Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Speaks Up on ‘Master of Puppets’ Mainstream Popularity: ‘It’s Kind of Hard to Fully Comprehend’

“It’s an eight-minute song!”

Metallica are hardly a well-kept secret since the ’90s when they became the biggest metal band on the planet.Their genre-defining albums continue to be hailed as masterpieces, they fill arenas and stadiums all over the world, and continue to have respectable commercial success in an age where rock and metal seem farther away from the spotlight with each day.However, one could also argue that their popularity in the mainstream has decreased with time, and though they remain an act with the ability to enlist new generations of fans side by side with the hardcore old-timers, their cultural relevance over the last years would be debatable.

That was, of course, until Netflix’s hit show “Stranger Things” brought Metallica’s masterpiece “Master of Puppets” off the 1986 classic record of the same name back to the headlines.

The song was included in a pivotal scene of the series season 4 finale and opened up the doors of pop culture to Metallica the same way it brought back interest in Kate Bush earlier in the year after her song “Running Up That Hill” became the unofficial theme song for the show’s recent outing.

Ever since, Metallica have taken the opportunity to welcome many new fans to the camp, even though their hardcore fandom members took the chance to prank newcomers with “St. Anger” and “Lulu” recommendations as essential listening.

In an interview with Rock 95.5 at Lollapalooza, drummer Lars Ulrich reiterated the band’s heartwarming feelings towards any new fans that became aware of the band through ‘Stranger Things’ (via Brave Words):

“We try to be very involved in letting our music be part of these cultural things that are out there and just to connect to fans and get the music out there, but the way this thing has taken off… This song is 36 years old, and it’s now in the Top 40 in the UK. It’s an eight-minute song! And it’s fucking making a statement.”

“Obviously any opportunity you get to turn new kids or younger kids on to music that may be a gateway into discovering whatever it is, whether it’s harder rock or different things, whatever is on their radar, is super cool. But this thing is just crazy. It’s kind of hard to fully comprehend, but it’s awesome.”

The overwhelming success of “Master of Puppets” prompted Metallica to release an official lyric video 36 years after the song initially came out, and you can check it out below: