We are used to hearing Metallica rocking the stage with dark and heavy tones, which is usually a delight for metalheads. Yet, it turns into something else when James Hetfield gets his acoustic guitar, sits down on a stool, and starts covering a Thin Lizzy song. Recently, Metallica decided to pay homage to the cult band by performing ‘Borderline,’ and it couldn’t have been more remarkable for Justin Hawkins.
Metallica had previously signaled that they wanted to dive deep back to their roots with the upcoming new album, ‘72 Seasons.’ So, it is evident that the band has been going through a period of change and self-discovery. Even though we might not fully know what this phase might entail, it is undoubtedly going great.
We’re not the only ones to think so, as upon seeing the performance, Hawkins decided to celebrate the cover with a video and note that the band had been experiencing a renaissance. There was a certain serenity in the band’s cover, with no need to ‘metalize’ things, and it was just good old rock with some acoustic.
“That is a really well-observed Thin Lizzy cover,” pointed out Justin as he watched Metallica wrapping up the cover with a serene drum beat coming from Lars Ulrich’s part. “It’s just beautifully played. He sings great, doesn’t he? I love it. Wow, Metallica is just doing loads of really cool stuff at the moment. [It] must be a… Metallica renaissance.”
The rocker then encouraged anyone to go and check out the cover. Hawkins continued, “Well, that’s brilliant. I recommend you watch that if you want to see [what] Metallica [is] doing… I don’t know. It’s just a really accomplished acoustic cover of a Thin Lizzy song. It’s awesome, and they don’t kind of feel obliged to spice it up or make it metal in any way at all. It’s just really… it’s beautifully done. It’s great stuff.”
So, even if this isn’t the first time the band covered a classic rock anthem or a more soulful or slow song, whatever you want to call it, than their usual setlist, this cover indeed was something special for both Metallica, their audience and of course, last but not least, the Darkness frontman.
