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.
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.