Early last month, Metallica stated that the Orion Music + More Festival would not be returning in 2014. And now we’re beginning to get a look into why. A new interview with James Hetfield on 94.5 The Buzz brought up the subject of the festival to which Hetfield replied with this statement:

“Right now, it seems like metal is struggling a little bit in the States. Obviously, the Orion [Music + More] festival that we had tried to do the last couple of years has really not been… Gosh, it’s been a disaster financially, and it’s not able to happen again because of that. So it’s a bummer. So, you know, we’re doing what we can to keep being alive here. And I hope to get out and play in the States. It seems like forever since we’ve been out and about. You know, we’ve hit the coasts and we’ve done TV stuff and things like that. But it will happen again. So hopefully, to get your fix, you’re able to get the [Through the Never] DVD and sit there and headbang with your friends.”

I don’t know if I’d agree that metal is “struggling” in the US, but the Orion festival and Through the Never apparently haven’t reached the heights of financial success Metallica hoped for. Despite this, Orion has always seemed like a unique summer festival with room to grow, but it looks like we’ll have to wait awhile before we see it again. Judging by Hetfield’s statement, the band will probably stick to what they do best this year: touring relentlessly while teasing a new album. You can check out the full interview below.

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[via MetalSucks]