Metallica say their music inspires unity at a time when tensions are high

"There are so many people choosing violence and division right now"

Metallica have talked about how their music inspires unity at a time when tensions are high due to various social conflicts.

Speaking in a new interview, the legendary metal band discussed how their music helps channel the rage of their fans and whether or not they would leave the United States because of Donald Trump‘s presidency.

“I feel a deeper connection to where I came from as I get older,” Lars Ulrich told The Independent, after being asked about a comment he made in 2016 when he said he’d move back to his native Denmark if Trump won the US presidency. “I think in whatever time I have left, I’d like to spend more of my time there.”

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He went on to clarify that he loves the US: “You and I could spend hours talking about what I love about America as a place and as an ideal. So when I say I think about moving back to Denmark… that’s not a middle finger to America.”

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Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo. CREDIT: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

The band’s bassist Robert Trujillo commented on the conflict taking place in the world right now, brought on by various political and racial fallouts.

“There are so many people choosing violence and division right now,” he said. “I feel everyone is so tightly wound, like they’re gunning for a fight. For me, it’s better to be careful than to pursue aggression.”

Ulrich expressed a similar view, recalling the unity he sees during Metallica’s live shows. “We played Abu Dhabi a few times,” he said, “and there were maybe 50,000 people there from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon… incredible fans from all over the world whose countries don’t get on particularly well.”

But inside that venue, he explained fans embrace each other, holding hands. “They’re sharing a collective musical experience.”

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“If you choose to travel around the world and connect people through music, that has to be the thing that pushes you,” he said, before echoing the band’s best-known song. “All the shit outside… none of that matters.”

Meanwhile, Metallica’s James Hetfield has shared details of what he’s been up to during lockdown, revealing that he’s used the time to write “tons of [new] material.”

The metal band’s frontman has been at home in Colorado since the coronavirus pandemic hit the States in March and has used the unexpected time to stay creative.

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