The iconic comedy-metal band Spinal Tap has responded to claims that Metallica borrowed their album artwork. According to Louder Sound, the group decided not to pursue legal action.

Michael McKean, who plays David St Hubbins in both the original film and the upcoming sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, recently explained the band’s perspective. “We’ve discussed that. They say, ‘It’s a tribute!’ Or Lars [Ulrich, drums] did, at least,” St Hubbins said. “James [Hetfield, vocals/guitars] was heard to mutter something like, ‘We just didn’t have an idea.’ But we’ll take them at their word.”

Despite the controversy, the character voiced admiration for the metal icons. “They’re lovely chaps and very clever – in very good shape, too,” he continued. “They certainly could be rocking into the next millennium – or metallicum, I guess you could call it.”

These remarks come as Spinal Tap gears up for their sequel, showcasing their trademark humor in addressing what might have been a serious clash with one of metal’s most influential bands.

The lighthearted dispute stems from a decades-old similarity in album covers that has become a quirky piece of metal folklore.

Louder Sound noted that Metallica’s 1991 self-titled release, better known as the Black Album, featured an almost entirely black sleeve. The minimalist design was intended to strip away distractions, focusing attention solely on the music. Hetfield described it as “a simple black cover” with “no theme,” highlighting the music over visuals.

That design closely resembled Spinal Tap’s 1984 Smell the Glove soundtrack, which also carried a stark, all-black cover. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, this marked a stylistic shift for Metallica, whose artwork had previously leaned toward the elaborate, symbolic, or even humorous.

The overlap sparked a playful “confrontation” between the two bands, documented in Metallica’s 1992 film A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. As Metal Insider reported, the exchange ended amicably, with Spinal Tap accepting Metallica’s explanation that the cover was meant as a tribute, not a theft.

This interaction underlines the mutual respect between the parody legends and the heavy metal giants. It also shows how humor can ease what could otherwise escalate into a serious copyright dispute.

The post Spinal Tap Jokes About Metallica Album Controversy appeared first on Ntertain Us!.

August 3 marks the 60th birthday of James Hetfield, the legendary frontman of Metallica. Throughout his remarkable career, Hetfield has faced ups and downs that affected both his personal life and music career with the band.

His long struggle with alcohol has been publicly known for years. In 2001, during the recordings of Metallica’s ‘St. Anger,’ the singer’s battle with alcoholism became apparent, leading him to seek help through rehab. After seven months of treatment and four months of recovery time spent with his family, James rejoined Metallica.

In the documentary ‘Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster,‘ released in 2004, viewers got a glimpse of the difficult period during ‘St. Anger’ recordings, where the band postponed their work until Hetfield’s return. Unfortunately, the battle with addiction was not entirely over.

In a June 2013 interview with Juice Magazine, the frontman shared his journey to sobriety and the turning point that made him realize he needed to make a change. He revealed:

“Well, it was really not my choice. Things happen for a reason. My lifestyle caught up with me. I was bringing the road life home to my wife and family. That’s what happened. She saw that and put a stop to it. I had hit a bottom. I got thrown out of the house. I had a reality check around the fact that I was going to lose this family too. My family was huge to me.”

Further recalling that period, James continued:

“Growing up in a family that had fallen apart as a teenager, having my own family fall apart was enough to kick my a**. There was a big godsmack at that point to wake up and see, ‘You’re losing another family that you’ve created.’ That fear was a big motivator for me to get my sh*t together.”

The vocalist added:

“At one point, I was kicked out of my house; I was living on my own, I was in rehab, my band was falling apart, and pretty much everything was crumbling around me. I had some friends that were helping me through stuff that were already in recovery, and I had no clue that they were there for that reason. They were there to help me through all this stuff.”

He also shared how his rehab process helped him, saying:

“Rehab taught me a lot of stuff that I had refused to see or had no clue was there. Once I got detoxed and was able to take a look at myself basically stripped down to the bone, and then rebuild. It was a huge life college for my head and heart. I learned a lot about people, myself, life in general, and I came out of there a new person. It took a long time to get back into the good graces of my family, but I was able to get back in there.”

Reflecting on his transformation after rehab, Hetfield explained:

“I had to shine my new light on how I was. I was like, ‘Are we going to survive this? Are you going to be able to understand the new me? Am I going to be able to survive in the road life and all that stuff?’ It took a lot of talking. At the end of the day, I think everyone benefited from the sobriety.”

He lastly added:

“Without forcing anything upon anyone else, it was like, ‘I have to live my life this way. Please respect it. It’s as simple as that. Now let’s go out and kick some a**.’ That’s what the philosophy is now. We have a lot more respect for each other, and we’re all a lot more help than we used to be. Every one of us goes through tough stuff all the time.

We’re as family as it gets with Metallica. We’re always going to have some problems. Obviously, my family of origin molded me into what I knew about family. Now I’m taking the good and the bad and passing it on to my family as best I can.”

Unfortunately, the battle with addiction was not entirely over. In 2019, Hetfield entered rehab once again after 15 years of sobriety, prompting the band to cancel the Australia/New Zealand leg of their WorldWired tour.

The post Remembering James Hetfield’s Wake-Up Call On His 60th Birthday appeared first on Ntertain Us!.

During a revealing Q&A with Kerrang in 2020, Kirk gave us a deeper look into his life, sharing everything from his biggest life regret to the backstory of Metallica’s iconic ‘The Black Album.’

The guitarist revealed that quitting alcohol was a hard choice he had to make while he was still enjoying it. In hindsight, he expressed he would’ve liked to drop the habit much sooner if he could.

On the creation of ‘The Black Album,’ Kirk stated:

“As we were wrapping up the Damaged Justice tour back in 1989, we were already bouncing new musical ideas off each other. That’s when the ‘Sad But True’ riff was born. Our then-bassist, Jason Newsted, had really melded with us, and we had grown into a more cohesive band during that tour. We were feeling good and ready to make another powerful statement in music. Around this time, MTV and radio had started playing our music, and the mainstream media was catching on. Everything was falling into place.”

Turning toward more personal matters, Kirk opened up about his past struggles with alcohol that affected his life for about 15 years:

“If I could rewind time, I would’ve quit drinking a good 10 or 15 years earlier. I won’t lie, there was a time when I relished my wild, alcohol-fueled adventures. But then the tables turned, and alcohol became more of a foe than a friend.

Each drink I took seemed to do more harm than good, moving me further away from enjoyment and relaxation. That’s the catch with alcohol – if you’re not careful, it can suddenly turn things upside down.”

Sharing more about this chapter of his life, Metallica star added:

“I used to party all night after shows for decades. Then I’d return to my hotel room, play guitar for hours, and the next day, I’d draw a blank. I’d look at my recordings and think, ‘What’s all this?’ But since quitting alcohol, now when I play, I remember everything.

I can pick up where I left off the previous night. I still see myself evolving as a musician, and I appreciate having a clear mind and a strong bond with my music and my instrument. I just wish I’d arrived at this point earlier in life. But, as they say, everything happens for a reason.”

Want to read the original interview? Click here.

The post Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett’s Biggest Regret That Overshadowed 15 Years Of His Life appeared first on Ntertain Us!.

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider recently answered some fan questions on Twitter. In response to one of them, he repeated his early claims about Metallica’s future and revealed how James Hetfield reacted to it years later.

When a fan asked the following question:

“I don’t know if you ever addressed this, but what was your first reaction from watching/hearing Metallica when you shared a bill with them in the mid ’80’s?”

Snider recalled his early prediction and the Metallica frontman’s delight with it as follows:

“I’ve made this statement many times. Hetfield reached out to me for the 1st time in almost 40 years when he heard it on SXMLiquidMetal with Jose Mangin. Told me he busted out laughing…

‘These guys (Metallica) have a lot of heart, but they’re never gonna go anywhere.'”

Upon this tweet, another Twitter user reminded him of a 2021 interview with Speak & Destroy, where the former Twisted Sister vocalist appreciated the band’s success. So, he stressed his point in that chat and wrote:

“People, please, listen! I loved the band. I go on to explain Metallica were just so uncompromising & heavy I couldn’t imagine radio or MTV ever playing them. Metallica never gave a damn inch. They did it their way. Nothing but respect for those boys. Like I said, James love it!”

Then, a fan got curious about the band members’ attitudes after decades of fame and asked:

“Did the guys from Metallica really remain down to earth despite the success and glory? I hope so! It seems they still are, and I find it inspiring that rockstars like Metallica and you [are] still able to remain true to who you are and be connected to people.”

Referring to the last time he talked to Hetfield and the others, Snider explained:

“Last time I saw the guys was after our tour in Holland when they came to congratulate us on our success at the Cow Palace in San Fran. Very down to earth. Just spoke to James for the first time in 39 years a few months ago. Sounded the same to me!“

You can read the Twitter thread below.

I've made this statement many times. Hetfield reached out to me for the 1st time in almost 40 years when he heard it on @SXMLiquidMetal with @josemangin. Told me he busted out laughing…

"These guys (@Metallica) have a lot of heart, but they're never gonna go anywhere." https://t.co/8hslbke0Nt

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) June 10, 2023

PEOPLE PLEASE LISTEN! I loved the band. I go on to explain @Metallica were just so uncompromising & heavy I couldn't imagine radio or MTV ever playing them. Metallica never gave a damn inch. They did it their way. Nothing but respect for those boys.

Like I said, James love it! https://t.co/fL8RgD4wjI

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) June 10, 2023

Last time I saw the guys was after our tour in Holland when they came to congratulate us on our success at the Cow Palace in San Fran. Very down to earth.

Just spoke to James for the first time in 39 years a few months ago. Sounded the same to me! https://t.co/q7g8XNCqnN

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) June 10, 2023

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