Metallica slapped down a gatekeeping fan over a snarky comment about their music being in Stranger Things

Guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of the band Metallica performing at Mad Cool 2022 festival
(Image credit: Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Metallica have hit back at a fan on their TikTok account for trying to gatekeep their music after its use in Stranger Things.

The band's hallmark 1986 anthem Master Of Puppets was played in the season four grand finale of the the global sci-fi/horror hit series. In a pivotal scene, the show's loveable metalhead and Dungeons and Dragons Hellfire club leader Eddie Munson shreds the song on guitar to save his friends from the creatures of the Upside Down.

Now, since its inclusion, the track has seen a major uplift in the UK singles chart, and is also in the 14th position on Spotify's global chart, and the 7th on Spotify's UK and US charts.

You may like

Metallica, who described the song's inclusion in the show as an "incredible honour", uploaded a video of a live performance of the track onto their TikTok account yesterday (July 6), captioning it: "Heard any cool songs lately?"

In the comments, one fan wrote: "I'm sorry Metallica for all the fake Stranger Things fans love ya".

In response, the band hit back, writing: "Don't be sorry. Everyone is welcome in the Metallica Family. If they like Puppets, chances are they'll find plenty of other songs to get into".

To address gatekeeping as a whole, they posted a message to the top of the comment section, writing: "FYI - EVERYONE is welcome in the Metallica Family. Whether you’ve been a fan for 40 hours or 40 years, we all share a bond through music.

"All of you started at ground zero at one point in time. 🤘🏻"

Elsewhere, one viewer jokingly declares, "Eddie played it better jkjkjk". Metallica responded: "He’s a ripper, that’s for sure".

When they first acknowledged the Stranger Things scene in which featured Master Of Puppets, the band wrote in a statement:

"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," say Metallica on their official Instagram page. "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."

Bassist Rob Trujillo revealed this week that his son Tye (alongside bandmate Kirk Hammett) was involved in bringing Master Of Puppets to life on the show. 

Check out Metallica's TikTok below:

@metallica

♬ Master of Puppets (Remastered) - Metallica
Liz Scarlett

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.

Read more
Metallica posing for a photograph in the mid 1990s
“I like to push some of those buttons. I like the fact that people have a problem with what we’re doing”: How Metallica kicked back against the 1990s haters with Reload
Serj Tankian on stage in 2001
"A small subset of fans had a practice of showing up to gigs in Nazi regalia." System Of A Down's Serj Tankian on why supporting one iconic metal band was like "rock 'n' roll boot camp"
Babymetal posing for a photograph in 2015
“Metal is the only genre that’s open to so many different types of music. That’s why Babymetal is here right now”: How Babymetal smashed the barriers and defied the haters to become Japan’s biggest metal band
Metallica in 1999
"You can only be what the public thinks you are for so long before it becomes boring": The story of how Metallica got themselves an orchestra – and the album that followed
Metallica performing live in 2022
Why Robert Trujillo hasn’t written much Metallica music: “These guys write amazing songs, and I’m not going to suddenly insert myself”
Metallica in 1996
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett is open to making another Load-style album: “We might just say, ‘OK, let’s go back to the ’90s again.’ It’s not a bad idea.”
Latest in
Queen posing for a photograph in 1978
"Freddie’s ideas were off the wall and cheeky and different, and we tended to encourage them, but sometimes they were not brilliant.” Queen's Brian May reveals one of Freddie Mercury's grand ideas that got vetoed by the rest of the band
Mogwai
“The concept of cool and uncool is completely gone, which is good and bad… people are unashamedly listening to Rick Astley. You’ve got to draw a line somewhere!” Mogwai and the making of prog-curious album The Bad Fire
Adrian Smith performing with Iron Maiden in 2024
Adrian Smith names his favourite Iron Maiden song, even though it’s “awkward” to play
Robert Smith, Lauren Mayberry, Bono
How your purchase of albums by The Cure, U2, Chvrches and more on Record Store Day can help benefit children living in war zones worldwide
Cradle Of Filth performing in 2021 and Ed Sheeran in 2024
Cradle Of Filth’s singer claims Ed Sheeran tried to turn a Toys R Us into a live music venue
The Beatles in 1962
"The quality is unreal. How is this even possible to have?" Record shop owner finds 1962 Beatles' audition tape that a British label famously decided wasn't good enough to earn Lennon and McCartney's band a record deal
Latest in News
Queen posing for a photograph in 1978
"Freddie’s ideas were off the wall and cheeky and different, and we tended to encourage them, but sometimes they were not brilliant.” Queen's Brian May reveals one of Freddie Mercury's grand ideas that got vetoed by the rest of the band
Adrian Smith performing with Iron Maiden in 2024
Adrian Smith names his favourite Iron Maiden song, even though it’s “awkward” to play
Robert Smith, Lauren Mayberry, Bono
How your purchase of albums by The Cure, U2, Chvrches and more on Record Store Day can help benefit children living in war zones worldwide
Cradle Of Filth performing in 2021 and Ed Sheeran in 2024
Cradle Of Filth’s singer claims Ed Sheeran tried to turn a Toys R Us into a live music venue
The Beatles in 1962
"The quality is unreal. How is this even possible to have?" Record shop owner finds 1962 Beatles' audition tape that a British label famously decided wasn't good enough to earn Lennon and McCartney's band a record deal
Lizzo and Sister Rosetta Tharpe onstage
"This is my baby, my passion – because Rosetta deserves": Lizzo to play rock'n'roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe in upcoming biopic