The Bad Penny (beta)

Do you remember where you were the first time you heard Metallica? Whether the answer is yes or no, the band has left an indelible imprint on the psyche of every musician who either plays metal or has even a passing appreciation of it, from Mastodon to Lou Reed to Lady Gaga. With the possible exception of Black Sabbath, no band has had a bigger influence on heavy metal writ large.

That phenomenon is in no way confined to the United States; Metallica have proven as such with some of the most historic concerts in the past 50 years, from their legendary concert in Russia in 1991 to their larger-than-life (and definitionally decadent) co-headlining tour with Guns N’ Roses in the ’90s to their provocative documentary Some Kind of Monster. Metallica’s Guinness World Record-achieving feat as the only band to play on every continent in one calendar year is proof positive of the band’s global impact.

With that in mind, it’s eminently appropriate that Norway’s Antichrist Magazine released a Metallica tribute album earlier this month in which bands from 16 countries contributed. The outlet previously issued similar salutes to Motörhead, Darkthrone and Bathory, but their Metallica comp is an achievement of awesome proportions. As a tip of the cap to their accomplishment, The Bad Penny, Antichrist Magazine and Grand Sound PR teamed up to solicit comments from almost every band that contributed to A Tribute to Metallica on what Metallica means to them.

With that in mind, and also in celebration of Metallica’s 45th year as a band, we bring you reflections from metal’s biggest band that artists from around the world featured on the collection exclusively shared with us.With that in mind, and also in celebration of Metallica’s 45th year as a band, we bring you reflections from metal’s biggest band that artists from around the world featured on the collection exclusively shared with us.

Imperial Domain (Sweden) – “My Friend of Misery”

They were my introduction to thrash metal. They were the band that took me from more traditional rock and metal into a faster, more aggressive sound. Through them I discovered other bands like Slayer, etc.

I first came across Metallica sometime around 1986-’87. Some of my friends were actually at Cliff Burton’s final show at Sporthallen in Stockholm, but it still took a while before I really got into the band myself. Back then, I was younger and grew up with Judas Priest, Dio and Iron Maiden, so Metallica initially felt a bit too intense for me. Eventually, though, they grew on me – and it was Master of Puppets that really pulled me in and made me a fan, via the mix of aggression and melody; and their riffs, dynamics and live energy.

We were offered the opportunity to contribute a song [to this compilation], and saying yes to that was the easy part. Picking which song to do was much harder. In the end, “My Friend of Misery” felt like a strong fit for us. It’s not the most obvious track people choose to cover, and that’s exactly what I like about it.