Metallica‘s TikTok blew up yesterday when they posted a live clip of “Master of Puppets” and commented with an anti-gatekeeping message, saying, “Everyone is welcome in the Metallica family.” This seems to be a statement connected to the rise of interest in Metallica based on the attention they are receiving as “Master of Puppets” is part of the Stranger Things season four finale.
As of this writing, Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” is still trending upward (at No. 14!) on Spotify’s Top 50-Global chart, meaning the 30+ year old song is getting the hit Netflix show’s Stranger Things bump. Metallica are embracing their part in the show, posting on Facebook that they 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.” Their recent TikTok post seems to be a reflection of all this and of negative backlash from some of their old-guard fans who are practicing classic gatekeeping behavior.
“Gatekeeping – the act of keeping others away from something you like – has plagued the metal community for decades”… that’s the opening line from a popular Loudwire article published last month called Not Metal Enough – A Psychological Perspective on Gatekeeping. The column is a deep dive into why fans of metal music try to exclude others from the genre. This happens in a bunch of different ways, one is by telling new fans that they aren’t “metal enough” because they didn’t get in on the ground floor of say, Metallica, before they were huge.
Metallica lobs a grenade at this argument in their latest TikTok post:
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.
And right under that:
All of you started at ground zero at one point in time.
Fan comments below are all over the map, some commenting on the “Stranger Things song,” others noting they are new fans, and some recognizing the gatekeeping statement.
The Metallica comment even has a foothold in the Metallica sub on Reddit. Some users there are commenting, “No joke, I’m kinda jealous of the new fans, look at all the music they get to experience for the first time,” and “Reminder: Gatekeeping isn’t cool, don’t be that guy. Metallica, like all music, is for anyone and everyone.”
Check out Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” TikTok post and comments on TikTok below. Also find out who body-doubled Eddie Munson on guitar in Stranger Things and Metallica’s response to the whole phenomena.