Brant Bjork explains why she didn’t want Kyuss to become ‘the new Metallica’

Brant Bjorkone of the main names in stoner rock, spoke about the unique legacy of Kyuss and the high expectations that surrounded the band in its rise in the 1990s. In an interview with Metal HammerBjork revealed her frustration with the band’s frequent comparisons to the Metallicaone of the biggest metal bands in history.

“Our rep at the record company always said, ‘You’re going to be the next Metallica,’ and that discouraged me.”said Bjork.

I wanted to be Kyuss! I felt like we really killed it and that we had reached the peak of our chemistry as a band at the time. Metallica were super cool guys and very supportive, but seeing everything on that gigantic scale wasn’t for me. If this is the epitome of success for a rock band, it seemed unrewarding. They went on stage and played the same things every night, said the same things… It seemed like a traveling circus, a machine. I was only 20 years old and I was more interested in what we were doing: improvising on stage and being freer. I wish Kyuss went more in that direction.

In 1993, Kyuss opened for Metallica during a tour in Australia. Despite being a unique opportunity for an emerging band, Bjork was already feeling disillusioned with the group’s direction.

“Opening for Metallica [em 1993] it was fu***** ‘bananas’ [uma loucura, insano]”recalled the musician. “It was strange; By the time our management team told us about the offer, I had already decided that I no longer wanted to be at Kyuss. I felt like I was no longer in tune with the other members and that what was magical was over. I didn’t want to stay and watch this incredible ship sink into the sea.”

Bjork left Kyuss after recording the band’s third album, the classic Welcome to Sky Valleyreleased in 1994. Subsequently, other members of Kyuss followed different paths, with Josh Homme forming Queens of the Stone Age, which would become one of the biggest names in alternative rock.