Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has recalled the unusual circumstances surrounding his recruitment into the band in 2003, describing how he received calls from both Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich within 48 hours of each other. Speaking on Jack Osbourne and Ryan Drexler's podcast "Trying Not To Die", Trujillo said the overlap forced him to make a fast decision about his future just as he was preparing to tour with Osbourne, whose band he was leaving to join Metallica as a replacement for Jason Newsted.

Trujillo explained that Osbourne called first to say he was heading out on the Ozzfest tour, only for Ulrich to phone the very next day summoning him to San Francisco to discuss joining Metallica, who had a new album on the way. He said Metallica made clear "the train's moving and it's moving fast", leaving him little time to weigh up two major offers at once. The bassist also referenced comments he made in 2016 on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast, in which he described his two-day Metallica audition — held while producer Bob Rock was working on the "St. Anger" album — as a "surreal" and "strange" experience.