“The Gods of Metal or Just the Blokes Who Cut Their Hair?”
By The Riff Report Crew 🏴🔥
Metallica: the band that brought thrash to the masses, upset purists by going mainstream, and made more headlines than a Daily Mail front page after a royal scandal. But what do other metal legends really think of Hetfield, Ulrich, and co.? From glowing praise to cheeky digs, here’s what 12 fellow icons of the scene have said about the mighty ‘Tallica over the years…
1. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) – “Bitter, party of one…”
🎤 “I was there at the beginning. I was Metallica before they were Metallica.”
Let’s get the spicy one out of the way first. Mustaine’s love/hate relationship with Metallica is legendary – and frankly, pure drama gold. Fired before Kill ’Em All, he formed Megadeth out of sheer spite. He’s praised their success but also blamed them for everything from ripping off riffs to holding him back. Classic Mustaine – still mad after all these beers. 🍺
2. Kerry King (Slayer) – “They’re not thrash anymore.”
🎤 “When they started dressing like U2 and making ballads, I lost interest.”
Slayer’s axe-slinger has always kept it real – brutally so. Kerry King gave Metallica props for their early records, but once Load and Reload hit, he called them out for softening up. Still, respect where it’s due: even Kerry admits Master of Puppets is a beast.
3. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) – “They opened doors… but we kept flying.”
🎤 “They’re a great band, but we never needed to follow their path.”
Brucey respects Metallica’s clout but makes it very clear Maiden always did things their own way. No radio rock, no therapy sessions, no Napster drama. Just Eddie, air raid sirens, and world tours bigger than most small nations. Tidy.
4. Rob Halford (Judas Priest) – “They’re metal’s ambassadors.”
🎤 “What Metallica’s done for metal is remarkable.”
The Metal God himself bows down. Rob’s always been supportive of the next wave of metal – and Metallica, in his eyes, became the torchbearers for a new generation. He’s even jammed with them live. That’s high praise from a bloke who’s been metal since before Cliff Burton was born.
5. Corey Taylor (Slipknot) – “Metallica made me pick up a guitar.”
🎤 “James Hetfield is one of my heroes.”
Corey’s worship of Metallica is no secret. He’s often said that hearing Black Album changed his life. Slipknot might be heavier and more chaotic, but Hetfield’s rhythm chops and songwriting swagger left a mark on young Corey. Even maggots bow to the four horsemen.
6. Tom Araya (Slayer) – “They made metal mainstream.”
🎤 “They reached people we never could.”
Slayer stayed true to underground extremity, but Araya admits Metallica did what few could: put metal on MTV, in stadiums, and in your nan’s CD player. Did they sell out? Maybe. Did they sell out arenas? Definitely. 💰
7. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) – “They’re brilliant businessmen.”
🎤 “Metallica didn’t just play music – they played the game.”
Dee admires Metallica’s business acumen, from the Napster war to Through The Never. He’s called them shrewd, sharp, and a blueprint for surviving the industry. Twisted Sister might have shouted about not taking it anymore, but Metallica made sure they owned the rights to it too.
8. Nergal (Behemoth) – “They paved the road with fire.”
🎤 “Without Metallica, none of us would’ve had a stage.”
The Polish blackened death metal frontman hails Metallica as trailblazers. Even in the darkest, corpse-painted corners of the genre, Metallica’s impact is felt. You can’t play extreme metal in a stadium without acknowledging the band that built the stadium. 🎸🔥
9. Phil Anselmo (Pantera) – “They brought the thunder first.”
🎤 “We learned how to groove heavy thanks to Metallica.”
Phil’s been through more bands than we’ve had kebabs after Download, but he never shies from giving Metallica their props. Pantera took the groove to Texas-sized extremes, but Hetfield and Ulrich showed ’em how to do it big.
10. Till Lindemann (Rammstein) – “They’re a machine.”
🎤 “Their live shows are precision. We study them.”
If Rammstein, kings of fire and tight synchronisation, say they watch Metallica to learn stagecraft, you know something’s up. Lindemann called Metallica “a machine of perfection.” And this is coming from a band that literally builds machines on stage.
11. Lars-Gate: Joey Jordison (Slipknot) – “I replaced Lars… for a night.”
🎤 “One of the greatest honours of my life.”
When Lars Ulrich had to miss a 2004 festival gig, a trio of drummers filled in – including the late, great Joey Jordison. Joey said playing with Metallica was like a dream. Even better? James Hetfield said he crushed it. Respect between skinsmen.
12. Ghost (Papa Emeritus/Tobias Forge) – “Metallica are the gods of arena metal.”
🎤 “Their influence is in everything we do.”
Tobias Forge has gushed about Metallica like a fanboy with backstage passes. From their song structures to their theatrical sense of scale, Ghost owe a lot to the blackened lords of Bay Area thrash. Forge even called them “the most important metal band of all time.”
🧠 Final Thoughts:
So what’s occurring in the minds of metal’s elite when it comes to Metallica? Whether they’re worshipping at the altar of Ride The Lightning, or side-eyeing Lulu like it owes them money, the consensus is clear:
👉 They might’ve changed, challenged, and occasionally cheesed us off…
But Metallica shaped the battlefield for every metal band that came after.
Love them or loathe them – you still know every word to “Enter Sandman,” mun.
💬 What do YOU think of Metallica, butt?
Drop your hot takes in the comments or scream them into the void during a thunderstorm. 🌩️🎤
🖤 Stay heavy, stay cheeky — this is The Riff Report.
@theriffreportuk
