Metallica rehearsed as a five-piece last week ahead of the band's set at Lollapalooza Chicago, adding Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn to the mix for their pre-show run-through of "Master of Puppets."
Quinn, the actor who plays Eddie Munson on Stranger Things, has drawn widespread praise for his performance in the season 4 finale of the show, which prominently features "Master of Puppets" in a pivotal scene.
The inclusion of "Master of Puppets" in the show sent the 36-year-old song careening into the Billboard singles charts for the first time. It also prompted Metallica to release a new music video for the track.
In case there was any doubt as to whether Quinn really performed the thrash metal epic's iconic opening guitar riff during the production, Metallica invited the actor to jam alongside band members James Hetlfied, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo and Lars Ulrich in their tuning room.
You can watch the meeting via the player above!
Quinn, who's played guitar since he was a child, says he hadn't been practicing much lately until he read the script for the season 4 finale. Preparation for the scene had him listening and playing along to "Master of Puppets" for about two years.
He told the band that the experience made him feel "very connected" to their music.
On Metallica's side, enthusiasm for the sync was genuine. Hetfield explains that he's watched the show with his kids since season 1 in 2016. Having Metallica make an appearance in season 4 was a full-circle moment.
"Thanks for doing it justice," Hetfield told Quinn.
After their jam, the band gifted Quinn a B.C. Rich Warlock, just like the one Munson plays in the show, which they promptly offered to autographc for him.
Master of Puppets, the album, was released in February of 1986. Although it only peaked at 29 on the U.S. on the Billboard album chart, the album eventually went six-times platinum for sales of over 6 million copies.
Widely regarded as Metallica's best studio album, the LP was also the band's the last to feature bassist Cliff Burton who tragically passed away in a bus crash the following September while the band was on tour in Europe.
Photo: AFP