METALLICA Says Having 'Master Of Puppets' Featured In 'Stranger Things' Is 'An Incredible Honor'

METALLICA says it's "an incredible honor" to have the title track of its "Master Of Puppets" album incorporated into Netflix's season four finale of "Stranger Things".

In the finale, the Eddie Munson character performs what he calls "the most metal concert ever" — including shredding "Master Of Puppets" on his beloved Warlock guitar — in "Stranger Things"' "Upside Down" alternate universe during an attempt to help his friends vanquish the Big Bad of the season, a demon named Vecna.

Earlier today (Tuesday, July 5),METALLICA issued the following statement regarding "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer's decision to use the group's music in the show: "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.

"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."

Last week, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo revealed that his 17-year-old son Tye contributed "additional guitar tracks" to the version of "Master Of Puppets" which appears in "Stranger Things".

29-year-old actor Joe Quinn, who plays Munson, told Entertainment Weekly about how he prepared for the role: "I listened to a lot of heavy metal. That was my ... God, it's impossible to not sound pretentious when you say it, but, yeah, that was my way in."

Quinn went on to say that he began playing guitar after watching Jack Black in the 2003 cult classic movie "School Of Rock".

"I've played since I was 7, and I've had huge breaks," he said. "I wouldn't consider myself a brilliant guitarist, but I can play it. That was very lucky because those scripts came out, I think, at some point in the pandemic. I did start practicing pretty furiously."

Apparently as a result of the renewed attention "Master Of Puppets" has received thanks to being featured in Netflix's hit original series, the song is currently sitting at position No. 26 on Spotify's Top 50 Global chart.

"Master Of Puppets" was released on February 24, 1986 and was the first album METALLICA recorded after signing a major label deal with Elektra Records.

The set only reached No. 29 on the Billboard album chart but has sold over six million copies in the U.S. since.

It is the last record to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed later that year in a tour bus crash.

Several songs from the album are still staples of METALLICA's live set, including "Battery", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and the title track.

Many fans consider it METALLICA's finest album, a fact that the band acknowledged by playing it in its entirety on a European tour in 2006.

"Master Of Puppets" continues to sell several thousand copies a week in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In 2016, "Master Of Puppets" was among the albums that were selected for induction into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Several years ago, METALLICA collaborated with an author named Matt Taylor on a book about the making of "Master Of Puppets".