metallica
16:19 Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Metallica and pop-punk? You know it had to happen.
So prepare yourself — there's now a pop-punk cover version of Metallica's "Master of Puppets." Created by the artists Todd Barriage and Kala, the pop-punk take on the classic metal cut was no doubt spurred by the song's renewed popularity thanks to Stranger Things 4.
Hear the cover down toward the bottom of this post.
Barriage explains, "Kala started playing 'Master of Puppets' on guitar the other day, and then I said 'haha what if it was pop punk tho,' and now we've covered a Metallica song together. 'MoP' is pop punk now, no take-backs!"
The fourth season of Netflix's Stranger Things, which premiered this spring, culminated in July with the featured Metallica song that subsequently boosted the metal band's cache with unfamiliar listeners.
In the show, the metalhead character Eddie Munson performs "Master of Puppets" in a pivotal scene. After the airing, Metallica welcomed new fans before some seemingly attempted to "cancel" the group.
But even before Stranger Things, "Master of Puppets" was a frequent cover for many rock bands. It's also been covered in the styles of other metal acts such as Rammstein and Type O Negative. Metallica toured this summer and will play the Global Citizen Festival in New York in September. Get Metallica concert tickets here.
Barriage and Kala's pop-punk "Puppets" version is now available to stream. Watch the music video below. Check out Barriage on YouTube and Patreon, Kala on TikTok.
Todd Barriage + Kala, "Master of Puppets" (Pop-Punk Metallica Cover)