2016 book Metallica: Back to the Front, the band describes still missing Cliff, stating that he was a "great human being" with positive energy that could light up a room. As reported in Revolver, Hetfield had the bassline for "Orion," an epic, 9-minute instrumental track on Master of Puppets, developed in large part thanks to Cliff, tattooed on his arm.
Cliff, who studied music theory in college, had helped expand Metallica's songwriting on Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, and was responsible for co-writing numerous standout tracks such as "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Fade to Black," and, "Master of Puppets." It's impossible to know exactly how Metallica might have evolved over the years if Cliff had lived, both as a band and as individuals. As it stands, though, Burton's legacy and spirit live on through his music.
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