Eddie Trunk addressed the question of why Metallica faces so much criticism on X.
“Why does Metallica get so much hate when they have done so much for metal music?” asked This Day In Metal on X.
Trunk responded, “I honestly don’t know anyone that hates Metallica. Rarely even have callers that say this. But if it really was a thing the answer would be because the top dog that is the biggest and most popular will always have people trying to knock them down a peg. Deserved or not.”
Other fans shared their perspectives as well. One fan commented, “Not hate but indifferent because: how they treated Jason, photoshoot with Anton Corbijn, and last 20 years of mediocre and lazy albums (similar to Iron Maiden).”
Another person said, “Because instead of being the standard bearer for Thrash Metal, they decided to follow trends to stay relevant. After the ‘Black Album,’ they started making music they thought people wanted instead of music they are passionate about.”
One more individual wrote, “It’s the same reason people ‘hate’ Nickleback. Nobody hates them, their music is just Coca-Cola Classic. It’s not cool to like it but everyone drinks it.”
Metallica’s popularity surged after their song ‘Master of Puppets’ was featured in ‘Stranger Things.’ However, they later received backlash from younger fans due to a viral TikTok video. The video, created by Serena Trueblood, showed former bassist Jason Newsted seemingly performing a Nazi salute and the band joking about Kurt Cobain’s death.
James Hetfield also faced accusations of racism in Trueblood’s TikTok. One clip showed Roberta Freeman, a backup singer for Guns N’ Roses, claiming Hetfield used the N-word toward Ice-T. Another video featured Axl Rose accusing Metallica of racism towards Ice-T and Body Count.
“I wish I watched this before I bought my Metallica shirt,” a person wrote on X. The discussion continued on the platform, with many defending the band from being ‘canceled.’
Many of these new fans also watched ‘Stranger Things.’ In the season 4 finale, Eddie Munson performed ‘Master of Puppets’ on his guitar. The song gained renewed popularity, making its way onto Billboard’s Hot 100 and climbing on streaming platforms.
