There's nothing quite like a cover of an awesome rock song performed with classroom instruments. Jimmy Fallon and the Roots have proven that time and again, and this week, they demonstrated the bizarre awesomeness that is Metallica's "Enter Sandman" when virtually reinvented with plastic instruments...
Yes, that's James Hetfield front and center, belting out Metallica's "Enter Sandman." To his left, Lars Ulrich is rocking out on a toy drum. Behind them are Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo on keyboard and guitar. And everyone seems at least moderately into the jam session. Maybe wondering how they got there. Maybe wondering if they should've been performing that song on plastic instruments this whole time.
Metallica's appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon comes days ahead of the arrival of their hugely anticipated new album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct. It's Metallica's tenth album, and considering it's been nearly a decade since the last one dropped, it's a pretty big deal for fans. Though I can't imagine many of them expected to see the band promoting their new tracks with this kind of throwback to the Black album. Surely there have been plenty of covers of "Enter Sandman" before, but few -- if any -- have likely been given the toy instrument treatment. We have Jimmy Fallon and his love for viral video opportunities to thank for that little ditty.
In the meantime, those concerned that this performance is an indication that Metallica has gone soft should rest assured that it sounds like their new album will be full-on metal. In fact, Rolling Stone says there's not a single ballad on Hardwired... to Self-Destruct. The site describes Metallica's tenth album's tracks as "simply 77 minutes' worth of outsized, whiplash-inducing headbangers." If you're ready for a taste, check out the 7-minute track "Spit Out the Bone" below...
The song clocks in at over seven minutes, and from what Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone, it sounds like they actually trimmed it down from a tune that was a few minutes longer...
We just kept going and going and going. That was also the first song where we went, "Wait a minute, is there too much of a good thing here?" And then we started peeling it back. It was one of those where you just keep going to different universes and different modes and areas because it was super fun. It was like this journey. Old-school Mercyful Fate--type stuff was kind of the inspiration for that.
I'm not sure how well "Spit Out the Bone" would work with classroom instruments. Then again, Jimmy Fallon and the Roots have given that treatment to plenty of songs, including Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat" and Adele's "Hello." And let's face it, there's something oddly charming about the site of Metallica, surrounded by Fallon and the Roots, doing a classroom version of their music.
Metallica's new album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct hits shelves November 18. Preorder it here.
