Photo: AFP
Metallica hasn't always been easygoing when it comes to allowing their music to be licensed, but in the case of Season 4 of Netflix's Stranger Things, the Bay Area thrash metal icons are thrilled.
Metallica's most famous song is 1991's "Enter Sandman," but Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer reached for the Metallica track that is actually most popular with the band's fanbase, 1986's "Master of Puppets," to score a pivotal moment in the Season 4 finale.
After the phenomenon of Kate Bush's "Runnin' Up that Hill," no one could blame Metallica for a little excitement at having its own Stranger Things moment. The band issued a statement Tuesday, complimenting the Duffer brothers for their good taste and respectful use of the song.
"The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include 'Master of Puppets' in the show but to have such a pivotal scene built around it.
"We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away... it's so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn's hands in the trailer!! How crazy cool is that?
"It's an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie's journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show."
You can watch the Stranger Things "Master of Puppets" scene below.
If Quinn's performance in the scene looks really believable, it's because the actor can really play the guitar. Quinn told The Hollywood Reporter that he's played guitar since he was a child, but hadn't kept up with the instrument much in recent years.
Once he saw the script for the Season 4 finale, he said he bought a new guitar and "started practicing manically." He explained that he was able to play every riff that made it into the final cut, but the solo was outsourced to a professional guitarist.
A day after applauding the Stranger Things creators and cast, Metallica posted a live clip of "Master of Puppets" from their recent show in Prague.
"Heard any cool songs lately?" the band asked.
You can watch the full live version of the song here.