Metallica frontman James Hetfield insists the trash metal icons will never resort to simply playing just the hits and becoming another legacy band.

While the beloved metal heroes have more than enough hits under their belt to comfortably sell out arena tours without ever releasing a new track, Papa Het vows that won’t happen.

While they still have a desire to make new music and the fans still open their hearts to the new material, Metallica won’t allow the creative juices to stop flowing.

Hetfield tells the Metallica Report podcast: “The fact that the 72 Seasons album is well received and some of the songs that we’re playing live work and they kind of fit seamlessly in with all the catalog, all the albums we have.

“We know people want to hear the best of, and you’ve got to challenge them to listen to some of the new stuff as well.

“We certainly don’t want to be a legacy band that just plays its greatest hits and then that’s it.”

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Metallica recently announced a new run of North American shows for 2025, including headline slots at the Sick New World and Sonic Temple festivals.

The 21-date tour will run from April to June next year, with support at various stops coming from Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies and Ice Nine Kills.

The full list of dates is below. The dates are a continuation of Metallica’s M72 world tour, which started in 2023 after the release of 72 Seasons.

Metallica 2025 North American tour dates

Apr 12: Las Vegas Sick New World, NV
Apr 19: Syracuse MA Wireless Dome, NY*
Apr 24: Toronto Rogers Centre, ON*
Apr 26: Toronto Rogers Centre, ON+
May 01: Nashville Nissan Stadium, TN*
May 03: Nashville Nissan Stadium, TN+
May 07: Blacksburg Lane Stadium, VA*
May 09: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH
May 11: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH
May 23: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA+
May 25: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA*
May 28: Landover Northwest Stadium, MD*
May 31: Charlotte Bank Of America Stadium, NC*
Jun 3: Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium, GA*
Jun 6: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL+
Jun 8: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL*
Jun 14: Houston NRG Stadium, TX*
Jun 20: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA+
Jun 22: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA*

Jun 27: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO+
Jun 29: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO*